Spotted at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Assoc.) auto show in Las Vegas this week was this highly-modified 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, which at 1350 hp. is far and away the world's fastest Rolls-Royce. Owned by a Floridian enthusiast, the car is powered by a 9.3-liter supercharged V8 with a nitrous injection system, air suspension and bespoke chassis. There's a full custom leather interior, including the trunk which has fitted luggage and a TV set - one of four positioned inside the toally unique vehicle. Experts estimate the cost of the modifications at over $300,000.

The Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris has just unveiled the ultimate luxury automobile - the world's only Hermès-designed, hand-built Rolls-Royce Phantom. The one-of-a-kind car was custom made to the famed hotel's specifications by Rolls-Royce in collaboration with the legendary French fashion house.

The project, which took a year to complete, was overseen by the luxury hotel's in-house Artistic Director Jeff Leatham. He first selected the car's color scheme to match the famed hotel's "personality". The team at Hermès' Interieur & Design department then conceived and created customized upholstery and accessories based on the aesthetics and rich heritage of the Four Seasons George V.

Leatham selected two tones of elegant gray for the Rolls' exterior, anthracite and titanium, and a deep rose leaf gray was chosen for the full Hermès glove-soft leather interior. Key elements such as the steering wheel and passenger consoles were finished in Hermès Taurillon Plume calfskin to complement the rest. A romantic touch was added in the form of a "starlight headliner": a canopy consisting of 800 lights on the Rolls' roof liner as a tribute to the City of Lights.



Leatham followed each step of the fabrication process from the Rolls-Royce motorworks in Goodwood, England to the ateliers of Hermès in Pantin, France. While the car was being hand-built in Goodwood, 39 of its interior parts including the door handles, steering wheel and interior consoles were shipped to France and entrusted to the expert craftsmen of Hermès. As a finishing touch, classic Hermès throws in complementary color schemes were stowed in the passenger area.

"The Hotel's goal in commissioning two of the world's most talented makers of luxury goods to collaborate on the project was to create an experience that is unsurpassed for our guests in Paris," says Christopher Norton, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel George V. ''This Rolls-Royce represents a marriage of like-minded brands that are single-mindedly focused on the very highest of standards and quality. As it is the hotel's 80th anniversary this year, it is fitting to introduce an experience that is unique in the world and only available at Four Seasons George V."

When the car was complete, five drivers were appointed by the George V and specially trained by Rolls-Royce to operate the precious vehicle. The car is available to hotel guests for airport pick-up at a rate of about $1,000, and for day trips or business in Paris, at a rate of about $5,000 per day, via the hotel's Concierge desk.

It looks very likely that in the near future Rolls fans will have the option of owning an all-electric version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Tom Purves, the Rolls-Royce CEO, has revealed that he'd not only like to build an electric Phantom but thinks it would fit in perfectly with what a lot of Rolls customers are looking for. Thanks to the technology used in the new BMW Mini-E the hard part of developing an electric engine that measures up is already done -- it's really just about refinement and tweaking a few technology details.

No word yet on when an electric Phantom can be expected but it sounds like it could be as soon as the next few years.

The legendary Italian design house of Salvatore Ferragamo will design the interiors of Trident International's new Dubai-based Pentominium (where expansive penthouses meet the convenience of condo living). The tower for which Ferragamo will design is slated to be the tallest residential building in the world at over 500 meters high. Each floor will comprise one penthouse unit, measuring a luxe 6,500 square feet and offering expansive ocean views.

The building itself will offer a Davidoff-inspired cigar lounge, rooftop observation deck, Swarovski-crystallized grand entrance, indoor pool and spa and fully functional business center. Not that you'd need to leave the tower, but if the need arises, Pentominium residents have use of a fleet of Rolls Royces and Azimut yachts. Residences are expected to be finished by 2012. Though standard units will start at $5.3 million, penthouse list prices have yet to be disclosed.

[via Baller]

Here's a classy looking clutch that has absolutely nothing in the way of ruffles, gems, or other frills. It's even a fairly rugged shade of pewter gray. The perfect nice-but-just-a-little-casual clutch to go with a favorite sweater dress or maybe nice jeans and a cute top. The Rolls Clutch by Marc Jacobs features an old-time Rolls-Royce on its foldover front with silver-studded wheels, press stud closure, zipped compartments on both the back and on the inside, and an interior fully lined in smooth brown leather. Bring a small bit of unexpected fashion statement to your next get-together. $1,095

One of the most interesting collections of vintage Rolls-Royces isn't in some U.S. millionaire's shiny garage. It's hidden in a tower among the Encartaciones mountains in Spain. Spanish website Eitb24 says that the Torre Loizaga in Galdames was once destroyed by a lightning and later rebuilt. The collection includes 43 Rolls Royces spread out over three pavilions along with 27 other makes of cars such as a a 1903 Peugeot, a 1911 Ford T, a Ferrari Testarosa, a Lamborghini Countach, two Jaguars and a 1934 Bentley in three other pavilions. The oldest car in the collection is a 104 years old "Gladiator". Check out the pictures from Flickr user jl_ibarruri who toured the place. It's definitely not your typical museum.

The Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is the basis for a privately commissioned one-off to be built by Pininfarina. The buyer/collector remains anonymous at this point, and although there aren't many details available we do know that the car will be named Hyperion (of Greek mythology) and the inspiration for the car's style will be pre-war Rolls-Royce models.

