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Work begins on new Rolls-Royce Phantom, PHEV likely

After reporting that a new Rolls-Royce Phantom would arrive sometime around 2017 in the same timeframe as a Rolls-Royce SUV, Autocar has a few more details on the next coming of the massive English sedan. Both its skin and its bones are being worked out right now, brand design head Giles Taylor telling the magazine that his team is "treading an evolutionary path" with the model, suggesting it will have "more charisma and more edge" as part of a future design language that will have "a charismatic expressiveness."
True, that gives us absolutely no indication of what the car will look like, but it seems fair to assume it will feature more curves and detailing than the present car. The long C-pillar will remain, though, the privacy it affords being "part of the Phantom recipe."
What's underneath could be more detailed as well, the report saying BMW is mulling an i3 kind of build, with an aluminum chassis supporting a carbon fiber bodyshell. Assuming production considerations and costs could be kept in line, the benefits would be a lighter car that offers more latitude with the design, easier implementation of new bodystyles and the segment's technology crown. A lighter Phantom would bring further rewards for its PHEV variant, which Autocar says is "a certainty."

Former Princess Diana Rolls-Royce being auctioned for charity [w/video]

While it isn't that uncommon to see cars belonging to celebrities and dignitaries roll across the auction block these days, this car is a little extra special. This particular 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was the car that Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrived at the White House in during a visit in 1985. As some added trivia, this was also the visit where Princess Di cut a rug with none other than John Travolta.
Volo Auto Museum will be auctioning off this piece of American and British history on November 9th - exactly 27 years from Princess Di's White House visit. According to the auction listing, this armored Silver Shadow was the official car of the UK's embassy, and it has been valued at around $2 million by the Berman Museum of History. The auction will have no reserve with some of the proceeds going to the Children with Cancer UK charity that Princess Diana started in 1988.
Scroll down for more information about this car and its auction as well as a video showing Prince Charles and Princess Diana arriving at the White House in the car back in 1985.

Ghost Coupe to be fastest Rolls-Royce ever

Autocar has snapped spy shots of a Rolls-Royce Ghost Coupe, and judging from proportions the car will be so long in front and raked in back that it would make Dick Tracy whistle. We'll get the true story on that at next year's Geneva Motor Show, which is when Autocar says it's due to be revealed, but what's less in question is this: with a 6.6-liter, 600-horsepower V12 and a tauter ride it will be the fastest Rolls-Royce ever.
Weight is estimated to drop by 200 kg compared to its sedan sibling, and its roofline to drop by up to nearly three inches. If the horsepower numbers are correct the shorter and lighter Ghost coupe, with a 69-hp bump over the sedan, will assuredly deliver the "considerably brisker" acceleration promised. Helping matters will be the lowered chassis, larger tires, "mildly sports-orientated" brakes and a suspension tuned to be more aggressive but delivering just as much waftability.
Although it's being called the Ghost Coupe for now, insiders have suggested to the magazine that that it will get its own, bespoke, name, with pricing above the standard sedan but below the extended-wheelbase sedan.