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Six luxury-car features I'm ashamed to admit I love

A hot compress felt wonderful on my sore back. The methodical kneading of my shoulder blades loosened the knots that formed over several hours of driving. The Swedish-style pulses firing into my lumbar region released more tension.
I wasn't getting a much-needed massage following a recent road trip. I was getting it during the road trip.
I grew up riding in the back seat of a 1976 Chevy Nova. But once you use these lux features, it's easy to go soft.

Rolls-Royce unveils new bespoke Phantom 'Iridescent Opulence'

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is already a fairly solid symbol of conspicuous consumption, but its Bespoke program churns out cars that push the envelope even further. The latest, a feather-and-fleck adorned model dubbed "Iridescent Opulence," certainly checks those boxes.  While Bespoke creations generate buzz with regularity, Rolls-Royce called this one out in particular because it shows off what its designers can do with otherwise "empty" space in the cabin. In this case, the party piece is on the dash, but that's not what the British super-luxe company is calling it. Here it is, straight from Rolls: THE GALLERY   An understanding that the marque’s patrons are increasingly collectors of fine and contemporary art led the Rolls-Royce Design Team to create a space in which to curate and to commission, to exhibit, admire and reflect. A space aptly named ‘The GalleryÂ’, is an application of glass that runs uninterrupted across the fascia of Rolls-Royce Phantom, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork within your car. Assembled in a highly technical Clean Room at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England – a sterile environment within which delicate and highly Bespoke items can be assembled, from a simple application of wood or metal, to a more complex use of materials not normally viable in an automotive context –  ‘The GalleryÂ’ extends the patronÂ’s experience of curation with the marque to a new realm. See? It's not a dashboard; it's an exhibition space. Here, it's used to show off a collection of more than three thousand tail feathers. Yep, feathers. Sustainably sourced, Rolls-Royce insists, but still pretty, and draped over a 3D-printed shape designed to emulate the musculature of a bird wing, so you can pretend those peacocks (we're spitballing here) were absorbed by the machine, rather than slaughtered so their fluffy bits could adorn it.  Feathers and additively manufactured materials are only the tip of the iceberg for these new gallery concepts, Rolls-Royce says, so we expect to see more like this in the future. Just, you know, one at a time. Rolls-Royce Phantom 'Iridescent Opulence' View 13 Photos

Rolls-Royce Cullinan spotted playing in the snow

This is no ordinary Phantom. Not that you'd call any Rolls-Royce ordinary, considering the brand's stratospheric pricing and hand-built pedigree. But this one is extra special, because it's a test bed for the British luxury brand's very first SUV, tentatively known as the Cullinan. We've known Rolls-Royce was out and about testing this brand-new, all-aluminum platform in the wild, but this is the first time we've seen it so clearly. It looks a little bit like a shortened Phantom sedan, with big swathes of metal seemingly cut away from the rear doors, but it's more than that. We can't be certain, but there's probably a big V12 engine underhood sending torque to all four wheels, and it looks to be riding high enough to offer some legitimate off-road capability. The aggressive tires are another giveaway that this Rolls may be going places no Phantom before it has dared. With Bentley finding success in the luxurious 'ute market with the Bentayga, we're sure Rolls-Royce is pushing to get its Cullinan into the driveways of one-percenters the world over as soon as possible. See the mule for yourself in our high-res image gallery above. As for us, well... we're just wondering what happened to that sweet rear spoiler. Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Cullinan: Spy Shots View 10 Photos Spy Photos Rolls-Royce Crossover SUV Luxury rolls-royce cullinan