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Rolls-Royce commissions a Faberge egg

What you see above, is probably the equivalent of the movie The Avengers, but for the ultra-filthy-rich. It's the ultimate crossover of luxury brands, Rolls-Royce, and the famed jewelry company Faberge. It's a special egg made by the jeweler that's themed around the luxury car builder. And naturally, it's an "Imperial Class" egg. This means it's similar in size, complexity and quality to the original 50 made for the Russian royal family, the very ones that helped make Faberge so famous. It's also only the second to be commissioned, since. The other was commissioned by a Middle Eastern jewelry group. The egg is quite modern and simple in design. It stands about 6 inches tall, and it weighs nearly a pound. A rock crystal Spirit of Ecstasy sits in the middle, surrounded by arcing arms. Each arm is made of rose gold with 390 carats of amethyst and 10 carats of white diamonds. The whole egg sits on a machine-turned white gold base with a purple enamel coat. Like many Faberge eggs, this has mechanical workings. Pressing a lever causes the many arms to descend, making the Spirit of Ecstasy visible. The egg will be on display at Faberge's London store this December for the public to see. After that, Rolls-Royce says it will be heading for the home of a private collector of both Rolls-Royce and Faberge creations. Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Faberge Egg News Source: Rolls-Royce, The Daily Mail Design/Style Rolls-Royce Luxury

Rolls-Royce rolls out one-off Ghost Golden Sunbird in China

In 2001, archeologists in the palace city of Chengdu, China, uncovered the Golden Sun Bird, an ancient artifact that dates back to the Shang Dynasty from 1000 BC. The disc depicts the sun and is made of almost solid gold, measuring five inches across and weighing 20 grams. The city adopted it as its logo, and now Rolls-Royce has commemorated the find and the heritage behind it with a unique one-off.
Based on the long-wheelbase version of the Ghost, the Golden Sunbird edition features a two-tone white and gold paint scheme, with gold coachline and gold grille topped by a gold Spirit of Ecstasy. The interior has likewise been gilded with gold embroidery atop the light brown leather and white trim to match the coachwork.
The result may be elegant but is certainly not subtle. And of course it's just the latest in a long line of special editions and one-offs Rolls-Royce has crafted, particularly for markets in the Middle and Far East.

Rolls-Royce SUV codenamed Cullinan

A modern Rolls-Royce saloon may already be the size of some SUVs as it is, but the storied British automaker embarked upon a new dawn two weeks ago when it announced it would proceed with developing its first sport-ute. Only it's not calling it a sport-ute, SUV, crossover, off-roader or anything of the sort. It's calling it a "high-bodied car" (which is pretty much what any crossover is, when it comes down to it) that will drive "effortless... everywhere." And now it has a name. Sorta. The latest news from the UK indicates that the vehicle is being referred to internally as the Cullinan, taking its name from the world's largest diamond gem that adorns the Queen's scepter. Only that's neither the internal codename, strictly speaking, nor is it likely to be its nameplate once it reaches production. The project is codenamed RR31 (apparently as the 31st new model line being developed by the company) and is likely to carry a name more in line with the likes of Wraith, Ghost and Phantom in the brand's spooky nomenclature or draw on a dormant nameplate. The high-riding Rolls is tipped to launch a new alloy architecture for the company that would be unique to Goodwood's products and be rolled out first on the crossover before serving as the starting point for the next Ghost and Phantom families. Size-wise the SUV would slot in between the two, and likely enough in price position as well. Power would likely come from either the 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 from the Ghost or the larger, older 6.75-liter atmospheric twelve used in the Phantom, but while a diesel was apparently ruled out (primarily due to the fuel's scarcity in certain markets as opposed to the increased NVH levels inherent therein), a hybrid is said to be in the mix. Though it's focused more on exclusivity than it is on volume, Rolls expects the SUV to bring in new customers and expand its production by around 30 percent or so. But that would be nothing new: The vast majority of Wraith and Ghost buyers have been new to the brand. Look for the crossover to launch in 2017, when it promises to crown the emerging class of high-end luxury crossovers and put even those being launched by the likes of Bentley and Maybach to shame. News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce Crossover SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles rolls-royce cullinan autoblog black