Rolls-Royce Covered in Black Velvet

High-end supercars are known to have lavish features, and this Rolls-Royce is no exception.

The car, a Phantom Drophead coupe, is entirely wrapped in thousands of pounds of black velvet. It was spotted outside of Harrods in central London, where it attracted both the eyes and hands of passers-by.

The velvet wrap is one of the latest trends in luxury-car customization, an estimated $470,000, and comes in a range of colors – like fuchsia pink and orange – offering an alternative to “traditional” paintwork.

The fiber is durable and coated with special adhesives to withstand severe weather conditions. The material has a lifespan of about three years, and can be easily removed by professionals to restore the car to its original production state. It can be cleaned by hand or using a normal jet wash without requiring any special products.

For more information regarding purchasing a Rolls-Royce, or other luxury vehicles, contact Sonny Morgan at 512.401.4607 through Late European or sonny@lateeuro.com.

Rolls-Royce White Glove Program

About a century ago, when Rolls-Royce began to acquire its first-rate reputation, customers had an easier time getting their cars than getting quality drivers. That’s when Rolls-Royce began training drivers to handle its cars.

 

The company resurrected the practice with the White Glove program, led by Andi McCann, the head instructor and chief White Glove driver, which provides driver training for Rolls-Royce owners.

 

“A Rolls-Royce is a splendid piece of art,” said McCann. “It is a monument of brilliant engineering. The driver is the weak link.”

 

The training program consists of two courses: paramilitary security course or an elegant basic driving curriculum. Both courses cover standard operating principles.

 

Those that attend the courses usually work for a single owner or often for a hotel fleet. In these courses drivers are taught what kinds of shoes to wear, preparing the interior of the car, maintaining passenger privacy and overall Rolls-Royce rules of thumb.

 

“The first rule: We never cross the Spirit,” said McCann in regards to the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. “We never walk in front of the car, and we never walk in front of the passenger.”

 

Purchase your own Rolls-Royce by contacting Sonny Morgan at 512.401.4607 through Late European or sonny@lateeuro.com.

The GT3-R: Bentley’s Fastest Car Ever

A derivative of the GT3 racecar, Bentley’s new limited edition GT3-R will make its North American debut this week.  Forbes Review of GT3-R

 

“Bentley has a very strong racing heritage,” said CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer. “Which makes this 2.4 ton vehicle a highly relevant addition to the brand’s collection. With two seats and the ability to go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds, this isn’t your average over-sized touring Bentley.”

 

Looking in the racing history books, records show that Bentley Motors won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930. Now the company is working on their comeback to the prestigious world of racing. And the release of this $337,000 GT3-R will certainly put them on track for this goal.

 

 

This new Bentley model is a cross between a racecar and a touring vehicle, with a 4.0-liter twin turbocharged V8 engine, 572 brake horsepower, and 518 pound-feet of torque. The car’s front wheels feature 16.5-inch carbon ceramic brakes–the biggest on any production car in the world, which can absorb 10 megajoules of energy in one stop.

 

Power and performance aside, the look and design of this GT3-R is also racing inspired. The body is made from steel and aluminum, with a carbon fiber front splitter and rear wing. The bonnet also includes racecar style cooling vents and black finished 21-inch wheels.

Bentley is only manufacturing 300 of these cars, which operate on 13 mpg of gasoline. Their gas mileage might be less than ideal and the design and color customization is not even an option, but Bentley notes that the GT3-R is more of a collector’s item than a practical touring vehicle.

A Rolls-Royce Wraith for the Holidays

The Holidays are just around the corner, and so is Rolls-Royce’s most powerful car for the 2015 model year. What better way to kick-off the New Year than with a car named after the spirit of the night, the 2015 Rolls-Royce Wraith.

The Wraith is a perfectly proportioned four-seater fastback the glides effortlessly down any street. Its 624 HP twin-turbo V-12 is the most powerful engine ever used in a Rolls-Royce. This ultra-powerful engine is capable of propelling the 2.5 ton car to 60mph in less than 4.5 seconds, making it the fastest Rolls in existence.

