Customers of extreme wealth have come to expect more from their purchases. Three-floor bedroom suite? Mobile home gym and spa? Helicopter pad and hangar? Submarine garage? Big as they are, there's only so much you can fit in a Rolls-Royce. So the revered British marque has teamed up with renowned shipyard Palmer Johnson on what could be the ultimate globe-trotting mega yacht the world has seen yet.

With 82 meters (267 ft) fore to aft and six decks of living space, the PJ World Yacht packs all the features we listed above and then some. It's even got an anti-piracy system – we're talking about real pirates, not copying DVDs here – and an environmentally-friendly diesel-electric propulsion system. At the moment, this Ice Class cruiser – enabled by Palmer Johnson's acquisition of Noway's Flekkefjord & Slipp shipyard – is just a concept, but at this level, all it takes is one wealthy customer to turn the idea into reality. And something tells us that customer already has a Rolls-Royce or two in the garage.

If you've been getting anxious for Rolls-Royce to get its highly anticipated upcoming "junior" model on the market already, here's something to keep you occupied in the meantime. Rolls unveiled the 200EX concept to forecast the upcoming Ghost model at the Geneva auto show this past March, but while the production model isn't anticipated to debut until the Frankfurt show this coming September, the company has already launched an online configurator on its website to let prospective customers and curious enthusiasts alike play around with the various color and trim options likely to appear on the production version. Called the "visualizer", the website allows you to select from a palette of exterior paint colors, interior leather trims, dashboard wood veneers and even the brushed aluminum front bonnet trim. Not quite as exciting as pulling up at the hottest new club or restaurant in a Rolls-Royce of your own, but it will help you imagine it.

Rolls Royce recently came to town with its Drive of Distinction event for customers and media alike. It's not every day you get to sample every variant in the Phantom lineup, and we spent plenty of time peppering Rolls Royce's representative with all manner of question about the cars he'd brought up for us to try out. While trying out the standard Phantom, Phantom Coupe, Drophead Coupe, and Extended Wheelbase, we got to thinking that even in a poor economy, there really isn't a bad time to purchase a Rolls Royce.

A luxury purchase through-and-through, it's also one of the finest products you'll find to buy. The cars certainly require means to acquire, but the allure is obvious, and if you're going to buy an investment-grade car of any stripe, there's a lot of sense to an expensive, handcrafted automobile that can see everyday use. Vehicles weren't meant to sit in museums, and while some historical autos belong in that setting, most beg for the road - old or new. So, you could be totally selfish and drop $1 million on purchasing and restoring a Lamborghini Miura, or you and the family can take a relaxing trip across the continent and enjoy what life has to offer.



Also check out more images from the event:

For an affluent motorist looking for a top-of-the-line luxury automobile, there are only a few choices: the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Arnage and the Maybach. If you find the Bentley to be too archaic and the Maybach little more than a gussied-up Mercedes S-Class, then the Phantom is clearly your choice. The thing is, it's also bound to be your wealthy friends' choices as well. So if you want yours to stand out a little, you can now turn to German tuning house Hamann, which is offering a range of modifications to the Phantom saloon and Drophead Coupe convertible to give it a little extra attitude. The package includes 23-inch wheels to replace the 21-inch rims on the stock Phantom, a custom steering wheel for a more sporting feel, and engine modifications to bring output from the 6.75-liter V12 up from 460 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque to 535hp/615lb-ft. With all the extra power and the limiter removed, the Hamann Phantom is ready to cruise to an effortless 300 km/h (187 mph).

The 1928 Rolls-Royce (above) driven by Robert Redford in the big screen version of The Great Gatsby is being auctioned off by Bonhams during the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in Connecticut on June 7. The 40/50hp Phantom I Ascot Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton with coachwork by Brewster is estimated at $150,000 - $200,000. Owned by Massachusetts collector Ted Leonard, who lent it for the 1974 film, the car is largely original with minimal restoration. It was however painted a buttery yellow and its leather upholstery died green to match the description in F. Scott Fitzgerald's original text: "It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns."

