rolls-royce

Settling into the plush leather seats of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe, it dawns on me that even the smallest vehicle in the Phantom line is still as large as a small truck.

Rolls had invited us to test drive its entire vehicle lineup at an event in Los Gatos, Calif., including the Phantom Sedan, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Phantom Coupe, and the Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Inserting the smartkey into its receptacle and pressing the Start button, I expect to hear the 6.75-liter V-12 roar to life. Instead, I hear almost nothing. And it's not just because the … Read more

I went to the New York International Auto Show to listen. Weird yes, but I'm the audio guy, and nowadays high-end cars all have high-end audio systems. These cars go for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I was hoping to hear some decent sound. That didn't happen.

The nice folks at the Bentley Motors display put me in a spectacular Flying Spur Speed ($252,000). The car has a 6-liter W-12 engine with twin turbochargers, 6-speed automatic transmission, and a claimed top speed of 200 mph. The interior was lavish beyond belief, with truly gorgeous wood and leather that puts your average Mercedes to shame. Rock stars and sports heroes know how to live!

The sound? I'm sure the engine sounds fabulous, but they wouldn't allow me the honor of blipping the throttle. Ah, there was a Naim audio system in the car, and I'm a fan of Nain's home gear, but the Bentley's sound system was nothing to get jazzed about.

The $6,900 Naim audio system sports 15 speakers, including dual subwoofers. Just don't kid yourself, it's not remotely on par with a credible home system. I thought the in-dash display was sort of tacky. Naim would never put such a thing in its home systems.

Next, Rolls-Royce cars, like this awesome Phantom Coupe pictured at the top of this blog ($437,000), now have Lexicon audio systems. Too bad I didn't get to hear it. (Maybe the Bentley guys told them about me, just kidding.)

The Mini Cooper people were a lot friendlier, so I checked out the sound in their 10 speaker MINI Hi-Fi Sound System. Considering it adds just $500 to the car's bottom line, it was pretty good.… Read more

Two icons of British luxury (owned by German companies), Bentley and Rolls-Royce, showed off new thinking at the Geneva auto show this week in the form of two new concept vehicles.

Bentley, sensing that it is now fashionable to go green, attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by refining its Continental model into the Continental Supersports, at the same time coming up with the most powerful Bentley yet. Rolls-Royce, in its quest for a new model in 2010, comes out with the 200EX, a car that, while exhibiting many features of the Phantom, is much smaller.

Last weekend marked the beginning of the Gumball 3000 rally, the 10th anniversary of the event. As the cars would be on display at the Fairmont Hotel, within walking distance of my home, I went up to take a look. There were plenty of crowds gazing at the penned-in cars, a collection of exotics and rarities that you seldom get a chance to see up close. The rally was set to start that day in San Francisco, with the first stop being Los Angeles, Calif. The drivers go on to Las Vegas, then they are flown to North Korea to … Read more

August means the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Monterey Historics to car nuts all over, and this year a special class will be on display: cars with engines displacing over 20-liters. Engines of this size are few and far between, as your typical V-6 displaces 3.5 liters. Even the 16 cylinder, 1,001 horsepower Bugatti Veyron only displaces 8 liters. The 20 plus-liter class at Pebble Beach is more for exhibition, as there are only four cars that fit the bill, with three historics and one recent invention.

The 1913 "Blitzen" Benz appearing at the show … Read more

Two sketches of the next Rolls-Royce model, code-named RR4, were released today, showing a car with a meaty body and squashed cab. Of the new car, chief designer Ian Cameron said "The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions and more organic form, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions." From the sketches, it looks as if the RR4 will be a four-door sedan with a less blocky grille than the current Phantom model, but will still sport the Spirit … Read more

It's the new Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe, and we've got a sneak peek at the 2008 Geneva auto show. If you're the type of person who likes to ride in style, and with tiny LED lights embedded in the rooftop that resemble stars, then this is the car for you.

Click here for our coverage of the 2008 Geneva auto show.

The Geneva auto show opened in style today with a host of luxury manufacturers taking the wraps off their cars, including new models from Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Lamborgini, and Rolls Royce. Check out our pick of the supercars from the first day of action.

Click here for our coverage of the 2008 Geneva auto show.