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Rolls-Royce Arcadia Droptail unveiled as the third in a four-car series

If you're wealthy, you buy a new Rolls-Royce. If you're extremely wealthy, you work directly with the brand to design a one-of-a-kind car from the ground up. The firm has revealed its latest one-off, a convertible named Arcadia Droptail, and detailed the long development process. Built for an anonymous client in Singapore, the Arcadia Droptail borrows the first part of its name from a place known as "heaven on Earth" in Greek mythology. Rolls-Royce explains that the design perfectly reflects the customer's tastes and personality, including a passion for architecture and a subtle, restrained take on the concept of luxury. This likely explains why there's not much in the way of bright trim on the outside; instead, the Arcadia Droptail is characterized by a soft and almost organic design while remaining recognizable as a Rolls-Royce. Working directly with the customer, the brand put a great deal of thought into picking a color: the shade of white chosen is infused with aluminum and glass particles for a pearl-like effect that adds depth. These details help the Arcadia stand out from the two existing Droptail models unveiled in 2023. The overall design remains largely unchanged with an upright grille, thin rear lights, and a rounded back end. Santos Straight Grain wood trim dominates the interior and creates another link between cars and boats. Rolls-Royce explains that this was one of the most challenging parts of the project: Santos Straight Grain is difficult to work with, and the client plans to use the car all around the world so the trim needs to withstand wildly different temperatures and humidity levels. The brand initially considered applying the type of coating used in yachts but ruled it out because it needs to be re-applied on a regular basis. Instead, it went through the trouble of developing a specific lacquer that lasts for the life of the car. It adds that this part of the build required over 8,000 hours of work, including testing. The clock embedded into the dashboard was created in-house as well; it took over two years to develop and five months to make. Referred to as "the most complex Rolls-Royce clock face ever created," it features a guilloche pattern with 119 facets and hand-polished parts. Rolls-Royce hasn't published technical specifications. We're guessing that power comes from a V12 engine. All told, designing the Arcadia Droptail took over four years. There's no word on how much the project cost.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Zenith takes assembly line with it

Rolls-Royce is phasing out the Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe. But before it does, the luxury automaker is, as promised, building a few final examples that actually take parts of the assembly line with it. Called the Zenith Collection, these special-edition two-door Phantoms feature a number of unique upgrades to set it apart, and the most intriguing one is right there in the dashboard. That's where a component from the Phantom's assembly line in Goodwood is housed in a polished, laser-engraved aluminum case with the kind of ornamentation you might otherwise find on a high-end shotgun. Naturally, that's not all there is to the Zenith editions. They also feature special paintjobs, laser-etched armrests, machined aluminum cupholders, and a trunk fitted with a custom picnic basket, and mini-bar fridge for cooling champagne. Rolls will only make 50 examples, and they've all been spoken for already. Expect the factory to offer a similar special on the Phantom sedan, orders for which are now being taken before production ends for good. Eventually there'll be a new model line to replace the Phantom – one that promises to be lighter and more advanced, but no less luxurious than the outgoing model. But in the meantime, high-end customers will have to suffice with the Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. PHANTOM ZENITH COLLECTION "As we begin to write a bold new chapter in Rolls-Royce history, I am delighted to present a Bespoke Collection that so elegantly celebrates two of the world's rarest and most celebrated luxury goods; Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Coupe. Phantom Zenith Collection motor cars speak of the marque's unrelenting commitment to setting and advancing the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged." Torsten Muller-Otvos, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. From its foundation 112 years ago, the story of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been defined by a restless commitment to setting and raising the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. On January 1 2003, this philosophy was realised emphatically with the handover of the first seventh generation Phantom to its customer at the newly established Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.

BMW's Connected Drive feature vulnerable to hackers

BMW is working to fix a cyber-security flaw that has left 2.2 million vehicles worldwide vulnerable to hackers. Cars equipped with the automaker's Connected Drive remote-services system are affected, according to the German Automobile Association (ADAC), which first discovered the problem. Researchers found they could lock and unlock car doors by mimicking mobile communications and sending phony signals to a SIM card installed in affected vehicles. An attack could be launched "within minutes" of accessing the system without the perpetrators leaving a trace, according to their report, in part because once they had gained access to the network, the communications were not secure. In response to the security gap, BMW says it has been upgrading software via over-the-air updates over the past week, so no visits to dealerships are needed to remedy the security hole. In fact, owners of affected cars may not have even noticed the updates taking place. The problem affects BMW, Rolls-Royce and MINI vehicles equipped with Connected Drive since 2010. Flaws were first reported to BMW last year by ADAC, which is the country's equivalent of AAA. ADAC says it withheld a public announcement until the car company could address the problem. While BMW has pushed the software patch to most affected vehicles, the organization said it's possible some at cars in the United States had not yet been updated. BMW did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a written statement, the automaker said it knows of no real-world breaches. 2015 Off To Dubious Start The hack could raise the eyebrows of industry leaders: Cars are now the equivalent of mobile computers and cyber-security experts have been warning that the auto industry has been slow to close its security holes. BMW's breach marks the second time in 2015 that researchers have found a popular automotive feature with little or no security precautions. Last month, experts said a popular device made by Progressive Insurance that allows motorists to track their driving habits contained no security whatsoever. Like the Connected Drive smart-phone app, many automotive components and infotainment features were conceived and produced at a time when industry executives never considered the possibility someone might want to hack into them. But increased connectivity brings increased risk. Going forward, BMW says its Connected Drive features will now operate by using encrypted communications via the HTTPS protocol.