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2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII First Look | It's all new, we swear!

At a well-decorated warehouse just off Hollywood's Sunset Blvd., a gaggle of PR, design, operations, and executives from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are stoking our excitement for the all-new, 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII. Along with the normal Rolls-Roycey words like "heritage," "brand," and "bespoke," was a repeated phrase. A phrase that shouldn't be necessary. A phrase eliciting a concept that should be obvious if true. The new car, it said, was "not an evolution" on the current Phantom. That, friends, is exciting to hear. Don't get us wrong, we like the train-engine-bolted-to-a-horseless-carriage look, and the beast's scale and presence on the street. Trouble is, since the car first took to unsmoothing our air with its cathedral-facade front end in 2003, the looks have gotten a little, um, tired. Blame the mercilessness of time. Blame the success of the car, which means they're on every street corner in west Los Angeles. Blame the "imitation-is-the-most-sincere-form-of-flattery" Chrysler 300. Blame the fact that this car's magnetism vaults it into the public eye more frequently than a Kardashian. Whatever the cause, fact is, the Phantom needs a reboot. A subtle evolution a la the last Bentley Continental won't do. The lights are out. We're led through a darkened antechamber into the full-dark of the warehouse. We can see the shape. It's big and has the classic squared off D-pillar. The front, too, has the required grille bigness. It is enviously long. Let's pause. Here at Autoblog, we're known for giving people advice. We take that responsibility seriously, because the results of our evaluations and expertise are often the reason someone has dropped thousands of dollars on a car they're going to live with for many years. We try to keep it on cars and to not to get too preachy on the life coaching. We're going to break that convention now. Here's a life pro tip: The more frequently that someone in a position of power repeats a claim, the more likely it is that that claim is false. The lights click on. The men and women of Rolls-Royce, for whom this project is a true honor, clap in genuine appreciation and reverence for what they've been a part of. And the journalists in the room turn to each other and mouth, "Wait, is this the new one?" If you're casually familiar with the current-gen Phantom, based on seeing them pull into the club as you wait in line, then this new one will likely register as just another Phantom when it hits the streets early next year.

Rolls-Royce gives up on electric, diesel models in favor of hybrid

Rolls-Royce is not what you might characterize as one of the greenest automakers on the market. Its vehicles tend to be rather large, saddled with lots of plush leather, thick carpets and wood trim, and powered by twelve-cylinder engines in excess of six and a half liters. But that doesn't mean that the stoic British automaker isn't trying to clean up its act, even if its customers haven't responded in kind. Rolls did not receive a single order for the all-electric Phantom. A few years ago, Rolls-Royce showcased an all-electric Phantom prototype called the 102EX (pictured above) and sent it on a global tour to demonstrate to customers around the world. But in speaking to company representatives, Autocar reports that Rolls did not receive a single order for such a vehicle. Nor did customers respond favorably to the idea of a diesel Rolls-Royce. Prospective and existing clients exhibited "significant hostility" towards the idea, despite a diesel prototype that was "effectively inaudible" in comparison to the existing gasoline models while delivering torque-driven performance which the company characterized as "impressive" while significantly reducing carbon emissions. As a result, the diesel project was killed off just like the electric one. That doesn't mean that Rolls-Royce is giving up, though. In the wake of the diesel and electric projects, Goodwood is reportedly proceeding with a hybrid powertrain borrowed from parent company BMW, which offers a wide array of hybrids including versions of 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series sedans, the X6 crossover and the i3 and i8 PHEVs.

Going mobile: Custom Rolls-Royces inspired by British rock

A rockstar lifestyle and luxury cars go hand-in-hand. To recognize this and to celebrate some of the finest rock music created in Britain, Rolls-Royce will build nine bespoke Wraith models customized in the style of British rock stars. The first four cars in the "Wraith Inspired by British Music" series were unveiled at the Sanderson Hotel in London. The cars have been designed in collaboration with some of the most well-known names in British popular music, and Rolls-Royce says the stars were personally invited to the "Home of Rolls-Royce" in Goodwood, England. The first four cars were created with Roger Daltrey OBE of The Who, Sir Ray Davies of The Kinks and Giles Martin, the son of recently deceased music producer Sir George Martin, famed for the work he did with The Beatles among others. Behind the project is English artist Alistair Morrison, who is working on a series of British rockstar portraits. Daltrey helped to design two cars, first a Who-style Wraith and one fashioned for the band's rock opera "Tommy," with a hood that showcases the sleeve of the famous concept album. However, there is not yet word of a Keith Moon edition Wraith to be delivered into a swimming pool. Cars to be revealed later include a Status Quo Wraith designed with Francis Rossi, a Shirley Bassey Wraith with legendary 007 theme-song touches and a Ronnie Wood car designed to suit the Rolling Stones guitarist.