Car Club Blog

Ever since its inception 100 years ago, the Rolls-Royce name has been held in high regard, representing the absolute highest quality. In fact, when designing his first car, Henry Royce was quoted as wanting “to turn out the best car in the world regardless of cost, and to sell it to those people who could appreciate a good article, and were able and willing to pay for it.”

Almost 100 years later, the idea behind Rolls-Royce remains the same. This philosophy explains why the car that we drove through the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy can only be described as the Rolls-Royce of convertibles.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is the first completely new vehicle to come from the famed British marque since its “rebirth” in 2003, when the all-new Phantom sedan made its debut. That was five years after Rolls-Royce and Bentley parted ways—the Rolls-Royce name being purchased by BMW AG and Bentley going to Volkswagen AG.

The new Drophead Coupe is an extraordinary convertible, and it just wouldn’t have been right to take a first drive in an ordinary locale. So Rolls-Royce brought journalists to the hotel L’Andana Tenuta La Badiola in the town of Grosseto, Italy— a two hour drive north of Rome.

L’Andana was at one time the residence of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Now a luxury hotel, L’Andana is surrounded by beautiful green hills with olive trees as well as fields of grape vines.

The new Rolls felt right at home.

Classic But Modern Styling
While the new convertible is built on a shortened Phantom platform, it is clearly not a chop-top version of the luxury sedan. Rolls designers looked at this possibility—even built a prototype—but the style just didn’t translate well.

“Simply removing the Phantom’s roof could have made a great convertible but it wouldn’t have made a perfect one,” said Rolls-Royce Chief Designer Ian Cameron. “With the Phantom Drophead Coupe we had the chance to think about the very nature of convertible motoring and, in particular, what it means to Rolls-Royce.”

So without a single body panel carried over from the Phantom, designers created a stylish body that seems less staid than the big sedan, but is still easily identifiable as a Rolls with classic Rolls-Royce proportions.

The Drophead Coupe started out life as a concept called the 100 EX that was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004. The concept convertible featured a unique brushed-steel hood (or bonnet, in Brit-speak), teakwood trim, rear-hinged coach doors and a “picnic boot”—a tailgate that opens out of the boot (trunk) to provide seating for two.

To help shape the convertible from concept to production form, Rolls-Royce took the concept on two world tours visiting 30 countries to get feedback from current and future owners. From a visual standpoint, very little was lost in the transformation, including the aforementioned unique features.

Customization and BMW-Like Features
After a delicious breakfast of fresh-baked breads, local cheeses and fruit grown on the estate, we walked out into the sunny courtyard to choose our Drophead Coupe. The only color car we had previously seen was blue, which was the color of the vehicle that made its debut at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.

Here before us was a beautiful palette of colors shining in the bright sun. Ensign Red, Jubilee Silver, Metropolitan Blue, Diamond Black and English White—some with the brushed steel hood, some without. Rolls-Royce will initially offer the Drophead Coupe in these colors, plus two more blues, Woodland Green and a color that could be quite stunning, Semaphore Yellow.

Six different color tops are available to match, and there are ten different interior leather colors as well as six wood trims to choose from. It was surprising how different the car looks in depending on its color. We opted for the black with the brushed steel hood—easily the most elegant of the color combinations.

However, Rolls-Royce will customize the Drophead Coupe to match any color request.

In fact, Rolls-Royce has an entire department dedicated to bespoke features that has the ability to personalize a vehicle to just about any request, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the mechanics or safety equipment in the car. In one of the more interesting examples, a Phantom buyer wanted the wood trim of his car to come from a tree on his land. So Rolls-Royce representatives went in, took down a tree, and made it into a dashboard.

Even without the bespoke options, the Drophead Coupe is still quite unique. One of the most unusual design elements of the new convertible is its coach doors. These are rear-hinged for easy access to both front and rear seat. However once you’re in the car it’s impossible to reach the open door to close it. But that’s OK. When you don’t have a butler to close the door for you, just simply push the button labeled “Door” ahead of the door opening and the door closes hydraulically.

