Rolls Royce Phantom & Trailer & Arlen Ness Chopper on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Evolutionary Rolls-Royce Phantom replacement captured for first time

I saw a heavily camouflaged car on the road yesterday. I managed to get up close, but even then, I couldn't tell what it was. That's just the way it is sometimes – you don't always know what you're looking at. But there's no such uncertainty with this latest set of spy photos, though. This is very obviously a new Rolls-Royce. And it's huge, most likely the replacement for the long-serving Phantom, and what we're seeing here is surely the long-wheelbase model. It will be joined by a short-wheelbase version, but you'll want to break out your best princess wave to say buh-bye to the slow-selling Phantom Coupe and Drophead convertible. Despite its immense size, our spies claim the Phantom's footprint shouldn't change much with the next-generation model. That said, it will be far, far lighter than the today's nearly 5,900-pound Phantom. Expect a lot of aluminum, and even some carbon fiber when the new sedan debuts. It might end up lighter, but the new Phantom will still be easily identifiable as a Rolls. There's lots and lots of space behind the B-pillar, and like the current car, the C-pillar is expansive and feeds into a short, drooping rear deck. Up front, the current Phantom's overall style is set for a small evolution, with rectangular lights flanking a powerful, polished, rectangular grille. As buyers of $400,000 luxury sedans can usually afford fuel, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that Rolls will soldier on with a stout V12 engine under the hood. As for rumors of a plug-in hybrid model, if it happens, it won't show up until after the 12-cylinder car's debut. That glitzy event will likely come at a 2017 auto show. European shows like Geneva or Frankfurt are safe bets, but we wouldn't be surprised to see the new Phantom bow at an event more focused on the brand's exceptionally wealthy clientele, like Monterey or even Villa d'Este. Check out the full round of spy images up top.

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith is everything you need, everything you don't [w/videos]

It's not often that we get to talk about a new Rolls-Royce, what with the fact that the company's current model line is basically made up of two vehicles. But that all changes here at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, with the introduction of what might be the most emotional Roller of modern times, the Wraith.
The new two-door Rolls is effectively a Ghost coupe, and it stands to reason that this is Royce's answer to the Bentley Continental GT, albeit at a higher price point. Much higher, actually - the 245,000-euro - $320k USD - price of entry for the Wraith is about $100,000 more than a Continental GT Speed coupe. Woof. And to our eyes, all that extra money isn't buying you much in the looks department, as the collective opinion of the Autoblog editors on-site in Geneva is that it's more imposing than elegant.
But the Wraith will no doubt be a special, exclusive, impressive machine for anyone who plunks down that sort of cash. For starters, it's powered by a V12 that puts out an impressive 624 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed ZF "Satellite Aided" transmission. This nifty cog-swapper actually works with GPS to not only pre-select the right gear for the portion of road you're on, but for the next portion of you'll be driving on, as well. That, friends, is cool.