Rolls-Royce News

Rolls-Royce says the Wraith is the most powerful car they’ve ever produced. It is also probably one of the sleekest machines to bear the prestige marque.For those qualities alone, the £225,000 ($331,445 AUD) Rolls-Royce Wraith is one of the stars of the Geneva Motor Show. But this car is rather clever, too. It can read the road that hasn’t quite come into the driver’s view yet.Using GPS mapping, it pre-selects the correct gear for what lies ahead – even when confronted with potentially complicated situations such as roundabouts and motorway junctions.A company spokesman said: ‘The satellite aided transmission uses GPS data to see beyond what the driver sees; it anticipates his or her next move based on location and current driving style, then selects the most appropriate gear for the terrain ahead.’Naturally the driver retains ultimate control of the car’s automatic gearbox through the brakes and accelerator. Apart from the transmission, the latest technology is also deployed in the Wraith’s steering and suspension and in its voice-activated controls – ‘the on-board valet’.These include the satellite navigation, meaning the car can simply be told its destination. The low-slung Wraith has the sweeping styling of a ‘fastback’ coupe and Rolls-Royce describes the four-seater as ‘the ultimate gentleman’s grand tourer’.The latest car to bear the Spirit of Ecstasy Flying Lady figurine is powered by a mighty 6.7 litre V12 petrol engine developing 458 kilowatts – equivalent to six Ford Fiestas. Linked to an eight-speed automatic gear-box, the Wraith will accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds with its top speed artificially limited to 249.45 km/h.Rolls-Royce said the car, reviving a name first used in 1938, goes on sale in late autumn. But you’ll need deep pockets for the fuel bills. The Wraith averages just 20.2 miles to the gallon.The company said: ‘It has the most powerful, involving driving experience of any Rolls-Royce in history. Rolls-Royce was founded after sales and marketing genius Charles Stewart Rolls, a passionate racing driver, balloonist and aviator, met engineer Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on May 4, 1904, with the aim of creating the world’s finest car.BMW bought Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from Vickers PLC in 1998 following a bidding war with Volkswagen, which secured Bentley. It employs 1,050 staff at its boutique factory near Chichester, having taken on an extra 100 staff last year. 

A very old-school Rolls-Royce coupe is setting new standards today for the historic British brand.The all-new Wraith is the most powerful and dynamic car in the company's history, with 465 kiloWatts and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds, and it also picks up everything from a great looking two-door body to a satellite-linked system that pre-selects the right gear for safe cornering.It is priced from 245,000 Euros in Europe with deliveries in the second half of the year, but that price is likely to blow out to more than $700,000 in Australia in 2014 judging by the $645,000 sticker for the Ghost model that is used as the base for the Wraith.The Wraith has genuine movie-star looks - most likely in the next Batman flick - and plenty of new-age technology, but Rolls-Royce is clear on its clients. And it's not being remotely politically correct."Today we launch the ultimate gentlemen's gran turismo," says Torsten Muller-Otvos, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. "Wraith promises the sense of adventure and speed that drove our founding forefather." So, not even the slightest nod to the potential for female sales.But the Wraith - a name plucked from the history books for a 21st century comeback - is clearly aimed at the world's ultra-wealthy car buyers, who might be shopping it against a new Bentley, or a new helicopter or the sort of holiday that would be a ridiculous dream in suburban Australia. And Rolls-Royce believes almost all of them will be men.Plenty of women drive Phantoms, and there will be females who crave a Wraith, but it's a very masculine car. That includes the chunky body and a cabin that's predictably slapped with upscale wood and leather. But the real focus is on performance, with 800 Newton-metres of torque on tap, sporty-ish suspension settings and an eight-speed automatic.Rolls-Royce clearly believes it can compete against Bentley's latest super-quick coupes, but it says it has no sacrificed any luxury. "Wraith is no GT bruiser. Agility improvements have been achieved with absolutely no compromise to the sensation of riding on a bed of air," says Muller-Otvos."A more polished, effortless driving experience and even better response brings a new, more dynamic dimension to the famous Rolls-Royce trait, waftability."Away from the engine room, equipment levels in the Wraith are predictably sumptuous and - thanks to tapping German technology from its BMW owners - Rolls-Royce has added everything from a heads-up instrument display to adaptive headlights and far more user-friendly connectivity.There is a final signature item common to the Phantom Coupe and convertible, the suicide front doors that Rolls-Royce describes - in another old-school nod - as coach doors, a term that comes from the days when horses and not horsepower ruled the road. 

