Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Reviews

In a new sales record for Australia, 17 cars were sold last year - netting the company in the region of $17 million.Sticker prices for the exclusive cars start at $915,000 for a base model Phantom, and rise to $1.2 million for a drophead coupe.Australia recorded 12 sales for the whole of 2006.The strong demand pushed sales growth to 10.4 per cent in the Asia Pacific region.Australia is the third-largest market in the region for the BMW subsidiary, following China and Japan.Sales in China grew by about 70 per cent, while sales to the Arab Emirates increased by about 50 per cent.Worldwide, Rolls-Royce sales increased by 25 per cent, with 1010 cars sold in 2007.North America remained the biggest single market for the luxury vehicles and accounted for 40 per cent of last year's total sales.Porsche also enjoyed a good year during 2007.The company's sale of 1380 cars included 47 sold in December alone.Just 20 sales were made in the same month in 2006, with a total of 1154 sales.Close to record sales were recorded across the automotive industry in general in Australia last year. Why do you think Rolls-Royce sales have jumped? Are we getting richer? 

You don't arrive at your destination. That's too abrupt. Too common.One is delivered. One materialises. One emanates.Indeed, one finds oneself saying “one'' and employing generally more polished diction than is perhaps one's norm. The car (in so far as “car'' is an adequate noun) has that effect. Among others.Carsguide can say this with not a little smugness, having made our Rolls-Royce debut last week in an act of what can only be described as the most extraordinary noblesse oblige by Trivett Classic to we inky-fingered proles.For a Rolls-Royce is an everyday reality to those for whom dropping around $1 million on a car is of no more (possibly less) significance than a Mazda6 for most of the rest of us. John Laws has recently acquired yet another as has Lindsay Fox.Bevin Clayton of Trivett, the man who counts both the retired broadcaster and the trucking tycoon as clients, seldom considers requests to access his precious objets of auto art. Having sold six Rolls this month to celebrate the delivery of his 50th Phantom in Australia and New Zealand in four years, he really doesn't need to.Even so, having smiled upon us, Clayton says that we were going to climb aboard his Phantom demonstrator, “then this became available.''This is a Phantom Tungsten, the third model from the marque's Bespoke Collection. With barely two figures on the odometer it is the only one in the country.Derived from the 101EX Coupe shown at Geneva last year, the Tungsten with its deep metallic hue and contrasting brushed aluminium bonnet has an immediate impact, as do the new 21-inch, seven-spoke alloys. Subtle twin chrome exhaust tips further acknowledge the show car.With a flourish Clayton opens the front- and classic rear suicide doors (carbon fibre umbrellas sheathed within).It's madly opulent. Lush black, pile carpet and smoke and navy leather contrasts with straight-grained East Indian Rosewood (Rolls still poach their woodworkers from Southampton yacht builders) and metal fascia.No modern vulgarities spoil a traditional ambience typified by the skinny steering wheel. The voice activated multi-media screen and phone remain discreetly behind the old world veneer unless summoned.Clayton says, contrary to the cliche, that almost all the Rolls he sells are driven by those who paid for them: “why pay $1 million to let chauffeur have the fun?'' There's rather a lot to be said, however, for sitting in the two higher-set rear thrones.Aside from the digital screens that fold from the back of the front seat and play with stadium volume, there's the wholly unique Starlight Headlining above them. “Stunning yet elegant'' the Rolls blurb aptly calls a fixture in which 600 fibre optic lights embedded in black leather roof lining make for a heavenly display that also provides reading light.But Clayton's clients like to wrap their manicured mitts around that skinny tiller, so it's up front for us as he guides the 2.5 tonne colossus from through the agonisingly narrow lanes of East Sydney onto William St.At least it looks like William St — only the sharpest sound penetrates the double-glazed glass. Nor does the engine intrude. If the Phantom was not answering the throttle with such mass-belying promptness (5.9 seconds is the claimed 0-100km/h time), one (you, everyone) would swear power had been lost. This 6.75-litre V12 is more softly spoken and refined than a hybrid.It's when Clayton bids you take the wheel in your slightly sweaty hands (nails cut with the wife's clippers only last night) you can grasp why Laws et al leave Jeeves at home.Once the crippling nervousness has passed, the Phantom is in its rarefied fashion a jolly fun drive. From an almost SUV driving position, the steering is so light and so direct you could be piloting something a good tonne lighter. To get off the mark with extra dispatch, depress the L button located steering wheel right and this land yacht surges away.As Clayton says, “waftablity'' won't be found in a dictionary but remains in the Roll-Royce lexicon. That floating element of the ride is very much present, though not to a seasick making