Look for the car to debut in August at Pebble Beach. Maybe then we'll get to see the who the mystery owner is? (And find out how much this baby cost!).

Okay, this doesn't seem wise: putting an enormous diamond-encrusted hood ornament on the front of your Rolls-Royce. Aren't you just asking somebody to pop it off as they run by? Well, regardless, it certainly does look sparkly and it's really just a bit of promotional bling created by a jeweler for The New York International Auto Show. It's a one-of-a-kind diamond version of the Rolls-Royce mascot designed by Manhattan jeweler Jean Kemanjian and is exclusive to Manhattan Motorcars. Called "The Spirit of Ecstasy," it measures 4"h x 2"w and consists of mostly diamonds and platinum, plus a few other rare metals. Valued at $200,000.

Via Bornrich

The oldest surviving Rolls Royce went up for auction this past Monday and sold for a record-breaking $7,275,000. Over 100 years old (built in 1904), the 10hp two-seater Rolls went to a private British collector who was obviously willing to pay more than twice the initial estimate for the vehicle -- after two phone bidders drove the price sky high. And it didn't only break the record for highest price paid for a Rolls Royce, but it also broke the record for highest price paid for any veteran (pre-1905) vehicle.

Popular televangelist Creflo Dollar is being called on the carpet again for his "prosperity gospel" which teaches that God brings riches to the faithful. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is asking whether or not churches such as the one run by Creflo Dollar and his wife Taffi really are non-profits. Dollar is just one of the televangelists asked to provide financial information to the committee.

In an interview with CBS News, Dollar addressed the widely reported claim that he has two Rolls-Royces. Dollar says he only has one Rolls-Royce and that one was purchased by donors or members of the church and that it was a surprise to him. This is not the first time Dollar has had to address the Rolls issue, nor is it the first time he has used this answer. In fact, a quick search brings up a Businessweek interview in 2005 where Dollar said the church congregation gave him the Rolls-Royce saying that they wanted him to drive the best and that he felt to turn it down would be a "a dishonor to the people that gave it to me."

Being in the drivers' seat is so passé. Sitting in the back seat, demanding that your full-time driver "step on it," bolstered by a whopping 750+ ft-lbs. of torque, is the new black.

As heavy as they are (5,000 lbs. plus, in some cases), big luxury sedans like the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Maybach 62 S haul ass to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds -- on par with the likes of the Porsche Boxster.

Absent, of course, is the driveability of similarly-priced luxury vehicles -- a 5,000 lb. luxury sedan does not an ultimate driving machine make. Instead, execs with cash are opting for off-the-line speed to get where they're going, fast, saving driving dynamics for their weekends on the track.

On that note, visit BusinessWeek's slide show of the world's fastest luxury cars, sure to get you up to speed in under 6 seconds.

[Source: Businessweek]

The world's oldest Rolls Royce, built in 1904 and only the 4th Rolls ever made, is up for sale and looking for it's 4th owner. Car 20154 still runs, and after a little tickle here and crank there "the purchaser could get in a drive it away."

The car was originally owned by Kenneth Gillies of Tain in Scotland, then after awhile it passed to Percy Binns of Harrogate (as a 21st birthday present). Binns held onto it for 30 years until Oliver Langton took it off his hands in 1950 and restored it to it's original glory.

So now the car is looking for owner #4, with bids coming in around 2 million pounds.

Simon Cowell blew some serious cash on some serious wheels recently when he had some spare time on his hands (and apparently some spare cash) due to a week off work for the Rugby World Cup. He dropped over £1,000,000 in LA on two new cars: a £750,000 Bugatti Veyron and a £400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Simon Cowell hardly seems to shy away from flash and attention, and although fast cars don't necessarily mean an ego problem (I would love to have a Veyron myself!) I think in his case they might!

Who hasn't been curious about what it is like to tool around town in a Rolls Royce Phantom. Autoblog's Alex Nunez lived the dream taking home a 2007 Phantom for a weekend. Is the Rolls worth the money? Is Alex spoiled for all other cars forever? Did women, drawn by the awesome power of this ultimate chick magnet immediately drape themselves all over the vehicle? The answer to these questions and much more is in his comprehensive review which is full of all sorts of eyecandy shots. The takeway from the review is, in Alex's words summing up the experience :"Four days later, I wasn't intimidated. I was impressed."

A prominent Texas lawyer and car collector bought up a chunk of Rolls Royce automobiles as they sat on the auction block at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance auction in California. The seller, 82 year-old Columbus developer Richard J. Solove, put 13 Rolls Royce cars up for bid to raise money for the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, as well as Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The full slate of cars went for $14.3, just under the $15 million Solove expected to fetch for them. Eight of the vehicles, including all of the Silver Ghosts on the block except for one, were bought by billionaire Houston trailawyer John O'Quinn, who came by his success in high-profile cases such as Texas' $17.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry, lawsuits against breast-implant manufacturers, and most famously (or infamously) lately, Virgie Arthur, the mother of Anna Nicole Smith's, as she fought for custody of Smith's daughter.

Along with his 1903 Ford Model A, Batmobile, and cars used by President Franklin Roosevelt and Pope John Paul II, O'Quinn plans to open a car museum in Houston in 2009.

[Source: The Columbus Dispatch]