As we pushed the start button to fire up the powerful V12 under the hood, we were reminded of the fact that Rolls-Royce is indeed part of the BMW auto group. Take the engine—this is a BMW-built V12 similar to the one found in the BMW 760Li, however with 453 horsepower it is a bit more powerful than that used by its German cousin.

The transmission is a 6-speed automatic that uses the same unusual electronic gear shift as that used in the 7-Series—down once is Drive, up is Reverse, and you push the button on the end of the lever for Park.

We were further reminded of the BMW connection when we tried to bring up a list of songs on the MP3-filled CD in the 6-disc changer. This was when we realized that Rolls-Royce uses iDrive, which is a system created by BMW by which all audio, climate, navigation and vehicle setting controls are operated by a single knob that can be moved in any direction, pushed or turned. There has been much bad press about this system because of its complicated nature, which was evident in our Rolls.

We were given instructions on how to bring up the requested list on the display screen, however we couldn’t help but think if a customer had just paid more than $400,000 for this vehicle, the control systems may be more than just an annoyance.

But we had the music playing, sounding quite good coming out of the excellent sound system’s 15 speakers. The top was down and we were off.

Large Presence
The Drophead Coupe is about 10 inches shorter than the Phantom, but it is by no means small. In fact, it’s only two inches shorter and one inch narrower than a Chevrolet Suburban. And as we drove off, that classic “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament seemed a great distance away.

So it was a little unnerving when we headed out on the very narrow Italian roads in our very large convertible. But the more we drove it, the smaller it felt.

With 531 lb-ft of torque available at just 3500 rpm, the near 3-ton car really gets moving quickly. Rolls-Royce claims the coupe reaches 60 in fewer than six seconds, and we have no reason to doubt that. Suspension also works extremely well, providing a very smooth ride while still giving the driver a connection to the road. The Rolls stayed very stable on the twisty Tuscan roads, and there was almost no body roll in fast turns. One could almost call it agile, if a 3-ton vehicle could possibly be described with that word.

As we headed to our coffee stop at the beautiful Castello Banfi—a 13th century castle that is now an elegant vineyard estate in Montalcino, we discovered that with the top down and the windows up, even at high speeds, it was possible to carry on conversations in normal tones. Seats are very comfortable—it was almost as nice being a passenger as it was driving.

The Drophead Coupe is a true four-seater with plenty of legroom for rear-seat passengers. But while many Phantoms are chauffeur-driven, we would expect that the Drophead Coupe’s owner wouldn’t be riding in the back.

After lunch at the Castello di Velona—an ultra-luxury hotel in the hills of Siena—we headed back to L’Andana, but this time with the top up. The convertible top is the largest of any current convertible, raising or lowering in about 30 seconds. Inside was very quiet with very little wind noise until we exceeded 70 mph. This is largely due to the five layers of sound insulation in the top, lined with a cashmere blend. The rear seat still offers plenty of headroom, even with the top in place.

Alas, it was time to give up the keys to this beautiful automobile. And with only 100 of them coming to America in the first year, we may not see another one for a long time.

With a base price of $407,000, this car isn’t for everyone. But our few days in Tuscany with this elegant piece of machinery gave us a taste of what it would be like to be one of the lucky few.

by Perry Stern

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024846&topart=luxury

 

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/futuremodel.aspx?familyid=1216&pictureid=&usage=Image

The new M is the best thing Infiniti’s done and comes close to making BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Cadillac irrelevant. It offers as much panache and performance as those do with fewer privations, at sometimes-lower prices.

The ‘06 M replaces a nearly anonymous model called M45 that was meant to plug a hole in Infiniti’s lineup and sold in small numbers.

The M is sold with a choice of engines. M35 has a 280-horsepower V-6. M45 has a 335-hp V-8.

Both go with remarkable and joyous dispatch. The manual-shift mode of the automatic transmission can snap down through the gears as if it were wired into your brain, not manipulated by your hand.

The extraordinary way the M stops and steers suffuses the driver with road-rare serenity.

The M is spacious and comfortable. Its controls and features are high-tech fancy without the stupid factor that usually accompanies such. In fact, M seems to be a car designed by people wise enough to know when to quit. Almost nothing is done just because it could be.

What more could you want? How about top-flight all-wheel-drive (AWD) so you needn’t leave your nice car whimpering helplessly in bad weather? Got it, albeit only available with the V-6. Infiniti says it won’t sell enough V-8s to justify the costs of developing and marketing an M45 AWD model.

Two test cars were driven: M35x, the “x” signifying AWD, and an M45 Sport, the “Sport” designating bigger wheels, different trim, brakes that’ll stop on a dime and give you 9 cents change, and a suspension not meant to make the acquaintance of potholes.

Both testers were pre-production models, some of the final cars built to test the fit of parts and the factory’s assembly process. Little seemed amiss.

A closer look at some elements that make the M a heartthrob:

• Looks. Reasonable people often disagree on matters of taste, but so what? M’s sweep and stance are terrific. The instrument panel’s voluptuous cross-car curves invite physically and satisfy visually.

Far from outrageously styled, the M nonetheless is arresting and proved it by yanking plenty of heads around in the kind of double-takes usually reserved for sports cars.

• Drivetrain. Glorious. Even the V-6 AWD — heaviest of all the models — accelerates with snap and snarl. The V-8 is explosively frisky.

Use the manual-shift mode, especially for downshifts. It has what Infiniti calls “rev matching.” It feels and sounds the way a car should when you engage a lower gear. The engine speed jumps and — nothing else happens. No stumbling as if the car is falling on its nose, nor jerky moment as the engine tries to match its speed to the transmission’s.

The transmission does not work as wonderfully in other modes but shifts crisply enough to suit most.

AWD provides stable footing on both slick and dry pavement without a second thought. It splits power 50/50 front/rear in normal driving, shifts up to 100% to the rears under hard acceleration or when the fronts lose grip.

• Controls. Knobs for volume and tuning on the radio. Applause.

A fat knob on the dashboard makes you cringe because you expect it to be a confounding control system like the ones the German makers favor. Instead, it lets you skip through short, simple menus of options. And you needn’t use it at all for most settings, because most have their own separate knobs and buttons on the instrument panel. Satisfying for techies, nearly intuitive for Luddites, superfluous for those who’d simply rather not.

Each of the four power windows is one-touch up or down. That’s not exclusive to the M, but it isn’t a sure thing in every luxury car, and it’s a sign that Infiniti considers such seemingly minor matters important. That attention to detail is what separates true luxury cars from the merely expensive ones.

• Décor. Rosewood trim on some models is real. Aluminum on others is, too. No faux. That’s a statement of integrity. Both look great, too — unless you get the buckskin-color leather with the rosewood trim. Yuck. Looks as if you tried to match colors and didn’t quite.

• Room. Wow. Some big trucks have less for your legs. The front is listed as having 44 inches, about 3 inches more than most cars. The rear seat gives you about 37 inches, more than adequate for most adults, and leverages it by carefully curving the backs of the front seats to keep away from the back-seaters’ knees.

The measurement shows that not all legroom is created equal. Cadillac, for example, says the STS — an M rival — has about 38 inches in back, but that seat’s legroom isn’t even close to the M’s, numbers to the contrary notwithstanding. Nobody’s fibbing, they’re just measuring at different points.

M’s middle rear seat is minimal, though. As is typical on rear-drive cars, the big driveshaft tunnel eliminates leg space. And Infiniti inexcusably fails to provide center child-seat latches to make it easy to use that otherwise marginal slot for junior. Instead, you have to wrangle the car’s safety belt to hold a child seat in place.

• Tech. If gadgets are your thing, there are enough to satisfy — lane departure warning, for instance. Sensors know if you’re about to stray over the lane line and beep at you. It gets old fast. You can turn it off, but the switch is tucked inconveniently near the lower edge of the dashboard.