extent, the benefits of an air suspension that ownership by BMW has bought. Indeed, it's so cossetting that you'd never know that another BMW hallmark, run flat tyres, are in place.Another less quantifiable but very real Roller effect comes home as I choose to take it home from the photo shoot at the old Redfern Carriage Works through streets that realtors would have us believe are in Surry Hills. Perhaps if The Phantom were done-out in blue and white checks with a light atop it might have excited less comment, but I doubt it.The Tungsten still had double figures on the clock when I — by now emboldened — squeezed it into Trivett's garage, but this spin was enough to grasp why Rolls-Royces are, for the few, seriously habit forming.My most significant feat was using 39.5-litres of premium unleaded per 100km, a realisation that was the only deflating aspect of the experience. Never mind the seven-figure price tag, I could only seldom afford to fill the Roller's tank.ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOMPrice: $915,000 (EWB $1.095 million)Engine: 6.75L/V12; 338kW/720NmEconomy: 15.9L/100km (claimed)0-100km/h: 5.9 seconds

You'd never think that driving a Rolls-Royce would be so difficult. But that's what happens when you get a 1924 version of the brand that for decades was recognised as the world's best and most famous marque.This 1924 Silver Ghost, housed in the National Motor Museum, in Birdwood, is long, the 3.5m distance between its 21in diameter spokes wheels alone equalling that of a small car. Its top-hinged bonnet runs forward to the famous Spirit of Ecstasy lady.Under the bonnet sits a long, inline six-cylinder engine of about seven litres, dressed in brass tubing. There's even an oil can attached to the bulkhead.“There are so many grease and oil points that it could take you hours to grease it up,” museum director Kym Hulme says. But in those days cars were high maintenance items for their owners, or probably in this case, the chauffeur. The car was driven by an eccentric Irishman to Australia. For about 30 years in Adelaide it was owned by Ray Pank, who donated it to the museum a few years ago.Step over the footplate embossed with 'Coachwork by Maythorn & Son, London and Bigglesworth' and the back seat boasts enormous leg room. Your valet and lady-in-waiting can sit on the jump seats facing you. There's even a tiny glass sunroof.But to the driving; best get in from the left and slide across because the gearshift and handbrake lever block access from the right.Now, to the multi-stage starting procedure. There's a carburettor switch on the dash for 'starting' or 'running.' The steering wheel hub has just four controls - a lever for spark adjustment on the right, one for idling on the left, a fuel mixture control at the top and in the centre the ignition switch button which pulls out and rotates. They can get in the way of crossed-arms steering so it's the old push-and-pull routine with hands on the sides of the steering wheel. Steering lightens up at speed but for slow-speed corners it's heavy.The four-speed floor shift has gates but requires moving to the left on its way from first to second but then to the right on the way to third. Or something.It easily moves off in second gear despite its over two-tonne weight and it will idle along in third, such is the torque of this big engine.Downshifting is another matter - double-de-clutching while wrestling with this complicated gear change is difficult.It's a majestic car to travel in - even more so in its day - but you do feel for the chauffeur. 

Rolls is boosting its manufacturing capacity and adding a new model. The BMW-owned marque has announced development plans for its Goodwood headquarters and manufacturing facility in the UK to cope with a new Phantom coupe, a production version of the 101EX two-door, four-seat experimental car.The purpose-built plant will add a second assembly line, with the two running simultaneously and some areas 24hoursa day.One will produce the existing Phantom models and the other will build the new model series. A second working shift will be introduced in 2009.The wood and leather shops also will expand, allowing for installation of new equipment including an automated wood-lacquering system.Manufacturing capacity will also be increased to keep pace with demand for Phantoms. The company sold 22percent more cars by the end of September compared with the same period last year. Forward orders for the four-door models stretch well into 2008, with the Extended Wheelbase model accounting for a quarter of all Phantom four-door sales in 2007.Orders for the new Phantom Drophead Coupe extend right through next year. Rolls-Royce sold 805 cars last year in more than 50 countries, the highest number for 16 years.It was the third successive year of growth for the company. Meanwhile, Bentley board member Stuart McCullough said at the recent Tokyo Motor Show that booming sales could force the company to expand.“In four years our volume has grown from 1000 to 10,000 cars,” he said. “The current volume is closer to where we want it to be, but we may have to change the way we produce cars.“But we won't make those changes until we are certain the volumes are safe. We're reluctant to push too many cars into the marketplace and cheapen the product.”

