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2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: It's all in the details

It's no secret that Pebble Beach is an ode to gorgeous, and mostly, classic cars. The car show may be a place for automakers to showcase extremely expensive cars to wealthy buyers, but it's also one of the go-to places for enthusiasts that love automobiles and culture. While it's easy to be overwhelmed by the overall beauty of a car, the real magic often needs closer inspection to be realized. Every car at Pebble Beach is a work of art, but the true beauty of the vehicles lies in the details. And Autoblog's photographer, Drew Phillips, managed to capture the details on some gorgeous cars. From the Lamborghini Miura's exquisite steering wheel to Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy, it's all at Pebble Beach. We think the details on some of the cars are prettier than the cars themselves, but don't take our word for it. Check out the beautiful gallery above and enjoy the tiny bits and pieces behind some of the prettiest cars in the world. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Details View 75 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Misc. Auto Shows Aston Martin BMW Ferrari Lamborghini Rolls-Royce Pebble Beach

2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn opens up in public [w/video]

This is the third time I've seen this exact car. Rolls-Royce first showed me the Dawn at a private residence in Beverly Hills, then I saw it behind closed doors in Pebble Beach. Now it makes its official public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and even though the car is old news to me, it's drawing quite a crowd. Of course, there's always reason to get excited when someone says, "New Rolls-Royce." The Dawn is a really pretty, four-seat convertible. It shares a lot of its underpinnings with the Ghost and Wraith, but nearly 80 percent of the body panels are new. Under that long hood sits Rolls' 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12, producing 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, mated to the silky-smooth ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Rolls-Royce says the Dawn will be its most versatile canvas yet, with nearly endless possibilities for customization. I like the blue and orange of the showcar, but I'm excited to see how different colors look on this nicely sculpted, elegant convertible. If you haven't checked out the Dawn already, see it from all angles in our live gallery above. Everything else you could ever want to know about the new Rolls-Royce can be found in the press blast, below. ROLLS-ROYCE DAWN – UNCOMPROMISED DROPHEAD LUXURY September, 8 2015 – Goodwood UK "Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date, and begins a new age of open-top, super-luxury motoring. Dawn is a beautiful new motor car that offers the most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world. A true four-seater, it will be the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world's most exclusive social hotspots. Quite simply, it is the sexiest Rolls-Royce ever built. The name 'Dawn' perfectly suggests the fresh opportunities that every new day holds – an awakening, an opening up of one's senses and a burst of sunshine. In its tentative, inchoate, anticipatory state, dawn is the world coming to light from the ethereal dark of the night. The early-day chill of dawn provides an erotic tingle on the skin, awakening the senses and passions as the day begins.

Even Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce have designed flying taxis

Think British-built taxi cabs and you're likely to think of the classic, black London taxis. However, there are British companies eager to take taxis to the skies — bearing vaunted nameplates. Aston Martin has created the Volante Vision Concept, which isn't a sports car, but a luxury VTOL aircraft. It is the product of a joint venture with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce, and Aston says it's a "near-future study" that previews a flying autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle. It's meant for both urban and inter-city travel. The hybrid powertrain would come courtesy of Rolls-Royce Electrical, which has already provided such systems for marine and train use. The Volante Vision Concept's design language has been overseen by Marek Reichman, who stated the following: "We are at the beginning of a new generation of urban transportation; vertical mobility is no longer a fantasy. We have a unique chance to create a luxury concept aircraft that will represent the ultimate fusion of art and technology. We have used forms and proportions that express the same devotion to design, engineering and beauty that shape our cars." The leather interior bears familiar, winged Aston Martin badging — though this time the wings are especially appropriate. Beyond working with Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce plc has also designed a flying taxi of its own. Similarly VTOL, Rolls-Royce's hybrid-electric taxi has rotating wings and uses a gas turbine engine paired to hybrid tech; it is designed to carry four or five passengers and offers a 500-mile range with a top speed of 250 mph. And Rolls, of course, as a major supplier of aircraft engines, knows a thing or two about flying. Rolls says that if there is a business case for the flying taxi, it could see production in the early-to-mid-2020s. The Rolls-Royce concept was presented Monday at the Farnborough Air Show. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin / Rolls-Royce Flying Taxis Image Credit: Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce plc Design/Style Aston Martin Rolls-Royce Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Commercial Vehicles Future Vehicles Luxury Special and Limited Editions air taxi