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2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom spied on the inside

The Grey-Poupon set has a new digital reality in store for 2018. Or at least its drivers will. Today we've captured the next-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom during testing, and decadent sedan will feature a digital instrument panel. These photos show large screens in front of the driver and on top of the center stack – a marked change from the traditional dials. This digital cluster is among a slew of changes that will dramatically update the Phantom. It will also run on a new aluminum platform, which will underpin all Rollers from 2018. The coupe and Drophead coupe will also be killed off with the outgoing seventh generation, which has run for 13 years. Rolls-Royce said from the start the new ultra-luxury sedan would feature significant updates. In a statement, chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes called it "a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies and design innovations." Still, the eighth Phantom will look like, well, a Phantom. Despite the "enhanced ... design innovations" Mueller-Oetvoes is pitching, the exterior styling looks largely evolutionary. We're expecting another Roller staple, the traditional V12, to provide the usual mustard-hauling power. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Rolls-Royce Technology Infotainment Luxury Sedan rolls-royce phantom

Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan 'Blue Shadow' straddles Earth and space

Rolls-Royce has another special edition for stargazing types who might not have the schedules to stay up all night stargazing. Called the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan "Blue Shadow" Private Collection, its design honors the nebulous area where Earth's atmosphere ends and so-called "outer space" begins. Since the edges of our planetary terrarium blend into space, there's no useful coloring-book-like boundary. The International Aeronautics Federation uses an arbitrary height called the Karman line, which Hungarian engineer and physicist Theodore von Karman decided would be 100 kilometers above Earth because that's around where the last traces of aerodynamic lift petered out, giving way to "astronautics." The Cullinan Blue Shadow is a canvas for artistic representation of the Karman line and what lies beyond. The deep blue exterior color signifies the atmosphere's upper layers where the blackness of space suffuses the blue of our daytime skies. Contrasting satin jewelry in the front fascia suggests the silica and aluminum oxide whitewash applied to the thermal protection tiles on craft like NASA's Space Shuttle. The Spirit of Ecstasy was produced in 3D-printed titanium coated in a blue-tinted lacquer, the base inscribed with "Blue Shadow Private Collection." The Cullinan's 22-inch wheels are also dressed in a lacquer layer for dark translucence. Inside, the starlight headliner's been decorated with an embroidered moon composed of five colors, each color sewn in with a different technique and texture. The headliner's 799 white LEDs and 384 blue LEDs create a field of stars for Luna, Rolls-Royce engineers tweaking the twinkling effect in the LEDs "for an even more enchanting glow." The painted instrument panel and door cards transition from black up high to dark and then light blue below. Six layers of colors combine five blues with a black, providing another kind of twinkle thanks to blue and clear glass particles in the clearcoat. The Private Collection clock comes with blue anodized details and an engraved "Blue Shadow." The artwork created in the seats is a first for Rolls-Royce. Each seat's been perforated more than 75,000 times in a pattern representing the Earth as seen from space.

Rolls-Royce confirms Wraith convertible for 2015

Until a few years ago, the Rolls-Royce product portfolio revolved around one model line, and that was the Phantom. But with the launch of the Ghost in 2010, the Goodwood-based automaker is expanding further. As with the Phantom line, a long-wheelbase Ghost ensued, followed by a coupe in the form of the Wraith. And now, as might have been expected, Rolls-Royce has reportedly confirmed development of a new convertible based on the same platform.
The new cabrio will be based closely on the Wraith, only with a convertible roof. Expect the same 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 that powers the Wraith to carry over with the same 624-horsepower output - the highest of any production Rolls-Royce - but with a bit more weight to push, the convertible ought to be a bit more sluggish off the line than the Wraith's 4.4-second 0-60 time.
We can also expect a higher sticker price, but closer to the Wraith's $320,000 MSRP than the Phantom Drophead Coupe's $470k. Whether Rolls opts to call it the Wraith DHC or use another nameplate entirely remains to be seen, but Autocar reports that the new Rolls cabrio won't arrive until 2015, so we've got a little while to go.