No modern holiday gift is complete without the technological-bells-and-whistles. The Wraith’s GPS navigation uses data from the stability control sensors to read the road, then shifts gears for optimized handling on the next corner or straight-away. Infrared cameras in the front bodywork can also scan the nighttime asphalt, projecting thermal images of joggers and animals on the dash-mounted LCD screen.

Say goodbye to starry nights and hello to the Wraith’s headliner. Containing 1,340 fiber-optic lamps woven into the fabric, the ceiling ensures a summer sky overhead even in the cloudiest of nights. Crank up the holiday music on the 18-speaker, 1300-watt audio system which can reproduce even the subtlest sounds of sleigh bells ringing.  

The only thing missing with this Wraith is wrapping paper, a big red bow and Santa himself!

For more information regarding purchasing this Rolls-Royce, or other luxury vehicles, contact Sonny Morgan at 512.401.4607 through Late European or sonny@lateeuro.com.

Tesla’s Simon Sproule named Aston Martin CMO

Simon Sproule has spent more than 25 years in the automotive world. The former vice president of communications for Tesla Motors is now serving as chief marketing officer at Aston Martin.

Sproule is reunited with his former colleague from Nissian, Andy Palmer, who is now the new CEO at Aston Martin. Until early 2014, Sproule had been chief spokesman for Nissan while Palmer, who left Nissan last month to lead Aston Martin, was the company’s chief planning officer.

Aston Martin hasn’t had a senior level marketing executive since Michael van der Sande left as chief commercial officer last year. Like Sproule, van der Sande joined Aston Martin from Tesla, where he had been senior vice president for sales, marketing and service until 2009.

Sproule will relocate from Palo Alto, California, to England next month where he will lead the global marketing and communications. He started his official role on November 1.

Aston Martin also announced that brand communications director Janette Green would take on the role of director of Palmer's office.

Aston Martin isn’t Skidding Around

Aston Martin sports car drivers are demanding something unique from modern luxury vehicles – they want the chance to lose control.

What this translates to for the British manufacturer is making sure consumers can easily turn off certain systems. For example, turning off the electronic stability programs that keep cars from skidding on wet roads.

“Our customers want to feel the road,” said Jeffrey Scott, head of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.’s European operations. “More electronic-assistance programs are coming. But you have to be able to switch them off as well.”

While other luxury manufacturers are developing features to make vehicles more comfortable and safe, the real enthusiasts of high-end sports cars want less technology to interfere with their driving experience. “Aston Martin buyers enjoy a dynamic, active driving experience,” elaborated Scott.

He further explains that many Aston Martin customers own four or five additional cars for everyday use. This means they already have the vehicles that get them from point A to B and back again, but what they desire in this car is control, or the lack there of.

If you are interested in purchasing an Aston Martin, contact Sonny Morgan at 512.401.4607 through Late European or sonny@lateeuro.com.

Aston Martin’s New CEO

Aston Martin has named a new CEO, Andy Palmer, who was the former Nissan chief planning officer and executive vice president. Palmer’s new role will see him assume operational responsibility for all aspects of the business through the company’s next phase of technology and product creation.

Palmer, who has 35 years of experience in the automotive industry, was named as the automotive industry’s most influential British executive by Auto Express in 2012 and named the world’s third most influential chief marketing officer in 2013. He is taking over Aston Martin after Ulrich Bez, a German national, left the position at the end of 2013.

“We’re delighted that Andy will join us as our new CEO during this important time for Aston Martin,” said the shareholder board of Aston Martin. “Andy’s wealth of experience on the global automotive stage in marketing and sales, engineering and technology, and luxury and brand management will be instrumental in taking the company forward through its most significant and ambitious period of investment to date.”

The arrival of a new CEO is only the beginning for Aston Martin’s exciting plans. Starting in 2016, a brand new Aston Martin DB9 will be launched which will kick-start a selection of new models. Following the next-generation DB9, all Aston Martins will be AMG powered and use electrical infrastructures borrowed from AMG.