While we're not sure why the sketched profile of the top half of the car would be of any additive value to the photographic profile of the same released ahead of its Geneva debut, we're glad Rolls-Royce has decided to give the Wraith's form a name: the fastback.Fastbacks are a familiar form, and while essentially a spin on the coupe body style, the name helps guide the onlooking world toward Rolls-Royce's idea for the car as much as toward its final appearance.By calling the Wraith a fastback, the company is clearly putting an emphasis on the car's performance nature--though still undeniably bringing a velvet-gloved fist down on the luxury front as well.What we suspect of the Wraith so far also leans in the sport-oriented direction, too, as befits a car with the Bentley Continental GT, and its Speed derivatives, as its most likely competition. Power for the Wraith could come from a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-12 shared with the Ghost sedan, but tuned to more than 440 kilowatts--right on the GT Speed's heels.Whether the Wraith will be able to hang with the proven, albeit decade-old, Bentley remains to be seen on the road--but we'll have our first full look at the car, and its specs, in just a couple of weeks with our live coverage from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.www.motorauthority.com

   

In the lead up to the reveal of the new 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on March 5, more teaser photos of the car have been released, revealing parts of its interior for the first time.The earlier teasers showed the car’s profile and muscular flanks, confirming that the Wraith is in fact the long-awaited Ghost coupe seen testing in prototype form for the past several months and reported on for more than a year.Unlike the current Phantom Coupe, which features a boxy profile similar to that of the sedan on which it’s based, the new Wraith gets a fastback look that’s very sporting and sleek.The bold new styling hints at the extraordinary power and dynamic promise of the Wraith, which Rolls-Royce has already confirmed will be the fastest and most powerful model ever launched by the marque.Power is expected to come from the Ghost’s twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V-12 engine, which in its latest application may be tuned to deliver more than 441 kilowatts. Rolls-Royce describes the output as “more than ample.”In addition to extra power, the Wraith will also benefit from a lighter chassis, stiffened suspension, and updated brakes and tires. As you’d expect from any model built by Rolls-Royce, the car will offer one of the finest cabins of any production car.As the teasers show, luxury and hand-craftsmanship are combined with contemporary design elements, complementing the dynamic poise and sporting nature of the vehicle.Wraith buyers will also be treated with materials that match the quality of those in the Phantom flagship, along with expanses of open pore wood named Canadel Panelling. The look, says Rolls-Royce, is said to be reminiscent of the interiors found on ultra-luxury yachts.Sales of the new Rolls-Royce Wraith will commence in the fourth quarter of 2013, and it’s almost certain a convertible version will follow the coupe.www.motorauthority.com 

The second image reveals its rear-end styling, while the first teaser showed the car’s profile -- confirming that the Wraith is in fact the long-awaited Ghost coupe seen testing in prototype form for the past several months and reported on for more than a year.Unlike the current Phantom Coupe, which features a boxy profile similar to that of the sedan on which it’s based, the new Wraith gets a fastback look that’s very sporting and sleek.The bold new styling hints at the extraordinary power and dynamic promise of the Wraith, which Rolls-Royce has already confirmed will be the fastest and most powerful model ever launched by the marquee.Power is expected to come from the Ghost’s twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-12 engine, which in its latest application may be tuned to deliver more than 440 kilowatts. Rolls-Royce describes the output as “more than ample.”In addition to extra power, the Wraith will also benefit from a lighter chassis, stiffened suspension, and uprated brakes and tires. Sales of the new Rolls-Royce Wraith will commence in the fourth quarter of the year, and it’s almost certain a convertible version will follow the coupe.www.motorauthority.com 

In the lead up to the reveal of the new 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the first teaser image of the car has surfaced online, confirming that this is in fact the long-awaited Ghost coupe seen testing in prototype form for the past several months.Unlike the current Phantom Coupe, which features a boxy profile similar to that of the sedan on which it’s based, the new Wraith gets a fastback look that’s very sporting and sleek. The bold new styling hints at the extraordinary power and dynamic promise of the Wraith, which Rolls-Royce has already confirmed will be the fastest and most powerful model ever launched by the marque.Power is expected to come from the Ghost’s twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V-12 engine, which for its latest application could be tuned to deliver more than 780kW and 420Nm. In addition to extra power, the Wraith will also benefit from a lighter chassis, stiffened suspension, and uprated brakes and tires.Sales of the new Rolls-Royce Wraith will commence in the fourth quarter of the year, and it’s almost certain a convertible version will follow the coupe. While you await the Wraith's reveal, click here for our previous spy shots of the car.www.motorauthority.com

The Rolls-Royce 'Spirit of Ecstasy' bonnet ornament is one of the most recognised -- and beautiful -- in the car world. The luxury British brand has taken it to another level in this sultry commercial. We’re a bit surprised Rolls thinks it has to advertise… even the last Kalahari Bushman we bumped into knew who they were. However, they’re doing it in great style and with very sexy flavour, judging by this behind-the-scenes video.

The newcomer extends the Ghost range in the same pattern as the larger Phantom, which points - eventually - to a new convertible with a similar low-line roof to the car caught testing new BMW HQ in Germany. 

On Sunday he bought 17 vintage and veteran cars costing more than $2.5 million, with plans to open a museum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. That brings his collection of rare vehicles to more than 80, worth a total of about $20 million. It is believed be the biggest private holding of vintage and veteran cars in Australia. "Vintage cars have always been a passion of mine,'' said Mr Palmer who has also dabbled in politics and expressed an interest in building his own media empire and a Titanic replica. "I now own some of the rarest and most sought after vintage cars in the world, including a large Rolls-Royce collection and several cars dating back to 1900. "I plan to create a vintage motor car museum at the Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast.''  Mr Palmer sent a team of buyers to Denmark to attend last Sunday's sale of vehicles from the Danish Aalholm Automobile Museum. Among the 17 cars they bought are a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost which was the first car at the museum and a 1931 Bugatti Type 40A Tourer, one of only 32 built.  Dan Bowden of Bowden's Own motorsport museum on the Sunshine Coast welcomed the new motoring museum. "Anything is good for the Sunshine Coast to bring people up here,'' said Mr Bowden who has ``pulled the pin'' on plans to relocate his family's Buderim museum to the Big Pineapple site at Nambour. "There is enough interest to have another museum up here. We could do a tour every single weekend if we chose because we have that many people wanting to have a look at the cars. "There might be a couple of other car collections bigger than (Palmer's) in Australia, but that's possibly the biggest collection from that (pre-war) era. "He could do something quite special, I believe, and I dare say the cars will be well restored.'' Mr Palmer said his new acquisitions would go on show to the public along with 30 more that are already at the resort. All are in working order. "This auto museum will consist of up to 50 vehicles at any time and will create another tourist opportunity for the Sunshine Coast,'' he said.  "These vintage cars, many of which are extremely rare and have been sourced from around the world, will attract motoring and vintage car enthusiasts from around the country and possibly even the world bringing more tourists to the Sunshine Coast.'' Mr Palmer said his museum would be ready in about six weeks and would generate 30 jobs.