So what do you buy when you've got a lazy million or so to drop on a ride? A sensible answer to that question may be several cars to cover all occasions — say, a BMW 335i coupe, a 911 Carrera S, a Maserati GranSport and a Bentley Arnage. Not much chance of getting caught short with that combo.But for 200 people on this planet in the next 12 months, it will be a Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, the two-door/four-seat convertible whose local launch was held in Melbourne.For the truly selective, just 25 will be built, only a Rolls-Royce Silver Phantom will make the grade.Two of these ultra-exclusive Rollers, produced to mark the 100th anniversary of the original Silver Ghost, have been designated for Australia.One is already sold, and the other is the subject of intensive inquiry at Trivett Classic Sydney.Price, as they say, on application.This modern homage to the Silver Ghost, which was built between 1907 and 1925 and attained legendary status in its own lifetime, is finished in a new bespoke paint, Metallic Ghost Silver.Its 21-inch wheels have chrome centres, and on top of the grille sits a hallmarked, solid-silver Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.Inside, Rose Leaf or Creme Light leather is accompanied by seat piping and headrests embroidered with the R-R emblem.Straight-grained Santos Palisander wood veneer is used throughout. The same veneer is also used on a specially designed presentation box that contains the key, two solid-silver key fobs and a specially commissioned solid-silver Conway Stewart fountain pen.Don't, in other words, go parking it overnight on the street.Comparatively commonplace, the Drophead Coupe is the real-life manifestation of the 100EXconvertible concept.“It has received an overwhelming response, with our 2007 production fully allocated and only a few build slots left for 2008,” Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific regional director Colin Kelly says, reassuring those who may have thought it in danger of Corolla-like ubiquity.“It's entirely true to the values of Rolls-Royce and attracts a new segment of discerning clients.”Although R-R reckons more than half the orders placed for the Drophead are from customers who have never owned a Rolls-Royce, it's some way beyond your and my humble understanding of 'entry-level.'The Drophead is, of course, hand-crafted using top-drawer materials to R-R's exacting standards and is modelled on the J-class racing yachts of the 1930s.Indeed, there's a rear deck of teak. The bonnet is machine-brushed before being hand-finished to ensure a uniform grain throughout.A picnic boot has a split tail compartment that opens in two parts, giving easy access to 315 litres of space. The lower tailgate provides a comfortable seating platform for two adults when it's folded down.A fabric hood, the largest on any modern convertible car, uses five layers of material to insulate the interior.Coach-style, rear-hinged doors let you step aboard elegantly rather than fall into the the car.At the heart of this uber-ragtop is a 6.75-litre V12 that produces most of its 338kW from just 1000rpm. Shorter than the existing Phantom, the Drophead should also outstrip its 6.1-second sprint time to 100km/h.Price? If you have to ask, you can't afford it.But, since you did, it's $1.19 million. Plus on-roads, of course. 

