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Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail one-ups the floral theme with gemstones

Rolls-Royce debuted its first Droptail commission during Monterey Car Week, the floral-themed La Rose Noire. Not seven days later, the second Droptail took to the alpine stage in Gstaad, Switzerland, commissioned by a client wishing to celebrate his gem business, his home region, and his son. This one's called the Amethyst Droptail, the quartz crystal chosen for being the son's birthstone. The International Gem Society says February's gem ranges "from pale lilac to deep reddish purple," a symbol of royalty as well as "spirituality, mental clarity, and healing." We're also told the vivid stones are generally more valuable and desirable than the pale stones, hence the intense colors on the Amethyst Droptail.  There's another lilac connection in the Globe Amaranth flower native to Guatemala, Panama and Brazil, but grown all over the world. Rolls-Royce said this amaranth "blooms in the desert near one of the client's homes." The roadster starts with the soft purple body color dubbed Globe Amaranth and flecked with aluminum, contrasted with deep purple Amethyst paint swirled with a blend of red, blue, and violet mica flakes. Carbon fiber sections around the hem of the car display book-matched chevron patterns and are finished with Amethyst-tinted lacquer. More contrast shows in mauve accents painted inside the 22-inch wheel spokes. The brightwork's seen a great deal of attention. There are two finishes on the vanes of the Pantheon grill, each thin leading edge polished to a shine, the broadsides being brushed. The 3D-printed composite lower grille is affixed with 202 stainless steel ingots hand-painted in Globe Amaranth. Above that, a ring of rounded (as opposed to faceted) and polished amethyst surrounds the Spirit of Ecstasy when she appears. The stone's been finished into a shape referred to as a cabochon, generally featuring a convex upper surface and flat underside, and engraved with the word "Droptail." The interior is designed around the commissioning client's choice of Calamander Light wood, which features long bands of varying tones. Lighter bands decided the hue of the Sand Dunes leather on the seat bolsters framing the Amethyst leather centers. There are more amethyst cabochons laid around the gauges in the instrument cluster.

Cargo ship carrying 1,200 Jaguars and Land Rovers deliberately run aground [w/video]

A cargo ship carrying a load of new cars out of Southampton has run aground in the English Channel in between England and the Isle of Wight. The vessel apparently suffered some sort of failure just 45 minutes after leaving port that caused it to list heavily to the starboard side before the crew deliberately beached it on Bramble Bank to prevent the ship from capsizing altogether. The vessel, called the Hoegh Osaka, is a 590-foot car carrier weighing some 57,000 tons and registered in Singapore. Although several automakers (including Honda and Bentley) were reportedly looking into whether they had cars on board, the vessel is said to have been filled to approximately one-third its capacity, with 1,400 vehicles on board – including 1,200 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, 65 Mini models and one Rolls-Royce Wraith. 70 to 80 pieces of construction equipment were also said to be on board. The Hoegh Osaka was en route from the southern British port of Southampton to Bremerhaven, Germany. Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported. The crew was mostly airlifted by helicopter off of the beached ship, with two crew members evacuated by lifeboat. One crew member reportedly jumped over 25 feet off the ship into the water before being immediately retrieved by rescue workers. According to the Daily Mail, two crew members were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including a broken leg. It may take several days, if not longer, to extract the vessel from the sand bank and ascertain the damage to the ship and its cargo. An early attempt to free the ship with tugboats failed, meaning that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency may have to wait until more favorable high tides to try again before towing the ship back into the port. Bramble Bank, where the vessel was run aground, is a well-known obstacle to maritime navigators. The Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground there in November 2008 with 1,700 passengers on board, but was quickly freed by four tugboats and was able to continue on its way. Two local yacht clubs also play a cricket match there every year at low tide. The vessel's operator, Hoegh Autoliners, praised the skill and quick thinking of the crew in acting to prevent the ship's capsizing by running her aground on the soft, sandy shoal. Watch the clip below for aerial footage of the beached ship, courtesy of the BBC. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Rolls-Royce Ghost gets minor updates for 2013

Befitting a creature called the Ghost, it was there and then it wasn't: Rolls-Royce dropped a few details and a picture of the 2013 Ghost, then removed all trace of it from the corporate site. The Internet can't keep a secret, though, so we have the goss on a carryover sedan with a few upgrades.
Next year's model takes its inspiration and several new tricks from the Ghost Six Senses concept revealed at the Beijing Motor Show earlier this year. The new natural grain leather, cross-banded wood veneers and "exciter" (high-range) speakers come straight from the concept. A new alloy wheel option is also available, but the single press photo doesn't show the same alloys used on the Six Senses car. Not shown in Beijing but on the menu for the coming sedan is Comfort Access, the ability to open the trunk by waving your foot under the rear bumper as long as you have the key on your person. It is the first Rolls-Royce to get the option.
The price gets an upgrade, too, rising $7,050 to $260,750. Part of the increase is in the gas-guzzler tax, which climbed to $2,100 from $1,700 because of a new EPA calculations for fuel economy. As if you'd be worried about gas when you own a Ghost, but just in case, it will return 13 miles per gallon city and 21 mpg highway.