The ultra-opulent Burj Al Arab hotel, symbol of Dubai's excess, has just received four new custom Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines, pushing its total fleet of Phantoms to 10. Produced by Rolls' Bespoke Programme, the cars' interiors feature Grecian key marquetry applied to the wood veneer, and the distinctive Burj Al Arab logo embroidered into the leather headrests. The cars are all white like the exterior of the hotel itself, which is home to the $18,000-per-night Royal Suite, one of the world's most expensive hotel rooms. Last year we wrote about the bespoke Rolls created for the Four Seasons George V in Paris with a custom Hermès interior.

Spotted in Monaco recently was this pimped-out Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe customized in a Murakami multicolored Louis Vuitton monogram, belonging to the infamous Prince Marcus von Anhalt. Von Anhalt, who's said to have essentially bought his title - Prinz von Anhalt, Herzog zu Sachsen und Westfalen, Graf von Askanien in full - by paying Zsa Zsa Gabor and her ninth husband Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt millions of dollars to adopt him, is one of Germany's largest and most high-profile brothel and nightclub owners.

He refers to himself as "Prince Germany" and apparently uses the Rolls to promote the Royal Race, a Gumball 3000-style exotic auto rally he launched last year. The Prince, who's been known to pal around with Pamela Anderson, claims to be a millionaire "in the three digit range" and to own 26 cars plus luxury real estate in several countries including Monaco and Dubai, attended by 12 bodyguards and 25 servants. This looks to us like not only a crime against taste but exactly the kind of thing LVMH's lawyers love to sue over.

[via JamesList]

A fully armored Rolls-Royce Phantom, able to withstand everything from a direct assault with an AK-47 to a poison gas attack, is for sale in Germany via online global luxury marketplace JamesList for about $1.5 million. Engineered to the highest international protection rating, the armored Phantom is virtually indistinguishable from the standard version to lure attackers into a false sense of security.

The car features high-tech fiber composites and special steel plating to provide protection for the bodywork, with bulletproof glass for all windows and its own oxygen supply in the trunk in case of a gas attack. The ultra-luxe car's aluminum spaceframe chassis and suspension have been strengthened and the 453 hp powertrain remains unchanged, while nothing has been sacrificed in the way of luxury, refinement and comfort.

One of the key amenities at luxury hotels and condo complex is often the fancy cars they drive you around in. At one Ritz-Carlton that it is set to change. At the Ritz-Carlton in White Plains developer Louis Cappelli has said that the chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce Silver Spur and Bentley Continental GT that residents of the condo towers have been able to use will be replaced. Cappelli is quoted in The Journal News as saying that now is not the time for excess and that the cars project the wrong image. As he puts it: "it is not Rolls Royce and Bentley time right now. It's Town Car time."

Cappelli says the lease on each car is just $2,500 a month because the owner, Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, Connecticut wanted their cars outside the Ritz. Some owners are said to be a bit perturbed by the change but they can take comfort in the fact that Cappelli may also be returning his personal Bentley to the dealer once the lease is up in a couple months.

The newest addition to the Rolls-Royce model lineup still a year away from production but we'll be getting a preview in two weeks at the Geneva Motor Show. The car that until now has been referred to as the RR4 will appear as a concept called 200EX. When the production version of the 200EX hits the streets in 2010 it will be the fourth Rolls-Royce model since the company was reborn under BMW ownership in 2003. Compared to the Phantom saloon, the 200EX is about 18 inches shorter but it remains a big machine spanning 212.6 inches from bumper to bumper.

Rolls-Royce isn't revealing to many technical details yet but we do know that like the Phantom, the 200EX/RR4 will have V12 power. The new car will however get an all-new engine not shared with any other car. The new Roller retains the rear hinged coach (don't call them suicide) doors but its more modest size means this is likely to be more of a drivers car than the Phantom. As with any Rolls-Royce, the interior will be impeccably finished in the finest hides, wood veneers and fabrics. The final production version (and presumably its name) will debut this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show.


