1961 Rolls Royce Phantom V James Young Very Rare! on 2040-cars

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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.

Rolls-Royce commissions a Faberge egg

What you see above, is probably the equivalent of the movie The Avengers, but for the ultra-filthy-rich. It's the ultimate crossover of luxury brands, Rolls-Royce, and the famed jewelry company Faberge. It's a special egg made by the jeweler that's themed around the luxury car builder. And naturally, it's an "Imperial Class" egg. This means it's similar in size, complexity and quality to the original 50 made for the Russian royal family, the very ones that helped make Faberge so famous. It's also only the second to be commissioned, since. The other was commissioned by a Middle Eastern jewelry group. The egg is quite modern and simple in design. It stands about 6 inches tall, and it weighs nearly a pound. A rock crystal Spirit of Ecstasy sits in the middle, surrounded by arcing arms. Each arm is made of rose gold with 390 carats of amethyst and 10 carats of white diamonds. The whole egg sits on a machine-turned white gold base with a purple enamel coat. Like many Faberge eggs, this has mechanical workings. Pressing a lever causes the many arms to descend, making the Spirit of Ecstasy visible. The egg will be on display at Faberge's London store this December for the public to see. After that, Rolls-Royce says it will be heading for the home of a private collector of both Rolls-Royce and Faberge creations. Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Faberge Egg News Source: Rolls-Royce, The Daily Mail Design/Style Rolls-Royce Luxury

Top Gear caught filming Best of British near Buckingham Palace

YouTuber and car-fan extraordinaire Shmee probably had very little trouble tracking down the Top Gear film crew recently, as the group was putting together an episode that could accurately be described as "excessive." With its flag-waving (literally) Best of British theme, the TG guys gathered a jaw-dropping array of British cars, and parked them all right in front of Buckingham Palace to make extra sure that the point was driven home.
Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were outfitted with a trio of Jaguar F-Types festooned with gigantic Union Jacks, with which to survey the landscape of British motoring glory. In the video below, you'll see that this includes any number of Mini, Aston Martin, Lotus, McLaren, Land Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models (just to name a few), as well as a healthy dose of weird stuff that most people would never guess at being built in the UK. The lawnmowers and military vehicles are especially cool.