They have not driven the latest and greatest from Rolls-Royce, and most haven't even seen the real thing, but they just know they have to have a Drophead Coupe. Even if it costs them a whacking $1.2 million.The Australian list price for the new ultra-luxury four-seat convertible is $1.19 million — before you go tripping into the sort of special toys and finishing touches that most Rolls-Royce owners will want for their new car.What does that buy you?Apart from the badge and the winged lady mascot on top of the best-known grille on the road, it buys one of the most outrageously rewarding cars in the world in 2007.The Drophead Coupe is a glorious way to go open-air cruising and would be the best way to make a jaw-dropping arrival at any five-star hotel or invitation-only event anywhere in Australia, even if the other invitees made their entrances in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, or even a Bentley.It will also power to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 240km/h — as if those numbers really matter.“There has always been a pinnacle of the motor industry, and we have responded by positioning this car back at that pinnacle,” says Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chairman Ian Robertson. “I am sure there are many sceptics who said, `Rolls-Royce, made by BMW, we'll see', and now they can see.”Typical buyers are likely to have around $15million in play money, five to eight cars in the garage and could be aged anywhere from 17 to their 70s. Robertson mentions the two Saudi princes who recently bought Phantoms for their 17th birthdays, as well as high-profile Australian Phantom owners John Laws and Lindsay Fox.He also has numbers on the number of dot.com millionaires, Chinese entrepreneurs, Australian resource barons and even the 1000-plus money-market successes who received bonuses of more than $2.5 million in London last year. Robertson says about half of Drophead Coupe owners will be new to the Rolls-Royce brand, a big breakthrough for a company that is going through some of the most dramatic growth in its history.It built 805 cars last year, has a rash of new models in the works and is expecting to deliver more than $100 million worth of convertibles this year.“We're planning to do 100 to 120 (more) cars this year,” Robertson says. “Our total production this year will be an increase, although 900 might be stretching it a bit. So somewhere around 850 or a little above.”It is almost impossible to put the Drophead Coupe into any sort of realistic perspective, but it is a wonderful car that lives up to the Rolls-Royce tradition and also pushes the envelope. It all starts with an aluminium spaceframe chassis, which makes the Rolls-Royce convertible as rigid as anything in the world without a roof.The features climb through air-suspension and a 6.7-litre V12 engine and six-speed automatic, to the finishing touches of brushed steel, nautical teak, wood veneer, sumptuous leather and even a five-layer convertible top trimmed with cashmere.And there is lots of high-tech stuff, including electronic stability control, anti-skid brakes, a one-touch top that opens or closes in 25 seconds and the Rolls-Royce version of BMW's finicky iDrive.But buyers are more likely to be won by the analogue clock, the electric buttons to close the suicide doors (“We prefer to call them coach doors,” says Robertson), the custom-made umbrellas, a “picnic table” boot, which will hold 170kg, and 20-inch alloy wheels with centre caps which never turn, so as to keep the Rolls-Royce logo upright and central at all times.The Drophead is not the most beautiful car on the road, but it has a brutal elegance. The side-on view is more like a luxury motor boat and, for the first time in the company's history — the grille is tilted back slightly, for smoother airflow and pedestrian safety. But Rolls-Royce insists the Drophead Coupe is a still a car to be driven and enjoyed.On the road there is no denying it is a brilliant car, despite a nose which would look right at home on the front of a new Kenworth truck and the difficulty of parking with the top up.Rolls-Royce ran the global press preview in Tuscany, in gorgeous country with surprisingly challenging roads, which reflected the quality of the basic engineering and the incredible attention to detail you have to expect in a car with such a price tag.The Drophead is no sports car, yet it can be punted along surprisingly briskly and never turns unruly or ugly. The best way to drive is to conduct the car using a couple of fingers on the narrow-spoked wheel, easing it through turns and occasionally uncorking the 338kW for some fun on the straights. It is a giant — 5.6m long and 2620kg — but it can be nimble and has ideal suspension design and control for the worst road conditions.The Drophead is also quiet with the top down at 160km/h, has boot space for three sets of golf clubs and can easily hold four adults in exceptional comfort.Two things won me over. The first was a 10km run down a nasty gravel road, which would have made an ideal stage in the World Rally Championships. The second was a quick run in a BMW 760i.The dirt burst proved that the Drophead coupe is rock-solid, composed, dust-proof and relaxing on a road that would have had a Commodore or Falcon sliding, bumping and bucking. And the airconditioning and satnav was great. The BMW? It felt cramped, cheap and unrefined after the Rolls-Royce, yet it is still one of the world's very best cars.So the Drophead, despite the price, 18.8 litres per 100km consumption, outrageous styling and the sort of people who drive Rolls-Royces, is a great car at a time when the cars of the world have never been better. Fast factsRolls-Royce Phantom Drophead CoupePrice: $1.19 millionOn sale: nowBody: two-door convertible, four seatsEngine: 6.7-litre V12, 338kW@5350rpm, 720Nm@3500rpmTransmission: six-speed automatic, rear-wheel-driveWeight: 2620kgPerformance: 0-100km/h, 5.9sec; top speed, 240km/hFuel: 18.8L/100km (as tested) 

Fewer still can say the first car they owned was one of them.And I'm not talking about a garden variety Ford or Holden, but a little known British marque that has not been seen here for over 50 years.As a motoring scribe I was tickled pink to find out that my my old man's first car was in fact a Riley sports car.How cool is that?Kevin bought the car at age 19 from a girl in Goulburn for 90 pounds, using money he'd had saved as a professional singer and performer.My father I should explain was a man who changed cars almost as frequently as he changed his undies.As a child I have fond memories of the endless stream of treasures that graced our driveway, my earlier memories being of a huge slope backed Peugeot.I guess my father's love of cars must have rubbed off on me.Kev has fond memories of his 1929 two-seat Riley 9 Tourer which also came with a pop up "dickey" seat.There's a couple of stories that go with the car, like the time he rescued his girlfriend from falling out by grabbing her hair in the nick of time as the door swung open going around a corner.Or how about the time the car caught fire in the middle of crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.The first Riley automobile - a small voiturette with a single-cylinder engine - was made in Coventry, England in 1898.Production however didn't commence until around 1905.Riley automobiles were marketed under the banner "as old as the industry, as modern as the hour".Percy Riley, who was responsible for the first Riley, patented many engineering features later incorporated by other manufacturers, and designed the famous Riley '9' engine first seen in 1926.He also patented detachable wheel used universally today which meant in the event of a puncture the wheel could be changed for a spare (in the early days of motor transport wheels were a permanent fixture).The wheel caught on quickly and Rolls- Royce took out a license to manufacture it, along with at least eight other manufacturers.Lord Nuffield bought the company after it went into receivership in 1938 for 143,000 pounds.He immediately sold it to Morris Motors which soon became the Nuffield Organisation - a combination of Morris, MG, Wolsley and Riley.Earlier Rileys of the 1920s and 1930s were noted for their flowing, sporting lines as well as sprightly performance which earned them such an illustrious competition career.Production of Riley's continued into the 1960s but later cars were Rileys in little more than name only, with the Riley griller and higher level of specification.BMC even produced upmarket Riley ver- sions of the Morris 1100 called the Kestrel and, get this - a version of the Mini called the Elf, the latter billed as "magnificent motoring in miniature".Don't know what ever became of Dad's Riley?He said he sold the car to two brothers who had plans to convert the roadster into a utility of all things. 

The Ocean Drive concept was rated only an outside chance for showrooms, until Rolls-Royce confirmed production plans for the Phantom Drophead Coupe at the show this week. It's a move that's sure to spark interest among mega-rich fans of open-air motoring.The British company is already talking about waiting lists and long delays in Australia, despite a price beyond $1 million, and it will probably be a similar story in many other country, with multi-millionaires racing to get their hands on the Phantom convertible. The Rolls-Royce announcement was predictable, even if it did not bring the expected return of the Corniche name that has been previously used for open-air Rollers.But that did not stop an instant reply at the Mercedes-Benz stand."It looks as if Rolls-Royce is going to be responsible for Mercedes buyers getting their hands on our new convertible," a Mercedes-Benz US source says. "It is almost certain to get the go-ahead now."The big Benz is being displayed only as a concept in Detroit, but is clearly more than just a dream machine.It shows Mercedes' thinking on everything from body styling to the pillarless side panels needed to make the car a workable production model. They anchor the rear doors and ensure the sort of access to the back seat every other convertible and coupe owners can only dream about.Based on earlier show-to-road programs, it will probably take about three years for Mercedes to transform the concept to a production model. It is based on the S-Class but has different styling, even from the super-expensive CL coupe about to go on sale in Australia.It is much more bluff, with giant wheels and a two-tone paint job that are unlikely to make it to production.But the upright grille could easily make it through the system in Germany, along with the electric folding soft-top roof and Benz's "airscarf" heating system that blows warm air over the occupants' necks.

