Several BMW Models and Rolls Royce Ghost Recalled for Circuit Board that Poses a Fire Risk

With an MSRP of around $250,000, the most affordable model in Rolls-Royce's lineup, the Ghost, costs about four times as much as the top (non-M) BMW 5-Series in the States, the 550i (MSRP: $62,000).

Still, that doesn’t mean you won't find common parts in these two models, and not only, as the BMW Group's latest recall proves.

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One-Off Pininfarina Hyperion Found for Sale in Abu Dhabi Dealership

As impossible as it may seem for us mere mortals, even one-off special creations can quickly become mundane for extremely wealthy individuals.

Rolls-Royce collector Roland Hall from Britain, custom ordered the Hyperion from Pininfarina back in 2008 only to put the car up for sale a year later for €4.5 million (roughly US$6 million at today's exchange rates).

We're not aware if the car was actually sold at the time, but we re-discovered the Rolls Royce Hyperion listed for sale for an undisclosed price at an Abu Dhabi dealership.

Named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology, the convertible model was designed by Jason Castriota of former Saab fame and built by the Special Projects division of Pininfarina.

It is based on the running gear of the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe with power coming from the British model's 6.75-liter V12 engine.

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One-Off 24k Gold Rolls Royce Ghost Purple by Fenice Milano Poses a $3 Million Question: Why?

They are right to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in this instance, surely "love must be blind"…

Enter the world of Italian coachbuilder Fenice Milano, which has revealed plans to build a one-off custom Rolls Royce Ghost for an unnamed client with bottomless pockets and a gaudy sense of style.

Fenice Milano's customer was fascinated with the brand's Ghost-based Diva collection, previewed back in 2010, but wanted something a bit more glitzy.

The car will be finished in a deep purple paint job before the Italian firm customizes the exterior with a 24k gold paint and trim accents covering the hood, grille, front and rear bumper aprons, side skirts, wheels and window surrounds.

More gold can be found in the British limousine's interior, which will also be customized in terms of styling and materials to match the outside theme.

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A Street Full of Tuned Rolls Royce Phantom Limos, Coupes and Convertibles

How often do you see a street occupied by a plethora of Rolls Royce Phantom models of all sorts including the limo, the Coupe and the Drophead Coupe variants?

But wait, did we mention that all Phantoms were custom tuned? Now that's a sight you never forget.

You'd be inclined to believe that such a happening would most likely take place in Dubai, and you'd be partially right. We say partially because the street is named Dubai but it's not located in the United Arab Emirates but on the other side of the world in Tokyo, Japan.

Make your way through the jump to watch the videos.

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Project Kahn Takes it Easy with the Rolls Royce Ghost Sedan

There's nothing really wrong with the design of Rolls Royce's base model, the shape of which is aided by its smaller footprint compared to the ginormous Phantom. Which is probably why British tuner Project Kahn didn't try to mess around with the Ghost.

The only visible upgrade on the exterior is a set of massive 22-inch Kahn Silver Mist Rolls Royce alloy rims with a diamond polish to each spoke, which fill in the Ghost's wheel arches.

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Parx Super Car show 2012

INK Group presents Parx Super Car Show 2012, organized by the Super Car Club (SCC) in association with Autocar India, took off to a roaring start with excited Mumbaikars vying for a glimpse of the super cars displayed at Mahalaxmi Race Course. The auto beauties then paraded the city’s arterial streets, covering Bandra Worli Sea Link and the Western Express Highway amidst a round of applause from visitors at the show.


Gautam Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director of Raymond Ltd. and Founding Chairman of the SCC led the entourage of supercars. Trophies were handed over to the most desirable cars at the end of the show.

Valentino Balboni, former test-driver from Lamborghini was one of the guests present at the event.

The first-of-its-kind series of events in India, the Parx Super Car Show was first conceptualized and organized in April 2009 to enable auto enthusiasts and general public to view some of India’s best super cars, including multiple Ferrari 458 Italias , three Lamborghini Aventadors, Aston Martins, Numerous Porsches, the Ariel Atom, Bentleys, Rolls Royce’s, BMWs, Mercedes AMGs amongst others

Hyderabad to get Rolls Royce outlet

Affluent car buyers in Andhra Pradesh have reason to rejoice as luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce has appointed Kun Motoren Private Limited as its authorised dealer in Hyderabad. This is the third dealership in the country, after Mumbai and Delhi, as part of Rolls-Royce’s India expansion plans. The company will set up an all-new showroom that will be operational by the middle of 2012. Kun Motoren Limited has been in Hyderabad for over a decade now and also has a BMW dealership under its belt.