An optional back-up camera system has the brightest image display on the market and provides two sets of guidelines on the screen. One set runs straight back and the other bends as you steer the car while backing, to show where you’re headed. Excellent.

Rear-wheel steering on the Sport models will turn the back wheels 1 degree to help the car round a bend.

And on and on. Giving up the keys to these testers was very, very hard.

But I’d bet www.driveyourdream.com has one YOU can test drive.  Check them out.

Courtesy of Alex Nunez at Autoblog:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/24/ferrari-to-vatican-were-not-a-sin/

Although this doesn’t have much to do with exotic car rental, it really is a fascinating controversy. Basically, the Pope has issued a rules of the road document for Catholics. Among other things, the document warns against using automobiles to create envy. Reuters covers the release of the Vatican’s rules of the road here http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1937441220070619?feedType=RSS&rpc=22

The folks from Ferrari argue that it’s possible people could envy you for having a Ferrari, but the car is really about the love of driving, not about being envied. I sort of think of it as the sin is in the person and not in the thing. 

But the last part of the response from a Ferrari manager is so wonderfully Italian, that it’s worthy of a blog post.

According to Autoblog, Ferrari’s General Manager, Amadeo Felisa, told Reuters that he was certain that buying a Ferrari was not a sin, but if, by chance, it turned out to be….”you should commit at least one from time to time.”

Apologies to the Holy Father (and to Larry the Cable Guy) but that’s funny. I don’t care who you are.

As someone who caught the car bug late in life, I am really enjoying searching for articles to blog about. I know Alfas aren’t true exotics, but I’ve always had a weakness for good styling and great writing. Allistair Weaver, a contributing writer at Edmunds Inside Line, is one Englishman who can write.

Here’s how he started his review of the return of the Alfa Romeo to America:

“Alfa Romeo is the Quentin Tarantino of the automotive world. It’s been years since either one made something really great, but their fans keep believing that another blockbuster hit is just around the corner.

Just as every Tarantino movie is greeted as the rightful heir to Pulp Fiction, so, too, every new Alfa Romeo Spider is expected to rekindle the spirit of the original Spider of the 1960s, which Dustin Hoffman made famous in The Graduate. There is something evocative about that famous badge and triangular grille that lifts even mediocre cars above the mainstream. Here in Europe, people really want Alfa Romeo to succeed.”

I have to admit I’ve always had a secret desire to own an Alfa Romeo from the time I noticed older ones on the road in the late 1980s.  And I can’t tell you why I want Alfa Romeo to succeed, but I do.

How could you not want to read the rest of Allistair’s review after a start like that… 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=121303

It’s an interesting write up with some insight into how the smaller exotic car rental agencies operate. A good review of the company’s three car fleet and some of the tribulations of running a small business in Washington DC.

Hadn’t given much thought to all of the intricacies that the entrepreneurs who run these companies must successfully navigate. Should be interesting to anyone who who wants a basic insight into exotic car rental as a business. I was surprised to learn from the profile that Capital’s insurance costs are roughly 15 times what a private party owner would pay for coverage. Read more about the exotic car rental company here http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=10663

I wonder what they are thinking. Is that a bra or a paint ?  I personal do not find this appealing maybe some do.  The SS is a great moniker to carry I’m hoping this one lives up to it.  Is this also looking a lot like a PT Cruiser?

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/13222/spied-2009-chevrolet-hhr-ss.html

The British supercar Ultima GTR720 has set up a new world record, that was written into the Guinness book of records.

Being equipped with 5.7-liter Chevrolet LR06 engine with 720 hp, Ultima GTR720 has beaten the acceleration and braking record (acceleration to 100 mph and then full braking) previously set by Bugatti Veyron. The car accelerated to 100 mph in 5.3 seconds and stopped in 4.1 seconds. The total time (9.4 seconds) is by 0.1 seconds faster than those set by Bugatti.