[Source: Rolls-Royce]

Last month my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the bespoke Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe from British-based Project Kahn. Now the ultra-high end customizer has come out with their version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom saloon, dubbed the White Pearl (above). Khan boss Afzal Kahn notes that no modification was needed for the Rolls' V12 powertrain, as there is "no need to even worry about the engine as it is without a doubt one of the best engines made today."

The upgrades are cosmetic, therefore, consisting of 22" Silver Mist alloy wheels with Rolls center caps and a "meticulous diamond polish" for each spoke. The luxury cruiser also gets a unique Pearl White finish, hence the name. Interior flourishes are left up to the individual purchaser's whims, via a bespoke design service, though black piano trim is de rigeur. Project Kahn also recently debuted their take on the Range Rover Vogue, finished in white as well.

With its range of products now expanded to include a coupe, a convertible and a long wheelbase version, and with an all-new model range coming around the corner, Rolls-Royce is turning its attention back on the model that re-launched the brand in 2003. Subtly revised for this year, the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom gets a new grille and wheel options, as well as a host of new luxury touches including LED illumination on the door handles, upgraded in-cabin entertainment system, new electronic controls, adjustable reading lamps and redesigned interior door panels. Nothing revolutionary here, as Rolls-Royce has wisely chosen not to mess too much with perfection.

Earlier this month my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the rare $8 million Bugatti found in a barn, which is being auctioned off in Paris on Feb. 7. While that may be the highest priced lot in Bonhams' Retromobile sale, there are several other gorgeous classic cars on offer as well, including some beautiful rare Ferraris, at much better prices. For starters, there's a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB 'Alloy' Berlinetta (above), estimated at about $2 million - $2.5 million. Also included are a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder, est. about $400,000 - $550,000; an incredible 1964 Lotus 30 Mk1 Group 7 Sports-Racer, est. about $300,000 - $450,000; a 1962 Maserati 5000GT Coupé, est. about $460,000 - $600,000; the ex-New York Auto Show 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupé, est. about $280,000 - $340,000; and more.

The latest bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantom comes from customizers Project Kahn. Their version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is on 22-inch wheels that are 9.5 inches wide and designed to accommodate Rolls-Royce's original center caps. It comes in either a dark mist or silver mist color with tinted privacy glass and clear side lights. The interior is finished in custom napa leather with a steering wheel done in either piano black or carbon fiber. As Inside Line reports, Project Kahn modifies the cars from the factory and orders them with elm cluster veneer wood and lamb's wool rugs. They also throw in a Kahn keyring and a Kahn golfing umbrella with a carbon fiber shaft.

[via Inside Line]

In 1976 after much persuasion and a lot of factory visits (on both sides I'm sure), Corum finally convinced Rolls-Royce to provide them with a license to make a Rolls-Royce themed watch. The result was one of the best automotive styled watches ever. The problem with most car themed watches is that the watch often does not look anything like the car it is modeled after, or any car for that matter. Think of the Breitling Bentley watches. If you didn't know that Breitling was producing them as an homage to Bentley, would you ever guess at the automotive theme of the watch? When I look at the Corum Rolls-Royce I think car, and I think Rolls-Royce.

The Corum Rolls-Royce received an unprecedented demand, but never enjoyed wide scale production, though examples still loom in the collector's world. The 18k white or yellow gold case was modeled after the trademark Roman temple styled Rolls-Royce automobile radiator grill, complete with the flying lady hood ornament. The watch face itself was placed inside the grill visible though the vertical column bars. Powering the watch was a skeletonized mechanical movement. With Corum making a market comeback, I wouldn't be surprised if they struck up a new deal with Rolls-Royce for licensed watches as no one else has been seemingly been able to do so yet.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.