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Evolutionary Rolls-Royce Phantom replacement captured for first time

I saw a heavily camouflaged car on the road yesterday. I managed to get up close, but even then, I couldn't tell what it was. That's just the way it is sometimes – you don't always know what you're looking at. But there's no such uncertainty with this latest set of spy photos, though. This is very obviously a new Rolls-Royce. And it's huge, most likely the replacement for the long-serving Phantom, and what we're seeing here is surely the long-wheelbase model. It will be joined by a short-wheelbase version, but you'll want to break out your best princess wave to say buh-bye to the slow-selling Phantom Coupe and Drophead convertible. Despite its immense size, our spies claim the Phantom's footprint shouldn't change much with the next-generation model. That said, it will be far, far lighter than the today's nearly 5,900-pound Phantom. Expect a lot of aluminum, and even some carbon fiber when the new sedan debuts. It might end up lighter, but the new Phantom will still be easily identifiable as a Rolls. There's lots and lots of space behind the B-pillar, and like the current car, the C-pillar is expansive and feeds into a short, drooping rear deck. Up front, the current Phantom's overall style is set for a small evolution, with rectangular lights flanking a powerful, polished, rectangular grille. As buyers of $400,000 luxury sedans can usually afford fuel, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that Rolls will soldier on with a stout V12 engine under the hood. As for rumors of a plug-in hybrid model, if it happens, it won't show up until after the 12-cylinder car's debut. That glitzy event will likely come at a 2017 auto show. European shows like Geneva or Frankfurt are safe bets, but we wouldn't be surprised to see the new Phantom bow at an event more focused on the brand's exceptionally wealthy clientele, like Monterey or even Villa d'Este. Check out the full round of spy images up top.

First Dawn from Rolls-Royce raises $750k in charity auction

Even for a Rolls-Royce, $750,000 seems like a lot of money. But that's how much one customer paid this past weekend for the privilege of acquiring the very first example of the new Dawn convertible. And we're glad to report that the the money is going to a good place. Rolls-Royce introduced the Dawn this past September at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the convertible counterpart to the Ghost sedan and Wraith coupe. It's set to take on the likes of the Bentley Continental GTC and Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet, packing a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 good for 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque up front and a folding fabric roof over its four-seat cabin. The company's Bespoke division set up this particular example in Andalusian white, with a deep red roof, red coachline, and a corresponding interior in red and white with Indian rosewood paneling and special treadplates. Valued at over $400,000, the vehicle was donated for the charity auction at the Naples Winter Wine Festival held this past Saturday to benefit the Naples Children & Education Foundation. The winning bid of $750,000 was placed by insurance mogul and hedge fund manager Julian Movsesian, pictured inset at left with Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos. He'll take delivery in April from the dealership in Naples before anyone else gets theirs. Over the same weekend in Arizona, an Acura NSX sold for $1.2 million, a COPO Camaro for $300k, and Jay Leno's Harley-Davidson edition Ford F-150 for $200k – all of them the first of their kind, and all benefiting charitable causes. Related Video: Rolls-Royce Dawn Raises $750,000 For Children's Charities As The Brand Marks A New Era With The Most Social Rolls-Royce Ever NAPLES, Fla., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - Dawn brought a winning bid of $750,000 at the 2016 Naples Winter Wine Auction - California area collector to receive the very first Rolls-Royce Dawn globally - Over past 15 years, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have grossed $4.8M in bids for the auction - Proceeds to benefit Naples Children & Education Foundation It is one thing to bid on a prize as rare as a Bespoke Rolls-Royce and quite another to bid on the once in a generation opportunity to be the first owner of the newest member of the Rolls-Royce Motor Car family, the all-new Dawn.

Not every Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge comes in black

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — When Rolls-Royce recently unveiled the Cullinan Black Badge, the released press photos were of a very black car in a very black environment. But that did not match the car that was actually shown to the press. Quite the opposite, actually. The small event at the BMW Zentrum factory in South Carolina took place at night under a set of bright lights, and the car that came through the curtain wore a bright white body. We were fortunate enough to spend a brief time with the white Black Badge and snapped some photos of its details. As a reminder, all Black Badges have upgraded performance on top of the altered visual cues. Its twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V8 has been upgraded to make 600 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and the brakes, suspension and exhaust have been retuned as well. We spent an extremely limited amount of time in the Black Badge, so we cannot offer full comments about how it drives, but we can say the exhaust offers a nice insulated grumble in "Low" mode, the quickness off the line doesn't make any sense for a vehicle its size (trust us, it is huge), and it seemed controlled while cruising up the curves onto the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, where these photos were taken.  The white paint exaggerates the parts Rolls-Royce darkens on all Black Badge models. The Spirit of Ecstasy, the grille surround, the inverted badging, the side frame finishers, the trunk handle, the trunk trim, the lower air inlet finisher, and the exhaust pipes have all gone black. Inside, this particular Cullinan has a red leather interior with patterned carbon fiber accents. It also has light contrast stitching, which includes infinity signs, a symbol used on Sir Malcolm Campbell's Rolls-Royce-powered Blue Bird K3 hydroplane. Check out all the details, including the built-in event seats in the trunk, in our massive gallery above. Featured Gallery White Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan View 55 Photos Design/Style Rolls-Royce Luxury rolls-royce cullinan