1951 Rolls-royce Wraith on 2040-cars

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The hottest modern sports cars rendered as rally racers

The modern-day World Rally Championship a monumental amount of fun to watch – I should know, as I recently was lucky enough to head to the UK to watch WRC Wales Rally GB – but even the most monstrous of the current WRC cars are based on fairly pedestrian European hatchbacks. Back in the heyday of rally, the Group B era in the 1980s, much hotter cars were the basis of even more incredible competition machines, for the most part. Take the exotic Ford RS200, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its twin-charged engine. And the hatchback-based Group B cars were bonkers, too. So what would some of our favorite modern cars look like if Group B had never ended? A British site named CarWow hired an artist to reimagine everything from the Rolls-Royce Wraith to the Porsche 911 as a retro-inspired rally car, and they were kind enough to let us share the results in the gallery above. The gallery features an Alfa Romeo Giulia in Martini livery, an Audi TT in classic Ur-Quattro colors, a Fiat 500 Abarth sporting massive flares and a hood blister full of auxiliary lights, a new Ford Mustang in RS200 livery, a Lancia Delta in Alitalia colors, a Porsche 911 in Rothmans livery, a Renault-Alpine in classic blue, a Rolls-Royce Wraith tribute to the Jules cologne Corniche Coupe, and a relatively modern-looking VW Touran. So far, the favorite around the office is the incredible Mercedes-Benz S-Class that is an homage to the wonderful 300 SEL 6.8 AMG "Red Pig" that essentially put AMG on the map. Check out the gallery above and see which one you like the best. Related Video:

Rolls-Royce Cullinan spotted playing in the snow

This is no ordinary Phantom. Not that you'd call any Rolls-Royce ordinary, considering the brand's stratospheric pricing and hand-built pedigree. But this one is extra special, because it's a test bed for the British luxury brand's very first SUV, tentatively known as the Cullinan. We've known Rolls-Royce was out and about testing this brand-new, all-aluminum platform in the wild, but this is the first time we've seen it so clearly. It looks a little bit like a shortened Phantom sedan, with big swathes of metal seemingly cut away from the rear doors, but it's more than that. We can't be certain, but there's probably a big V12 engine underhood sending torque to all four wheels, and it looks to be riding high enough to offer some legitimate off-road capability. The aggressive tires are another giveaway that this Rolls may be going places no Phantom before it has dared. With Bentley finding success in the luxurious 'ute market with the Bentayga, we're sure Rolls-Royce is pushing to get its Cullinan into the driveways of one-percenters the world over as soon as possible. See the mule for yourself in our high-res image gallery above. As for us, well... we're just wondering what happened to that sweet rear spoiler. Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Cullinan: Spy Shots View 10 Photos Spy Photos Rolls-Royce Crossover SUV Luxury rolls-royce cullinan

Rolls-Royce dealer incentive could take $15K off a Cullinan or Ghost

When a carmaker wants last year's models off dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, one standard tactic is to offer incentives either to customers or to dealers. Rolls-Royce is an automaker with last year's models on dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, and on top of that, a refreshed Cullinan and a refreshed Ghost are due later this year. That explains the dealer bulletin Cars Direct said it saw that informs dealers, "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA is introducing a Non-FS and Regional Rate Cash Program to stimulate sales and to promote all aging units to be retailed by the end of March 2024." The cash specifics: $15,000 that can be spent on the $375,000 Cullinan and Black Badge Cullinan, as well as the $350,000 Ghost, Ghost Extended and Black Badge Ghost.  The "non-FS" part refers to the financial services division, meaning the vehicles in the promotion can't be financed through the automaker's loan department. BMW, Rolls-Royce's parent company, makes this distinction regularly, offering a $9,900 "Non FS Credit" on the XM last November, for instance. In that case, buyers who did finance an XM through BMW Financial were also offered a $9,900 loan credit. No such deal on the English side of the Munich empire. Because this is a factory-to-dealer incentive, dealers don't need to disclose the offer nor give the buyer the benefit even if a buyer knows about it; this is a reward for the storefront for getting the model off the lot at a price the dealer is happy with, not an incentive for a shopper. Don't get the idea that Rolls-Royce shoppers are put off by discounts, though. It's all about the phrasing and the delivery. Dropping $15,000 on the hood would be unthinkable. A dealer asking an interested shopper who's on the fence, "What if I threw in the 21-inch tri-colored pinstripe wheels you want and took $10,000 off?" Well, that's making a deal, and everyone loves making a deal. So if Santa was especially kind, or you were especially naughty and made your own bundle, there's almost three months left to take advantage. According to the bulletin, the program ends March 31, 2024. Related video: 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Tour