2000 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph Black Sunroof Chrome Serviced on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Rolls-Royce Phantom celebrates decade of decadence

Ten years ago, Rolls-Royce opened its Goodwood manufacturing facility and handed over the keys to the very first Phantom. Back then, parent company BMW was cranking out Phantom sedans at the blistering pace of one unit per day. By the end of 2003, that number had tripled, and today, the Goodwood plant builds a total of 20 Phantoms in sedan, coupe, drophead and extended-wheelbase models during a single day's working hours. Originally, there were fewer than 400 workers on staff responsible for hand-building the big cruisers, but now the plant boasts over 1,400 craftsmen, with 100 of those positions added in 2012 alone.
Rolls-Royce boasts one of the lowest staff turnover rates of any brand in the industry, thanks in part to a successful apprenticeship and internship program, and the company notes 80 percent of its workers live within 15 miles of the facility. You can read the full press release on the 10th anniversary of both the Phantom and the Goodwood plant below.

2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Review | Three things I learned driving a $429,400 SUV

TROY, Mich. — Rolls-Royce is the epitome of the vehicle as a luxury good. It has features that are expensive and luxurious rather than functional, and they create an image that separates a Rolls-Royce from almost everything else, save perhaps Bentley. I recently spent a few days in the 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the brandÂ’s first and only SUV. ItÂ’s a legit people-hauler. Good luck getting your retriever and her food in the Ferrari Purosangue, but the Cullinan borders on a #vanlife operation. HereÂ’s three things I learned after driving in the opulent $429,400 Cullinan.  Fear not, itÂ’s easy to drive The intimidation factor is not what I expected. The Cullinan is about as long as a Chevy Tahoe and four inches wider. It does not drive that way. The steering is light but direct and communicative. Factor in four-wheel steering, and itÂ’s like driving a much smaller car. The driverÂ’s seating position is excellent and provided a clear view of my surroundings. With the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament leading the way, it felt majestic. ThatÂ’s what Rolls is going for, but the setting also gave me confidence with both corners clearly visible. It doesnÂ’t matter how much a car costs if you feel like you know what youÂ’re doing. RollsÂ’ famous Magic Carpet Ride makes for perhaps the smoothest experience IÂ’ve had in any car or SUV. The suspension is always adjusting, and almost no bumps or potholes could bother me or my passengers. It really is next-level comfort. Given that the chassis is working with 22-inch wheels, itÂ’s all the more impressive. The V12 engine puts out 563 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Get on the throttle and it will move, but with decorum. Yes, thereÂ’s an aura IÂ’ve driven plenty of luxury cars that donÂ’t live up to the hype. The Cullinan is not one of them. My Rolls had the Shooting Star headliner, a $7,975 option that turns your vehicle into a rolling planetarium. ItÂ’s one of those features that sounds contrived until you experience it. The celestial sky is mesmerizing, and when your passengers see the shooting-star feature, get ready for the oohs and ahhs. Rolls first launched the headliner in 2006 as a custom option, but now itÂ’s on most of its vehicles. The stars are illuminated by fiber-optic cables and six powerful light cannons, according to Rolls-Royce, and thereÂ’s up to 1,600 hand-cut holes in the headliner. You can personalize the constellations.

Rolls-Royce brings Pebble Beach 2019 Collection to Monterey

Rolls-Royce brought 13 Bespoke Commissions to Monterey Car Week, each of them only available to guests attending car week. Among the pride, said to be inspired by the resurgent natural landscape of Pebble Beach after years of natural disasters, are a single Phantom, four Cullinans, four Dawns, two Ghosts, and two Wraiths. The Phantom gets the most modest treatment, attired — as usual — for business in a Black Diamond and Gold Bespoke exterior. The interior highlight is the Phantom Gallery, which turns a swath of the instrument panel into a canvas for personalized art. The four Cullinan SUVs begin to taste the rainbow, drenched in the luxury maker's iced finish, which Rolls-Royce says is one of its most popular offerings. The ice finish entails a mildly paradoxical combination of a matte color with an elegant shine, and on the quartet of Cullinans comes in Burnout Grey, Black Green, Iced Gunmetal, and Galilea Blue. Outside the collection but just as interesting from a color perspective, Rolls-Royce showed a bespoke Cullinan in Fux Orange, the paint named after a collector who asked Rolls-Royce to color-match a woman's wrap he bought in Miami. The Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn go all the way with color as part of a Pastel Collection, their "painter's palette of colors" keyed off the riot of ground cover and wildflowers newly returned to the Monterey Peninsula. They include three Black Badge Commissions, the aim to show that Black Badge need not mean somber or dowdy. Rolls-Royce did the same thing last year with its Paradiso Black Badge Collection in Quail Blue.  This year's Ghost Black Badge comes in the new color Light Green Solid over a black interior livened up by Serenity Green splashes. The Wraith wears Semaphore Yellow over a Selby Grey and Lemon cabin speckled by the Black Badge Starlight Headliner. The Dawn shows off Coral Solid on its bodywork and Aero Cowling, made pristine by seven coats of paint and more than nine hours of hand polishing. The interior gets Arctic White and Sunset leather, evoking the "blooming northern California hills and valleys." Every one of the Black Badge Commissions will feature a "Pebble Beach 2019" treadplate, and the hardtops all get Black Badge Starlight Headliners. Anyone who is keen to put money down has one more day to get to Monterey.