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This exploding Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is angering, mesmerizing

Between Las Vegas and the emirates of the Persian Gulf, we're sure there are Rolls-Royces to be found in the desert all the time. And we don't doubt that, given those locations, one gets torched every so often. There'd probably even be someone in a tuxedo or evening gown running for cover when it happens, too. The thing is that we're seldom if ever there to watch it go down, much less capture it in stunning high-definition, frame-by-frame video when it does.
That's where this four-minute clip by Tyler Shields comes in. The American photographer and filmmaker staged and captured this Silver Shadow being doused in gasoline (or at least what we're supposed to believe is gasoline) and set afire in the Mojave Desert, along with actor Cru Ennis and actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten.
It's heartbreaking but mesmerizing, and you'll want to watch the video for yourself to see which side you fall on. If it's the former, take solace at least in the fact that the Silver Shadow is far from a rare beast. In fact, it remains by far the most prolific Rolls-Royce ever, with over 30,000 made between 1965 and 1980... so we doubt this one will be missed terribly.

Rolls-Royce releases another shadowy look at new Wraith

Rolls-Royce has dropped a third teaser for its upcoming coupe that we'll be seeing in a few weeks at the Geneva Motor Show. A couple of weeks ago, we saw the 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith in a shadowy profile shot, and now we're getting an (admittedly limited) idea of what the rear of the car will look like.
As suggested by a recent set of spy shots, the 2014 Wraith should have a rear-end styling very similar - if not identical - to the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which this car is a coupe version of. In typical Rolls-Royce fashion, the British automaker promises that this new model will deliver plenty of power, style and drama, though it's declining to get more specific about what that power is (other than to say it will be "more than ample"). We have no indication that the engine won't be the 563-horsepower, 6.6-liter V8 that's in the Ghost, but we'll have to wait until next month to find out for sure.

Even in a down economy, Rolls-Royce is on a roll

Limited Volume, Big Margins Spell Success
Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to selling super luxury. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös expects the British automaker to again post a record year, despite the economic troubles in Europe and weak growth in both the US and China.
"It is not all doom and gloom out there," Müller-Ötvös explains, noting that the declining sales in Europe and elsewhere have been offset by good performance for the marque in the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia.