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Rolls-Royce bringing three customer-commissioned cars to Beijing show

Rolls-Royce inaugurated a customization center called Private Office in Shanghai, China, in 2023, and it will bring the first three cars created in the facility to the 2024 Beijing show. The builds are based on the Spectre, the Phantom, and the Ghost, and they're inspired by travel. The cars are grouped under the Spirit of Expression label, and each one is given a name. Shown above, the Spectre is named "Escapism" and finished in a color combination that references a flower called lantana found in the South American tropics. The top part of the coupe is painted in Tempest Gray while the bottom wears Lantana Red paint. This color also appears on the center caps fitted to the 23-inch wheels. Inside, there's Selby Gray, Purple Silk, and Sunset leather upholstery, Sunset piping, and a Starlight headliner with Sunset-colored lights. Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit of Expression View 15 Photos Somewhat more subtle than the Spectre, the Phantom is an extended-wheelbase model named "Magnetism" that's also characterized by a two-tone look. Designers headed to Sicily's Cala Luna beach for inspiration: There's Kabira Blue paint above the beltline and Cala Luna Sand paint below it. Arctic White and Cala Luna Sand accents add a finishing touch to the look. The interior gets a Starlight headliner with white and Galileo Blue lighting, an array of stainless-steel inlays, as well as Blue Gray, Navy Blue, and Arctic White leather upholstery. Rolls-Royce Ghost Spirit of Expression View 12 Photos We're off to Boracay Island in the Philippines for the Ghost, which is called Expressionism. Boracay Blue paint "evokes the sunsets over Boracay Island," according to Rolls-Royce, and it's accented by a hand-painted Lime Green stripe added as a reminder of the island's tropical landscapes. Black, Arctic White, and Lime Green leather upholstery dominates the interior. Look up, and you'll see a Starlight headliner that features a unique wave pattern, "like silk in the wind," created with over 1,000 "stars." There are eight shooting stars, too. Rolls-Royce notes that the three Spirit of Expression cars were commissioned by customers, so they'll presumably head off to their new home when the Beijing show closes its doors. The brand will open additional Private Office centers later in 2024, meaning we'll undoubtedly see additional one-off models before the end of the year. Rolls-Royce points out that most of its clients pay extra to customize their car.

Rolls-Royce gets down to testing new aluminum architecture

Rolls-Royce is preparing to step – or serenely glide – into modernity. It has a new aluminum architecture under development that's set to underpin all its future products. And now it's giving us a taste of what's to come. Goodwood first announced the new platform in February when it revealed intentions to build its first SUV. Now it's saying the architecture won't just underpin the crossover known tentatively as Project Cullinan – it'll form the basis of every model it makes from 2018 onwards. Rolls is already testing the new platform with mules like the one pictured above. The vehicle would appear to be a Phantom behind a mask, but the way that Rolls has disguised the rear end of the prototype tells us it might be wearing a more wagon-like roofline, the likes of which we'd expect to see on the crossover when it arrives. The company's also been testing its first all-wheel drive system for the same project with another type of test mule entirely. Once Project Cullinan is complete, Goodwood's first SUV will launch into a market filled with high-end products. Porsche is firmly established in the sector, and Range Rover is making ever-more expensive models. Soon Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini will also join the fray, but the Rolls-Royce will likely be the most expensive and most luxurious of them all. ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS ANNOUNCES FUTURE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS In February 2015, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the development of an all-new aluminium space-frame architecture that will underpin all future Rolls-Royce models arriving in market from early 2018. The company today announced that it has begun the testing phase of this new architecture, with early preparatory activity seeing new engineering mules tested in public around the world. The Architecture of Pure Luxury The future of pure luxury motoring is already taking shape as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars begins testing its new aluminium space-frame architecture which will underpin all future Rolls-Royce model lines. The architecture will arrive in market from early 2018. Engineering mules will be assessed on public roads in various locations around the world. The current testing phase aims to ensure that the new space-frame structure perfectly delivers Rolls-Royce's trademark 'magic-carpet ride' on a variety of surfaces and that it is resilient to extreme weather conditions.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan and BMW 8 Series spied south of Death Valley

Recently, we've stumbled upon a number of manufacturer prototypes running around. Usually, spy photographers sit and wait for hours with cameras primed in order to get a few shots of a car. We just got lucky. First, we caught the new Chevy Corvette ZR1 convertible during a Facebook Live video. A week or so later McGraw snapped a video of a ZR1 coupe cruising in his neck of the woods. Today, our ace photographer Drew Phillips caught a BMW test fleet filling up the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 8 Series coupe in Baker, Calif. Baker sits along Interstate 15, about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It's just south of Death Valley, and, being late August, suggests that BMW was doing some hot weather testing. Drew was filling up his car when the fleet rolled in. There were at least two of the new king Rolls and a single 8 Series. Both cars were wearing a full swirl camouflage wrap. It's not an uncommon place to see prototypes. Still, seeing a whole fleet roll in is quite a sight. We've seen official photos of the Cullinan before, but these pictures give us our best view of the profile and rear we've had so far. From a distance, it looks like a high-riding version of the new Phantom with a hatch in place of the trunk. The taillights are obviously just filler units. Expect the final version to look very much like the squared off LED units on the Phantom. Likewise the interior and engine should be straight from the Phantom. That means a twin-turbocharged V12, though power is likely to be sent to all four wheels. We've seen the full BMW 8 Series concept a few times now. The proportions on the production car look the same, with a long hood and even longer wheelbase. The nose isn't quite as aggressive as the concept, but we expected the styling to be toned down to meet crash and safety standards. As for engines, look for six, eight and (hopefully) 12-cylinder power under the hood. A plug-in variant is also expected. Both cars have been in development for a long while, so look for full debuts sometime this auto show season. Maybe we'll happen upon some more test mules between now and then. Related Video: