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Rolls-Royce restores a pair of soapbox racers it built in the 2000s

Rolls-Royce inaugurated its current headquarters in Goodwood, England, in 2003, but it started making cars there before the plant was officially opened. It built a soapbox racer called RR-0.01 in 2001 and manufactured a second example named RR-0.02 the following year. These one-offs were raced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and largely forgotten about until they were given a full restoration in 2024. Building a soapbox racer might sound odd for a brand that develops some of the world's most luxurious cars. Rolls-Royce explains that entering the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Soapbox Challenge was a way to preview what was then a new chapter in its history. In just a few short years, it had been sold to Volkswagen by a company named Vickers and sold again to BMW after an intense round of negotiations. It had split from Bentley, its longtime sister company, and it was forced to build a new plant, a new headquarters, and develop a new range. The soapbox racers were made by some of the same workers that later manufactured models like the Phantom, and they featured a Rolls-Royce-esque design thanks largely to a bright grille with vertical slats. It should come as no surprise that these weren't your typical home-brewed racers built on a gutted riding lawnmower chassis. Rolls-Royce used carbon fiber, fiberglass, and aluminum to keep the 0.01's weight in check, for example, while the 0.02 featured a formula racing-style steering rack, wood trim, as well as leather upholstery. The two racers also stood out with several unusual design cues: 0.01 wore a hare-shaped hood ornament while 0.02 got a "??" logo above the grille. Rolls-Royce notes that its soapbox racers last competed in 2013; during the event, 0.02 reached 72 mph, which is remarkable (and a little scary) considering it's powered solely by gravity. They were stored in as-raced condition until the company asked a team of apprentices to fully restore them. The work performed included repairing parts damaged during racing, including 0.01's grille and 0.02's wood cowl. Both freshly-restored racers will be displayed at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club's headquarters in Northamptonshire, England. Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce's RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 soapbox racers Design/Style Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce releases sketch of Phantom Drophead Coupe Bespoke Waterspeed Collection

A limited-edition Rolls-Royce Phantom is something of an oxymoron. The company only sold 3,630 cars last year, and even fewer of those were its flagship Phantom. However, that isn't keeping the company from regularly revealing even more limited editions of its already hyper-exclusive cars. This is precisely the case with the new Phantom Drophead Coupé Bespoke Waterspeed Collection, a forthcoming model limited to 35 examples.
The special models are inspired by a famous speedboat race on September 1, 1937, between the United States and Great Britain on Lake Maggiore on the Swiss-Italian border. The British fielded the Bluebird K3 hydroplane boat powered by a massive supercharged V12 Rolls-Royce R-Type engine with Sir Malcolm Campbell at the helm. All that displacement shot the sleek watercraft to 129.5 miles per hour, claiming a new world waterspeed record in the process.
For the special commemorative Drophead Coupé model that celebrates "a seminal act of British daring and endeavor," Rolls-Royce is finishing the convertible in Maggiore Blue paint with a brushed steel hood and tonneau cover, along with inlaid wood trim. Rolls is not announcing an official release date or price for the special cars yet, but they are going on sale before the end of the year. Scroll down for the whole story about the car's inspiration.

Ventilator built with help from Rolls-Royce receives approval in UK

LONDON — Britain has given the first regulatory approval to a ventilator being built by a consortium of firms including Airbus and Rolls-Royce as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus. Governments around the world are trying to boost the number of ventilators — mechanical breathing devices that can blow air and oxygen into the lungs — available to their health services. The modified version of an existing device by Penlon will join a product from fellow medical firm Smiths, which is already being built by the group of aerospace, engineering, Formula One and automotive companies to fulfill a government order. “We are working closely with our supply chain partners to rapidly scale up production to achieve our target of at least 1,500 units a week,” said Dick Elsy, the chief executive of the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium. The government said on Thursday it was confirming an order for 15,000 Penlon devices. AirbusÂ’ Broughton site, which makes wings for commercial aircraft, along with FordÂ’s Dagenham engine factory and McLarenÂ’s Woking site are being used as part of the process, he said. Separately, vacuum-cleaner firm Dyson is still awaiting approval for its ventilator. Related Video: