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Freddie Mercury's silver Rolls-Royce auction will benefit Ukrainian war victims

Freddie Mercury, Queen’s exuberant front man, had a penchant for very expensive, very lux cars; a Lincoln, a Daimler, and his favorite, a 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. The limousine, which chauffeured Mercury until his death in 1991 (he had no driverÂ’s license), is now on its way to a higher calling: ItÂ’s to be sold off next month at RM Sotheby's London auction, with proceeds going to the Superhumans Center, a charity supported by Richard Branson and others to provide aid for war victims in Ukraine and to fund construction of a hospital in Lviv. According to the Hagerty automotive site, MercuryÂ’s sister Kashmira drove the car for a time after her brotherÂ’s death. With 62,000 miles on the clock, it was eventually put up for auction in Britain and sold in 2013 and fetched GBP74,600, the equivalent of GBP131,098 (about $146,000) today. The car is painted a color called Silver Chalice and has a blue interior. It is powered by a V8 motor. The sedanÂ’s memory was kept alive in the Queen biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” At the beginning of the film, the rocker is being delivered to the Live Aid concert in a silver Rolls (not MercuryÂ’s original, presumably). In other Queen-related news of note, band members Brian May and Roger Taylor authorized the release Thursday of a newly-discover song, “Face It Alone,” originally recorded in the 1980s. It was targeted for inclusion on “The Miracle,” QueenÂ’s 13th studio album, but didnÂ’t make the final release. The song was discovered by a team assembling an upcoming eight-disc Queen box set. “WeÂ’d kind of forgotten about this track,” Taylor said in a statement. “But there it was, this little gem. ItÂ’s wonderful, a real discovery. ItÂ’s a very passionate piece.” Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Freddie Mercury's Rolls-Royce View 11 Photos Celebrities Rolls-Royce Auctions Luxury Sedan

Everybody's doing flying cars, so why aren't we soaring over traffic already?

"Where's my flying car?" has been the meme for impending technology that never materializes since before there were memes. And the trough of disillusionment for vehicles that can take to sky continues to nosedive, despite a nonstop fascination with flying cars and a recent rash of announcements about the technology, particularly from traditional automakers. Earlier this month, Toyota applied for an eye-popping patent for a flying car that has wheels with spring-loaded pop-out helicopter rotors. The patent filing says the wheels/rotors would be electrically powered, while in on-land mode the vehicle would have differential steering like tracked vehicles such as tanks and bulldozers. At an airshow in July, Aston Martin unveiled its Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle it developed with Rolls-Royce. Aston says the Volante can fly at top speeds of around 200 mph and bills it as a luxury car for the skies. Audi used the Geneva Motor Show in March to unveil a flying car concept called the Pop.Up Next it developed with Airbus and Italdesign. If the Pop.Up Next, an electric and autonomous quadcopter/city car combo, gets stuck in traffic, an app can be used to summon an Airbus-developed drone to pick up the passenger compartment pod, leaving the chassis behind. Audi said that the Pop.Up Next is a "flexible on-demand concept that could open up mobility in the third dimension to people in cities." But Audi also acknowledged that at this point it has no plans to develop it. The cash-stoked, skies-the-limit Silicon Valley tech crowd is also bullish on flying cars. The startup Kitty Hawk that's backed by Google co-founder Larry Page announced in June that it's taking pre-orders for its single-seat electric Flyer that's powered by 10 propellers and is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. The current version can only fly up to 20 mph and 10 feet in the air and has a flight time of just 12 to 20 minutes on a full charge. The Flyer is considered a recreational vehicle, so doesn't require a pilot's license. Uber says it plans to launch its more ambitious Elevate program and UberAIR service in 2023. "Uber customers will be able to push a button and get a flight on-demand with uberAIR in Dallas, Los Angeles and a third international market," Uber Elevate promises on its website.

Artistic Rolls-Royce Phantom challenges the Cybertruck for 2019's most polarizing ride

Rolls-Royce has been getting in touch with its artistic side all throughout 2019. With a variety of custom features, bespoke options, and exclusive partnerships, Rolls-Royce has shown a Phantom with a rose garden interior, a basket of pastel-colored rides for Pebble Beach, and a red Phantom that supports AIDS research, among others. Each model stands out for its own reasons, but none are remotely as visually eye-popping as the newest project, a Phantom by U.S. artist Bradley Theodore.  Although no official announcement was made, Rolls-Royce of Abu Dhabi posted the polarizing work across its social pages. The batch of photos might immediately look a bit, umm, messy, but the style perfectly aligns with his usual themes. Theodore, who is from Turks and Caicos and was raised in New York City and Miami, is known for his bold use of color. He and Rolls-Royce have partnered up in the past, and he previously painted a Wraith. He's also created unique interpretive paintings of other Rolls-Royce cars, the Spirit of Ecstasy, and the R-R badge. Those pieces can be seen on his website. This Phantom's new skin combines shades of blue, purple, red, yellow, and white over a dark paint job. Some lines follow the Phantom's curves and edges, while others create new shapes. Inside, there's two-toned dark blue and cream leather,  blue contrast stitching and glossy wood accents. A starlight headliner adds some sparkle to the package. Explore the full work of art in the gallery below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.   Related Video: