Rolls Royce Phantom Convertible

Rob Good: The long-awaited Phantom Drophead Coupé has been released. This Rolls-Royce’s first such car since the Corniche of 2002 and was formally unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show.

It’s no surprise that the Drophead Coupé is a spectacular feat of engineering and design. Clearly a development of the current Phantom, the new two-door, four-seat convertible nevertheless uses 1300 newly-developed parts, including a number of features first seen on 100EX, the experimental model shown by Rolls-Royce in 2004. Immediately noticeable are the brushed steel bonnet and A-pillar, plus the teak decking for the rear hood cover.

Front opening coach doors have been homologated for the new car and add considerably to the ease of access to the rear seat, as well as to the overall aesthetics. Unique to Rolls-Royce, the doors dramatically transform the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s looks, giving a side profile reminiscent of classic sports cars of the 1960s. They are also important in aiding the overall stiffness of the body, as the rear hinged doors allow for an uninterrupted A-pillar.

Power is supplied by the same 6.75-litre naturally-aspirated V12 found in the current Phantom, giving a 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds.

Production of the new car will start in the summer of 2007, hand-built alongside the Phantom at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ manufacturing plant at Goodwood.

The car is a beauty. I particularly like the color they choose in these photos. I am guessing that the new Rolls Royce will be close to $400,000 when they arrive. Beverly Hills, Palm Springs and Miami are tipped to be the best markets in the US for this car.....
Now all they need is a turbo charger or two and close to 600 HP. :-)

Fisker Artega GT

Rob Good: This is the new Artega GT Coupe which has been showcased at the Geneva Motor Show. It is equipped with a VW-derived 3.6L V6 and power will be about 300 hp. That isn't very much HP, but this Fisker isn't very big. It is 13 feet long and 6 feet wide, the Artega is about the same size as a Mazda MX-5 Miata and at less than four feet tall it is about the same height as a Lamborghini Gallardo. Top speed of the Artega GT Coupe is estimated at 165 mph which is up there.

Henrik Fisker helped design many of the current Aston Martins on the road today which makes every future vehicle he pens worth mentioning. The Fisker Tramonto and Latigo CS are great looking vehicles, but their basic shape and stance were borrowed from the Mercedes Benz SL and the BMW 6 series. The Artega GT Coupe is definitely a departure from what Fisker has done in the past, but it just isn't ground-breaking. Production is expected to reach 500 units per year and the price tag should be around $100,000.

Looking good...

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Rob Good: If you are into F1 and want to try your hand as a F1 boss, then join up now. I have played this game for the last 3 years and it is a lot of fun.

Volkswagen to target "lucrative market niches"

Volkswagen's new CEO Martin Winterkorn intends to fill "lucrative market niches" with new models over the coming years. The plan aims to boost profit while shrinking capacity.

"The Volkswagen brand is far from tapping its full potential," Winterkorn said in a letter to employees obtained by Bloomberg.

It's unclear what niches Winterkorn plans to fill, but the forthcoming Scirocco and Tiguan could arguably fall into this category. Oddly, Winterkorn is rumored to have considered canceling the Passat coupe, Scirocco and Tiguan projects, but too much had already been invested in their development.

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