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Rolls-Royce's CEO shares his 3 favorite details of the Spectre EV

Rolls-Royce's first electric car, the $420,000 Spectre, has arrived. At a press event marking the EV's launch, the brand's CEO, Torsten Muller-Otvos told Insider he's proud of what Rolls-Royce has achieved in a big-picture sense — by transplanting the essential character of a Rolls into a vehicle with a completely novel powertrain and fuel source. But when asked about his absolute favorite parts of the new model, a few smaller, more subtle details sprang to mind.  Those taillights Rolls-Royce is renowned for painstakingly making sure every detail on a vehicle is as elegant as possible. Look closely at the Spectre's taillights and you'll notice they're single, uninterrupted parts, plunged into a smooth, uninterrupted body panel. Rolls-Royce says this sophisticated look is meant to evoke "islands in a lake." Most cars' taillights are broken up by a trunk lid, or butt up against a gap in the bodywork. That makes things easier, the brand's design director, Anders Warming, said. But the Spectre isn't most cars.  Achieving that look and making sure everything was water-tight took lots of engineering, Muller-Otvos said.  "The effort we've put into those rear lights to give them that shape and also more or less stick them into the body was quite something," he said. "We finally got there, and it works." A grille? On an EV? What's a Rolls-Royce without its iconic, upright grille? It's such a recognizable design element that Rolls-Royce decided to keep it for the Spectre, even though there's no radiator or engine up front. "I also love the detail of the Pantheon grille, because that was also something not in any way debatable," Muller-Otvos said. "You might argue you don't need a grille because there is no cooling air needed, but obviously this is such a signifier of our brand that we said it's unthinkable not to have one." Muller-Otvos said the company went to great lengths to adjust the grille's design so it would deflect air around the car and aid aerodynamics. In an EV, every bit of drag you can eliminate adds driving range.  A brake pedal with a new feature Every new Rolls has doors that electronically swing shut at the push of a button. The Spectre introduces a new feature that makes things even more effortless. Now all you need to do is hop in and press the brake pedal, and the driver's door closes automatically.  Read the original article on Business Insider

Rolls-Royce Phantom celebrates decade of decadence

Ten years ago, Rolls-Royce opened its Goodwood manufacturing facility and handed over the keys to the very first Phantom. Back then, parent company BMW was cranking out Phantom sedans at the blistering pace of one unit per day. By the end of 2003, that number had tripled, and today, the Goodwood plant builds a total of 20 Phantoms in sedan, coupe, drophead and extended-wheelbase models during a single day's working hours. Originally, there were fewer than 400 workers on staff responsible for hand-building the big cruisers, but now the plant boasts over 1,400 craftsmen, with 100 of those positions added in 2012 alone.
Rolls-Royce boasts one of the lowest staff turnover rates of any brand in the industry, thanks in part to a successful apprenticeship and internship program, and the company notes 80 percent of its workers live within 15 miles of the facility. You can read the full press release on the 10th anniversary of both the Phantom and the Goodwood plant below.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan offered in miniature 1:8 scale replica

Rolls-Royce sold a record 5,152 cars last year, up 25% thanks to demand for its new Cullinan SUV, and now it wants to sell a new version. It’s a 1:8 scale replica of the ultra-luxury “high-bodied vehicle,” which is what the brand originally went out of its way to refer to what it now acknowledges is an SUV. These are incredibly detailed, not-so-miniature replicas of the Cullinan, down to fully-functioning exterior lights operated by remote control and a “perfect likeness” of the 571-horsepower 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12. It also has illuminated tread plates, embroidered headrests and wood finishes in the cabin Each model is individually built by hand — and a white-gloved hand at that, if weÂ’re to believe the manufacturerÂ’s photos — from more than 1,000 components. Each one takes as much as 450 hours to build, which is more than half the time it takes to build the real vehicle at Goodwood. ItÂ’s then hand-painted with Rolls-Royce color-matched paint and polished by hand. Clients can choose from an astonishing 40,000 standard colors, or replicate a finish of their own choosing. The finished product comes presented in a meter-long display case, set on a gloss-black floor and mounted on a base, with a removable plastic window for closer inspection of the minutiae. “It demonstrates, and reminds us as a company, that inspiring greatness applies at every scale,” the brandÂ’s CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a statement. WeÂ’ve asked Rolls about the price for the miniature and will update this if we hear back. The starting price of the full-size SUV itÂ’s modeled on is $330,000. Related Video: