So you’ve just picked up your new Rolls-Royce Wraith, of course you’re going to want to see how it handles duties around your stately manor. Most important is to learn how the Wraith powerslides on your perfectly manicured lawns.
Thankfully, if you’ve had doubts as to the Wraith’s abilities for such tasks, Tax the Rich is on hand to put your mind at ease.
If you were after a little runabout in 1977 the cheapest new car on the market was the Leyland Moke ($2,995). On the other hand, if you were well to do, the most expensive car money could buy was the Bentley T or the near matching Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (both $58,950).
The Moke was also the least powerful car on the market with just 37kW (50hp) on tap from its 1.0 litre four-cylinder engine. The leadfoots among you would have been more likely to have had your eye on the svelte 239kW (320hp) Maserati Khamsin, which would have set you back $44,000.
At least that’s the deal according to the July 1977 issue of Wheels magazine. You can check out the price list after the break and make sure you click on each image for larger images.
Turns out the Moke was the better buy, though. These days if you wanted to get your hands on a 37-year-old Moke you’ll likely need a lot more than the original three grand asking price. Whereas picking up a similarly aged Roller or Bentley should come in well under its original sticker price.
[Pics: Shannons | Thanks to Stu for the tip]
Here’s your second batch of photos from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, that makes it 155 photos in all. We start part 2 with the very cool Maserati Alfieri concept and end with the very cool Volvo Concept Estate. Cool!
The lights have been turned off at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and the mammoth task of dismantling the huge displays has begun. To recap what you may have missed here’s a selection of 120+ pics reminding you what was on show.
“We are intensively thinking about entering the SUV segment,” said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes.
Sigh.
Mueller-Oetvoes made his comments at the Frankfurt Motor Show and added, “The SUV segment is very interesting. It has been incredibly stable during the crisis, and I think a luxury niche will develop.”
For two reasons, reluctantly, we can see why a Rolls-Royce SUV may make sense. First, Bentley looks like beating them to the party and BMW-owned Rolls-Royce probably can’t afford to be left behind.
Secondly, you are responsible! Yes, you. All the punters out there who continue to buy SUVs are giving the manufacturers little choice but to keep making them.
If nothing else, we’d expect Rolls-Royce to lead the way in step accessories to make it easier for Sir and Lady to access their LUV (luxury utility vehicle).
[Source: Automotive News]
This is your second fix of images from the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. We start with McLaren and take you all the way to Vuhl, plus a few bonus pics at the end.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s final gallery which is a dedicated set of Porsche images.
You can have your fancy pants limited-edition Lambo, or your stonking new LaFerrari, even the McLaren P1; we’re not really interested. The car of Geneva, for us, is the Porsche 911 GT3. That’s the one we’d like to take home and get intimate with. And so begins the second and final part of our Geneva Motor Show image gallery. There’s over 120 new images to see and enjoy.
Last year it was the Phantom family, this year Rolls-Royce has graced the halls at the Geneva Motor Show with the Wraith coupé. With 465kW/800Nm of grunt from its V12 engine it is the fastest and most powerful Rolls-Royce ever made. With a ZF 8-speed transmission in can reach 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, ushered in the Wraith by saying, “Today we launch the ultimate gentlemen’s gran turismo, a car that embodies the spirit of Charles Stewart Rolls.
“The most powerful Rolls-Royce in history, Wraith promises the sense of adventure and speed that drove our founding forefather. But of course, Wraith’s starting point is luxury, refinement and quality, traits that remain as important to Rolls-Royce customers today as they were more than a century ago.â€
Aside from those core values found inside the Wraith it also sports some very interesting satellite navigation technology. It’s been labelled by Rolls as Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT) and uses sat nav to anticipate the correct gear for the road ahead.
In the videos below the context given for the SAT system is doing a lap of the Nürburgring, where the position of the car is constantly monitored and the most appropriate gear for the next corner is loaded as if being driven by a professional race driver. If the system can truly keep up while fighting the Nordschleife then it must work pretty well. In theory.
Overall the Wraith looks kind of cool, we think, and perhaps it’s a sign of the increasing maturity of your AUSmotive Editor, but this model holds a real appeal that could turn into something tangible if we’re to be fortunate enough to fall into a massive pile of cash.
Given our coverage of the Geneva Motor Show so far you could be forgiven for thinking it’s little more than a hot hatch playground. But we’re here to show you how the other half live. Actually, it’s probably more like half of the other half. If that; you get the point. Which brings us to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II.
Taking the company’s motto of “Take the best that exists and make it betterâ€, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has overseen a compete makeover of the entire Phantom range. That includes the standard Phantom Saloon—if there’s such a thing as a standard Roller—the Coupé, the Drophead Coupé and the Extended Wheelbase models.
“Today I am delighted to present Phantom Series II, a family of models that feature significant improvements in design, drive-train and technology,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös. “As a consequence of these changes, we will continue to present with pride the best motor cars in the world, which re-confirm Rolls-Royce’s position at the very pinnacle of the ultra-luxury goods marketplace.â€
Who are we to argue.
Actually, we’d never paid too much attention to the Phantom Coupé before. Maybe its suicide doors are a bit silly, maybe they’re the most practical doors on the market. Who knows, what we do know is the Coupé has a uniqueness about it that makes it quite cool. We’ll let you fight over the other models.
There’s a short press release, a heap of photos and a couple of videos for you after the break. If you had to choose a location to shoot promo videos for the Phantom Series II do you reckon the Ascari race track would be on the top of your list? Anyway, make sure you take the time to watch the second clip. It’s quite long and is an assortment of clips probably not designed for YouTube use, but there’s some quite interesting footage from the production lines towards the end.
Rolls-Royce is getting in on the electric vehicle lark with a new model called the 102EX, a Phantom-based concept which will debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
At the time of writing there are no plans for series production, according to Rolls, instead the 102EX will be sent on a world tour to gauge public reaction to the use of alternative technologies.
From the following press release, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Rolls-Royce CEO, says, “We have engineered the world’s first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment. With this vehicle, we begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future.
“I must be convinced that any alternative drive-train we choose for the future delivers an authentic Rolls-Royce experience.”
Further adding to the electric experience is a new website—www.electricluxury.com—designed to broaden public comment to the concept, as well as being a platform to deliver further news on the 102EX.
UPDATE 21 February: Video added at the start of this article.
A recent UK report has revealed that 54% of British motorists admit to having sex in a car. And it seems the older you are the more likely you are to find paradise by the dashboard light. Almost 40% of over 55s interviewed claimed sex in a car was fantastic, compared to just 13% of those aged between 18 and 24.
The raunchy research was carried out by the appropriately named Autoquake.com, an online retailer, and CEO Dermot Halpin says, “We’re surprised that so many of drivers have used their cars as mobile bedrooms, and impressed that the older generation are leading the way.”
A top 10 list of sexy cars was compiled as part of the study. The wide open spaces of the Mercedes E-Class Estate proved a worthy, if surprising, leader in the poll. Shaggin’ wagons have gone a bit upmarket since the 70s it seems. The full list is available after the break.
We’re sure readers won’t be surprised to learn no Toyota made the top 10. Which begs the question, just what is that feeling they keep going on about; loneliness, perhaps?
If you’ve enjoyed a few extra “services” between scheduled intervals, leave us a comment and tell us all about it!
Australian Foxtel subscribers are in for a treat this week with five Megafactories episodes airing on the National Geographic Channel. Some of the car world’s most desirable brands are showcased.
On Monday you can learn all about the Lamborghini Murcielago SV; Tuesday is Rolls Royce Phantom day; Wednesday is all about the Audi R8; Thursday is devoted to the Porsche 911; Friday is spent inside the Ferrari factory at Maranello.
The episodes air at 5:30pm and run for one hour, so make sure you have your recorders at the ready on channel 610.