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Rolls-Royce debuts Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed Collection

For the next act in its Bespoke Collection, Rolls-Royce has found one of its own to celebrate with the Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection, noting the achievements of British land and water record-holder Sir Malcolm Campbell. Like a few other racers of his era in the 1920s and 1930s, Campbell used his Bluebird Motor Company and Bluebird Garage to fund his interest in motorsports. He would break the waterspeed record in 1937 in his Bluebird K3 powered by a Rolls-Royce R engine, traveling 126.33 miles per hour on Italy's Lake Maggiore.
We've seen sketches of what Rolls-Royce intended with the Waterspeed Collection, and the real thing is just as handsome, and the new model includes a number of firsts for the marque. The Maggiore Blue exterior paint is also used for highlights on the engine, the polished wheels, two-tone steering wheel and the dashboard. The tonneau cover normally finished in teak is instead done in hand-finished brushed steel, a closer contrast to the Windchill Grey interior. The Abachi wood veneers have also been bookmatched so that their grain evokes the wake of a speeding boat.
The droptop will be shown first at the Bluebird Garage Cafe in London on the site of the original garage, after which it will get its first wider showing at the Concorso D'Eleganza at Villa D'Este later this month. The press release below has a lot more detail on the finer detailing of the Drophead Coupe Waterspeed, and the images above are worth at least 8,000 words.

Rolls-Royce bringing three customer-commissioned cars to Beijing show

Rolls-Royce inaugurated a customization center called Private Office in Shanghai, China, in 2023, and it will bring the first three cars created in the facility to the 2024 Beijing show. The builds are based on the Spectre, the Phantom, and the Ghost, and they're inspired by travel. The cars are grouped under the Spirit of Expression label, and each one is given a name. Shown above, the Spectre is named "Escapism" and finished in a color combination that references a flower called lantana found in the South American tropics. The top part of the coupe is painted in Tempest Gray while the bottom wears Lantana Red paint. This color also appears on the center caps fitted to the 23-inch wheels. Inside, there's Selby Gray, Purple Silk, and Sunset leather upholstery, Sunset piping, and a Starlight headliner with Sunset-colored lights. Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit of Expression View 15 Photos Somewhat more subtle than the Spectre, the Phantom is an extended-wheelbase model named "Magnetism" that's also characterized by a two-tone look. Designers headed to Sicily's Cala Luna beach for inspiration: There's Kabira Blue paint above the beltline and Cala Luna Sand paint below it. Arctic White and Cala Luna Sand accents add a finishing touch to the look. The interior gets a Starlight headliner with white and Galileo Blue lighting, an array of stainless-steel inlays, as well as Blue Gray, Navy Blue, and Arctic White leather upholstery. Rolls-Royce Ghost Spirit of Expression View 12 Photos We're off to Boracay Island in the Philippines for the Ghost, which is called Expressionism. Boracay Blue paint "evokes the sunsets over Boracay Island," according to Rolls-Royce, and it's accented by a hand-painted Lime Green stripe added as a reminder of the island's tropical landscapes. Black, Arctic White, and Lime Green leather upholstery dominates the interior. Look up, and you'll see a Starlight headliner that features a unique wave pattern, "like silk in the wind," created with over 1,000 "stars." There are eight shooting stars, too. Rolls-Royce notes that the three Spirit of Expression cars were commissioned by customers, so they'll presumably head off to their new home when the Beijing show closes its doors. The brand will open additional Private Office centers later in 2024, meaning we'll undoubtedly see additional one-off models before the end of the year. Rolls-Royce points out that most of its clients pay extra to customize their car.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan and BMW 8 Series spied south of Death Valley

Recently, we've stumbled upon a number of manufacturer prototypes running around. Usually, spy photographers sit and wait for hours with cameras primed in order to get a few shots of a car. We just got lucky. First, we caught the new Chevy Corvette ZR1 convertible during a Facebook Live video. A week or so later McGraw snapped a video of a ZR1 coupe cruising in his neck of the woods. Today, our ace photographer Drew Phillips caught a BMW test fleet filling up the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 8 Series coupe in Baker, Calif. Baker sits along Interstate 15, about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It's just south of Death Valley, and, being late August, suggests that BMW was doing some hot weather testing. Drew was filling up his car when the fleet rolled in. There were at least two of the new king Rolls and a single 8 Series. Both cars were wearing a full swirl camouflage wrap. It's not an uncommon place to see prototypes. Still, seeing a whole fleet roll in is quite a sight. We've seen official photos of the Cullinan before, but these pictures give us our best view of the profile and rear we've had so far. From a distance, it looks like a high-riding version of the new Phantom with a hatch in place of the trunk. The taillights are obviously just filler units. Expect the final version to look very much like the squared off LED units on the Phantom. Likewise the interior and engine should be straight from the Phantom. That means a twin-turbocharged V12, though power is likely to be sent to all four wheels. We've seen the full BMW 8 Series concept a few times now. The proportions on the production car look the same, with a long hood and even longer wheelbase. The nose isn't quite as aggressive as the concept, but we expected the styling to be toned down to meet crash and safety standards. As for engines, look for six, eight and (hopefully) 12-cylinder power under the hood. A plug-in variant is also expected. Both cars have been in development for a long while, so look for full debuts sometime this auto show season. Maybe we'll happen upon some more test mules between now and then. Related Video: