German Car Zone

Amazing, BMW would consider such a car for Rolls-Royce. A low-volume, big bucks supercar, yet won't do a much less expensive one for BMW. A Roll-Royce sports car is BS. I can't believe I'm reading this. Rolls thinking about making a sports cars, a 5 million dollar, overpriced, irrelevant beast, yet it doesn't make "sense" for BMW to build one along the lines of the R8 or 911? BS, BS, BS.


Anyway can't wait to see this Aston-Martin.

M

Far as high-end halo cars are concerned, I don't think you can fault BMW for their timing - deliberate or not. Right now Lexus and possibly Acura are gearing up to debut their LF-A and new NSX. With major economic headwinds in the states, and relatively small marketshare overseas, both of these cars will face major challenges upon their debut.

It's easy to look the absense of a BMW megacar and see a glaring gap, but you have to stop and consider how many new products have worked their way into the range just over the past 5 years. You got the X3, the 6er, the X6 and the 1er with all of its hatch, coupe and cabrio configurations. That's lots of product!

So, looking down the product roadmap that was set into motion years and years ago, it looks like BMW couldn't have gotten their timing better - though I suppose you could chalk up the X6 as slight misstep, gas prices being what they are. I haven't heard about how sales are doing. Anyways, if BMW is poised to unleash something big 4 or 5 years from now, it'll probably be the right time from a consumer readiness point of view.

As for the Astin Martin... it's anything but a "Veyron Chaser!" I think we'll have to wait for an entirely different automotive epoch before a car comes along that can legitimately put the screws to the Bugatti. Sure, there will always be some lightweight kit-car that gets close, but when will we see a real contender? It'll be another manhattan project, that's for sure.

True.

Yes, this is correct but we should acknowledge that the definition of prestige and luxury has shifted a lot since the post war days when multi-millionaires were invariably chauffeured around in Gothic Cathedrals (otherwise known as the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith and Phantom V).

When BMW acquired Rolls-Royce they didn't really gain a car maker so much as an abstract concept -- an idea (much the same can be said of VWAG's acquisition of Bugatti). This does allow them some freedom to adapt Rolls-Royce to new contexts of high prestige and luxury.

It does seem a bit odd to me too -- but Rolls-Royce (as an abstract concept of elite prestige) has so much cachet and metaphysical power in the global culture, it is not an entirely unbelievable idea. The supercar market is the ultimate prestige market afterall -- far more so than limousines -- it does make some sense that BMW would possibly like to exploit the power of the Rolls-Royce brand in that arena.

A BMW supercar and now even a BMW CSL is a complete waste of money & efforts and yet they consider such a car ?

I think you're absolutely correct - if there's one brand on the planet that has carte blanche to go out on a limb it's Rolls Royce. Heck - you could argue that the world at large is begging to see the brand expand into uncharted territories of ridiculous luxury.

The way I see it, Rolls is to cars what the Royal Family is to England. It's a myth that we all love to believe in together - an anachronistic concept of supreme transportation and status just as the royals represent the bygone days of blue-blooded elite.

Given all that, BMW has been keen to dance a fine line as custodians of the Rolls name. I think they've managed to push the threshold of credibility without ever going so far as to lose the authentic British mystique that surrounds the brand. As stands, the Phaeton & Drophead are like classy, handcrafted wristwatches that are 10mm too large. They're undeniably fine specimins, but the level of ostentation is just a tick over the line and blows their cover as "planned" products, as opposed to intrinsically surpurb products that speak for themselves.

Right now, in 2008, it's hard to draw a line that would connect the Rolls pedigree with an agressive, high-performance sports car. On the other hand, I believe that the stage will be set about 8 - 10 years down the road for some kind of Rolls supercar to become a reality. At this moment, it wouldn't be a good idea both for the health of the Rolls name, and because the Veyron already fills the role as the penultimate creature of the roadway. It's hard to imagine the Rolls not competing with Bugatti on some level, and I don't think BMW is keen on going down that road right now.

Very astute points Josh.

Eg. nobody said it would be a mid-engine car. I can imagine a re-worked CS chassis with some extra pumped-up V12 bi-turbo, with KERS hybrid tech.

And for 5 million Euros per piece it could be built of CF exclusively.

I can't see the car being design & developed from scratch like Veyron was - with exclusive chassis, gearbox, engine etc. There will be much BMW "donor parts" in it if ever built. Think of Phantom: much of BMW tech is used there. The RR super car won't be any different.

And as said: it's only an idea for now. Considering the global economic situation I'm sure the project will be put on ice - till new economic boom occurs.

I don't think the global economic situation has any bearing on RR.

From Global sales: July 2008 : BMW, MB, Audi thread (Global sales: July 2008 : BMW, MB, Audi)

Rolls-Royce: 102 (+22.9%) ... YTD 597 (+58.4%)

Mind 2 (!) additional models are on sale: Drophead & Coupe. It's logical the sales will be higher.

Rolls Royce sport car - I imagine this car to be something like sportier version of Continental GT/ Mercedes CL, of course a step above them. Not really a true Veyron competitor..

In that case you can't charge 5 million € for ''half Rolls half BMW''..Just the price doesn't make a car immediately exclusive IMO.