Michael Schumacher retired with seven world championships, but 007 is up to 21 movies — with six different macho men in the role — and still going hard.During the past quarter-century and in 21 official films, Bond has been the target of more bad guys on wheels than anyone else in cinema history, yet he has always managed to escape without a scratch.And he has often pulled a nifty U-turn on the opposition with some sort of car trickery, from concealed machine guns on a 1960s Aston Martin to an '80s Lotus Esprit that morphed into a submarine — and even a remote-controlled BMW 7 Series in the '90s.Now he's back for the noughties, and doing it again in the remake of Casino Royale, which opened in cinemas just before Christmas. And he's back in an Aston Martin, just like the early days.The hype for the new 007 movie got me thinking not only about Bond's wheelwork in the latest British supercar, but also the dream car of my childhood: a scale model of the Aston Martin DB5 Bond drove in the 1960s.It came with all the Bond gear — revolving number plates, concealed machine guns, tyre-slashers, a bulletproof rear shield and even an ejector seat.In 1965, Corgi released its scale model of the gadget-laden DB5, and by 1968 nearly four million copies had been sold.It remains Corgi's best-known model, and I couldn't afford it.The release of the 21st-century Casino Royale has triggered a lot of talk about 007 and cars and movies.The model-making machine is already rolling again, with scaled-down copies of the DBS and even re-done — but de-gadgeted — replicas of the original DB5. And this time, there was a tiny Aston in my Christmas stocking.It's worth looking at what Bond cameos have done for car companies.BMW experienced plenty of benefit when it signed a multi-movie deal that began with its baby Z3 convertible. The world saw the car first when it was driven on the big screen by Bond. That deal continued with the Z8 convertible and the controversially styled 7, and even a BMW motorcycle.But then Britain bounced back for the last of Pierce Brosnan's appearances as Bond, when he slid back into an Aston and the baddies strapped into a rocket-equipped Jaguar.This time around, Agent 007 is driving a gorgeous new DBS, and there's even a special appearance by an original DB5.A poll has been conducted for the television series Top Gear on the most popular car chase in Bond movie history. And the winner is ... no, not the Aston. Not a Jaguar, nor the Lotus, nor even one of the BMWs.First choice was a crazy little Citroen 2CV that suffered all sorts of punishment — including being cut in half — when it was driven by Roger Moore in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The four-wheeled co-stars:Dr No (1962): Sunbeam Alpine, Chevrolet Bel AirconvertibleFrom Russia With Love (1963): Bentley Mark IVGoldfinger (1964): Aston Martin DB5, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes 190SL, Lincoln Continental, Ford Mustang convertible, Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIThunderball (1965): Aston Martin DB5, Ford Mustang convertible, BSA Lightning motorcycle, gyrocopter1967 You Only Live Twice: Toyota 2000 GT, BMW CSOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969): Aston Martin DBS, Mercury Cougar, Bentley S2 Continental, Rolls-Royce CornicheDiamonds Are Forever (1971): Ford Mustang Mach 1, Triumph Stag, moon buggyLive And Let Die (1973): double-decker London bus, Chevrolet Impala convertible, MiniMokeThe Man With The Golden Gun (1974): AMC Hornet and Matador, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Lotus Esprit, Wetbike concept, Ford Cortina Ghia, Mini MokeMoonraker (1979): Bentley Mark IV, Rolls-Royce SilverWraithFor Your Eyes Only (1981): Citroen 2CV, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Rolls-Royce Silver WraithOctopussy (1983): Mercedes-Benz 250 SE, BMW 5 Series, Alfa Romeo GTVA View To A Kill (1985): Renault taxi, Ford LTD, Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, Chevrolet Corvette C4The Living Daylights (1987): Aston Martin DBS and V8 Vantage, Audi 200 QuattroLicence To Kill (1989): Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Kenworth petrol tankerGoldenEye (1995): BMW Z3, Aston Martin DB5, Russian tank, Ferrari 355Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Aston Martin DB5, BMW 750iL, BMW R1200C motorcycleThe World Is Not Enough (1999): BMW Z8, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowDie Another Day (2002): Aston Martin Vanquish, Jaguar XKR, Ford Thunderbird convertibleCasino Royale (2006): Aston Martin DBS and DB5, Jaguar E-type roadster, Fiat Panda 4x4, Ford Transit, Ford Mondeo

The $US2.2 million ($2.8 million) built-to-order stretch Rolls-Royce Phantom boasts state-of-the art gadgets including an LCD entertainment system. It also has two rows of rear seats, facing each other. "It was the most expensive car we've ever done," says Robertson. He wouldn't disclose the name of the buyer.Robertson was in Hong Kong last week for the unveiling of a fleet of 14 new Phantoms for the city's Peninsula Hotel, the world's largest such order. They were built to meet the luxury hotel's needs, including larger boots for luggage and refrigerators for chilled towels, Robertson says.The total amount of the deal was not disclosed.China has overtaken Japan as Rolls-Royce's biggest Asian market, with 60 per cent sales growth this year as the country's newly rich entrepreneurs splash out to display their wealth.