This isn’t the first major connection that the luxury carmaker has had with the city of Hyderabad though. The Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Khan Siddiqi Asaf Jah VII, who ruled the city until Independence, reportedly purchased over 50 Rolls-Royce motor cars in his lifetime.

Herfried Hasenoehrl, Head of Business Development, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, added, “We have made no secret of our ambitions for a region central to the rich heritage of the brand. Kun has the proven track record in automotive retailing that we seek in all our dealership partners. This experience, combined with their reputation in the local marketplace, makes them the perfect partner for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Hyderabad.”

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase will also be making its debut in Andhra Pradesh.

Rolls Royce Ghost EWB review, test drive

Rolls-Royce is going the extra length to make the successful Ghost an even bigger success. We give you the big picture.

The traffic light to turn left is green. But the lane is choked by Mumbai’s impatient traffic wanting to turn right. There just might be place to squeeze through but I don’t want to be the one to scratch a Rolls, so I wait patiently for the light to change. A traffic police officer sees the car and gets the traffic to clear the lane to let us pass.

As the errant bikers and cabbies make way for us, the policeman peers into the rear seat where our photographer Ashley is cosily ensconced. The cop’s eyes battle to recognise him – must obviously be a VIP – lording over the back seat.

Yes, when you are in a Rolls-Royce, you are a VIP, even if you are just a poor journalist. People expect either an Amitabh Bachchan or a Vijay Mallya to be gracing the car. So the excitement of spotting a Rolls is as much as the excitement of finding out who the person travelling in the car is.

So India’s super-rich now have a new car to add to their garage. In this stratosphere, big numbers is big business. Speed, performance, size and even the sticker price – the bigger the vital statistics, the bigger the bragging rights. And in this world, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase (EWB) comes with all the right credentials.

The EWB version is 170mm longer than the standard Ghost, the rear legroom has been increased from 1075mm to 1245mm and the car has gained 30kg in weight. But you can’t tell the EWB from the standard Ghost unless you put them side by side. The extra 170mm has been absorbed into the design without disturbing the Ghost’s elegant proportions.

So how do car buffs tell a standard Ghost from an EWB? First look at the doors. The rear door is slightly longer, by 35mm to be precise, than the front. The EWB also gets smaller door mirrors because there were complaints about the earlier ones being too big. And the wheels are a different design.

It’s on the inside that the difference is much more apparent. The EWB Ghost offers more legroom than the more expensive, standard Phantom. The fact that the Ghost EWB costs much less than the Phantom actually makes it more value for money, if you can call a Rolls that. Standard on the EWB are some things that you have to pay extra for in a normal Ghost, like the panoramic sunroof, theatre configuration comprising two individual nine-inch TV screens, polished wood
table and the lambswool rugs. The car offers everything the pampered plutocrat would want. Only the more expensive Phantom beats this in giving you a sense of seclusion and isolation from the outside world.

So what is it like to drive? This is a question of purely academic interest, since in India the only person who drives a Rolls is the chauffeur. And if you are wearing a suit and tie, you are definitely the chauffeur. But the Ghost has been billed as a driver’s Rolls-Royce. How much of the Ghost’s ‘driving dynamics’, if you can use the term for a Roller, have been impacted by the extra 170mm and 30kg?

There are no changes to the Ghost’s drivetrain or chassis. It’s the same 563bhp 6592cc twin-turbo V12 driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed auto and air suspension with electronically adaptive damping.

The 170mm extra length hardly makes any difference to what is already a big car. And even the extra weight has not dimmed the driving experience. For such a large and heavy car, the Ghost is capable of phenomenal acceleration when called upon. This 2420kg car will hit 100kph in 5.0 seconds! It is deceptively rapid, and you have to keep an eye on the speedo to tell how quickly you are covering the continent. Rollers are not built to be chucked around corners with their wheels smoking and tail hanging out, and the Ghost is no exception. But keep things neat and tidy behind the wheel and the Ghost will respond with surprisingly swift and tidy transitions around the bends. It’s good enough to give the chauffeur the day off.

The Ghost has been a runaway success for Rolls-Royce. Last year it sold 2,200 of them. And with the Ghost EWB, Rolls is all set to better that figure.

So what’s next? How long before the folks at Goodwood roll out a line of body styles like the Phantom? So when Rolls does launch the Ghost Drophead and the Ghost Coupé, we will be thereto bring it to you. 

Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 3.05 crore (ex-showroom, India)

Engine

Installation	Front, longitudinal
Type	V12, 6592cc, twin-turbo, petrol
Bore/stroke	89.0/88.3mm
Power	563bhp at 5250rpm
Torque	79.53kgm at 1500rpm

Transmission

Gearbox

8-speed automatic

Dimensions

Length	5569mm
Width	1948mm
Height	1550mm
Wheel base	3465mm
Boot volume	490 litres