I think it has to a certain extend to do with the perception that anything British has to look archaic and not modern (another case in point the new Jag S type, which many, including myself consider not to be "British").

May be (and just may be), it will work the other way around, and Rolls and now Jaguar discarding the old school looks and going modern will bootstrap people's perception of what is "British" and bring it to the correct century.