Look What's Rolled Up In Britain
otoring legend has returned home! Our spies caught the all-new BMW Rolls-Royce as it headed into the German firm's MINI factory at Cowley, Oxfordshire. It's the first time the luxury saloon has ever been seen on British roads, and these are the clearest pictures yet to show how R-R's new owner intends to shape the brand.
It's certainly an impressive car and note the way it dwarfs its predecessor, the Silver Seraph, which is shadowing it. You can also see the smart two-tone paintwork and traditional barn-style doors. The vast wheels usually painted black on prototypes appear unfinished, but show details more clearly than ever before.
If you were hoping to see the undisguised rear of the car, so were we! Unfortunately, BMW's testers spotted our photographer and the Seraph drove up to block the view. It's not just the new Roller's bulk and bodywork that promise to leave rivals in the shade when it goes on sale in January. Engineers have a few tricks up their sleeves that will shock regular buyers. Bosses have pledged to remain faithful to R-R's past, but the car is expected to be a technical tour de force.
Built around an alloy spaceframe chassis drawing its engineering inspiration from the BMW Z8 roadster, both short and long-wheelbase versions will be available. And like the rival Maybach, owners will be able to personalise the interior. At launch the car will be powered by a V12 petrol engine loosely based on the Valve-tronic unit from the 7-Series. Bosses have confirmed it will be at least 6.0 litres and offer drivers instant, low-down torque. Launch models will be normally aspirated and offer 400bhp. But rumours suggest the car could be turbo-charged, giving it 500bhp. Dan Strong
Article from: Auto Express
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