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Rolls-Royce restores a pair of soapbox racers it built in the 2000s

Rolls-Royce inaugurated its current headquarters in Goodwood, England, in 2003, but it started making cars there before the plant was officially opened. It built a soapbox racer called RR-0.01 in 2001 and manufactured a second example named RR-0.02 the following year. These one-offs were raced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and largely forgotten about until they were given a full restoration in 2024. Building a soapbox racer might sound odd for a brand that develops some of the world's most luxurious cars. Rolls-Royce explains that entering the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Soapbox Challenge was a way to preview what was then a new chapter in its history. In just a few short years, it had been sold to Volkswagen by a company named Vickers and sold again to BMW after an intense round of negotiations. It had split from Bentley, its longtime sister company, and it was forced to build a new plant, a new headquarters, and develop a new range. The soapbox racers were made by some of the same workers that later manufactured models like the Phantom, and they featured a Rolls-Royce-esque design thanks largely to a bright grille with vertical slats. It should come as no surprise that these weren't your typical home-brewed racers built on a gutted riding lawnmower chassis. Rolls-Royce used carbon fiber, fiberglass, and aluminum to keep the 0.01's weight in check, for example, while the 0.02 featured a formula racing-style steering rack, wood trim, as well as leather upholstery. The two racers also stood out with several unusual design cues: 0.01 wore a hare-shaped hood ornament while 0.02 got a "??" logo above the grille. Rolls-Royce notes that its soapbox racers last competed in 2013; during the event, 0.02 reached 72 mph, which is remarkable (and a little scary) considering it's powered solely by gravity. They were stored in as-raced condition until the company asked a team of apprentices to fully restore them. The work performed included repairing parts damaged during racing, including 0.01's grille and 0.02's wood cowl. Both freshly-restored racers will be displayed at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club's headquarters in Northamptonshire, England. Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce's RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 soapbox racers Design/Style Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Ekleipsis Private Collection is an eclipse on wheels

Demand for Rolls-Royce's Black Badge models has been high, so the brand is going further down this dimly-lit avenue with a limited-edition version of the Ghost called Ekleipsis Private Collection. The sedan features several specific astrology-inspired styling cues inside and out. As its name implies, the Ekleipsis is a tribute to the eclipse (the one that you see in the sky, not the one built by Mitsubishi). It's based on the Ghost Black Badge, but it's finished in a special color called Lyrical Copper that captures "the mysterious, ethereal light cast by a total solar eclipse," according to Rolls-Royce's design team. Mandarin exterior accents on the body and the brake calipers add a touch of contrast to the look, and the thin line that stretches from the front part of the fenders to the rear part of the quarter panels is applied entirely by hand. Inside, the Ekleipsis features Rolls-Royce's signature Starlight headliner with a special animation that mimics an eclipse. When the doors close and the engine starts, the stars in the headliner darken and a specific sequence plays to replicate a full solar eclipse. We'll save you the trouble of counting them: The circle that appears consists of 940 "stars" while the background includes an additional 192 "stars." This lasts for seven minutes and 31 seconds, the longest duration of a total solar eclipse, and the standard Starlight headliner returns at the end. Fine-tuning this feature was easier said than done. Rolls-Royce spent a year on it, and it built three complete prototypes to perfect it. Rolls-Royce didn't stop there. The dashboard gains an analog clock whose bezel incorporates a brilliant-cut 0.5-carat diamond. Surprisingly, this is the first time that the company has integrated a gemstone into the clock's bezel. The passengers sit on two-tone leather-upholstered seats with over 200,000 perforations, and the list of standard features includes umbrellas with Mandarin piping as well as a car cover. Production of the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ekleipsis Private Collection is limited to 25 units globally. Pricing information hasn't been announced, but it's of little interest to us because the model was sold-out before its public unveiling. Besides, if you need to ask ... Related video: Here's a tiny taste of Rolls-Royce Spectre color and customization options!

Neglected Rolls-Royce Phantom may be the saddest of all time

Rolls-Royce prides itself on exemplifying the pinnacle of automotive elegance. The brand is synonymous with quality and luxury. However, in the end even a Rolls is still just a car, and if you don't keep it up, it's bound to fail. That deterioration can be seriously fun to watch, though.
This 2005 Rolls-Royce Phantom might now be one of the worst cars on the planet and only has a little over 95,000 miles on it. The video claims that the original owner in New Jersey didn't make payments on the car for three years but rented the sedan out to people and used it for a livery service. Now, it's repossessed and would probably cost more to fix than it's worth.
This Phantom has had a hard life. We don't want to spoil too many of the broken pieces because they pile up to become increasingly absurd. However, the pièce de résistance must to be the broken Spider-Man umbrella in the door.