Moreover Ultima is faster than its competitor in all the other disciplines: acceleration to 60 mph - 2.6 seconds, braking from 100 mph with full stop - 3.6 seconds. Bugatti’s figures are 2.8 and 4.2 seconds accordingly. Thus Ultima GTR720 is at the moment the official record holder among serial cars for average roads.

Ultima Sports Ltd., the creator of Ultima GTR720, is a small British company which produces not more than 100 vehicles annually. The major production of the company is vehicles for various racing series.

Does this mean we will have a new road vehicle for personal driving like the Bugatti Veyron? I believe that the Veyron will be the fastest personal driving car.

As a featured article in the Belfast Telegraph the Vantage took the readers test poll hands down. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/carfinder/article2683745.ece

Aston Martins look better than anything else and are marvellous to drive. That, and not 007, is the secret of why they are loved, says David Wilkins.

What do you think is the most exciting car badge these days? On the basis of my dealings with Independent readers in connection with the Verdict test, I reckon it’s Aston Martin. I’ve lost count of the number of reader-testers whose parting shot was a remark along the lines of, “next time you get your hands on an Aston, bear me in mind”. It’s a similar story with the letters and emails that arrive from those applying to take part.

Here are some letters and remarks from the polls:

The V8 Vantage is no exception. Apart from a few mass-manufactured items such as the column stalks, there are examples of beautiful attention to detail everywhere, such as the counter-clockwise rev counter and the metal fuel filler cap. A look under the bonnet exposes not just a beautiful engine but much of the Vantage’s hi-tech, bonded and riveted structure, which contains aluminium, steel, composites and magnesium alloy. It seems a shame to hide this stuff away – unless it’s with bodywork as elegant as the Aston’s.

The under-bonnet view also gives a clue to the other side of the Aston’s appeal: its prowess as a driving machine. The engine block is behind the centre-line of the front wheels, which combined with a rear-mounted gearbox gives the V8 Vantage its delectable balance on the road. I’ve posted a photo showing this front mid-engined layout in detail at my blog (http://wheelwobble.blogspot.com) for anyone who is interested.

Colin Moss, 55, manager, Branston, Lincolnshire

Usual car: Audi TT.

The Aston Martin that first got my attention was James Bond’s DB5 in Goldfinger. I lost track of all the different models and numbers, but they all look beautiful and this is no exception. The interior is simple classic black leather and metal. A few minor surprises: standard ignition key in the steering column (not keyless), six-speed manual (not auto, tiptronic or paddle shift) and red stitching on the black leather? I was not disappointed though, it is still a stunning car. Handling was superb, the 275mm rear tyres really holding the road, and surprisingly agile. The V8 engine sounds wonderful and I could not stop grinning every time I accelerated.

Michael Duffy, 52, barrister, Ely, Cambridgeshire

Usual cars: BMW 7 series, Alfa Romeo 166

Now here’s the best thing we too in the states can offer our preference up. If you never have had the pleasure to get behind the wheel you can take advantage of the renting one from DFW Elite Auto Rental. Use this opportunity for both pleasure and offering your opinion.

Contact by e-mail motoring@ independent.co.uk or write to: The Verdict, Features Department, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, giving your address, phone number and details of the car, if any, you drive. For most cars, participants must be over 26 and have a clean licence.

The Dino was the first exotic I ever rode in. The memories. Now they are talking about updates. Here is the FYI from nightrider.

Ferrari Dino Concept design is the modernized version of the successful Ferrari Dino produced by Ferrari.

“The goal was to create a car that feels stylish, modern, dynamic and organic while staying true to the original design language of the Ferrari Dino and Ferrari brand in general.”

The main characteristic of the Dino Concept design is the way it looks similar to the original Dino. With very round styling elements around the wheelbases and its cockpit, it looks retro and modern at the same time. With the right proportions combined, the car looks very dynamic and stylish. It stays true to its original with the design of the rear and the front being rounded and avoiding the hard edges as much as possible. Also the rear window opening is a striking feature originating from the original Ferrari Dino. The air intakes scoops however are very different compared to the original Dino, they look very organic and visually add a very organic feel to the car.