This June, a total of 165,855 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars were delivered, an increase of 15.9% compared to the same month in 2010 (143,156 units) and also a new record for the Group. BMW sold 134,432 cars (+12.3%) and Mini 31,111 (+34.1%).
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The consequences of this action are easy to imagine: the 420-horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque RR engine drives the rear wheels, turning the MINI into a 4WD monster. Managing to drive the car is a major achievement, since the driver needs to balance the conventional controls with the separate levers that command the jet engine.
As you are about to see, the speed and the acceleration of this little rocket are mind-blowing. As is the noise coming from the turbine engine. Watch the videos after the break.
So when a student designer like Jeremy Westerlund comes along with a design as interesting and unique as the Rolls Royce Apparition, all you can do is stare. Here is a personal limousine that, if it were built, would be 23 feet long. A car that features yacht-like styling and mahogany inserts on the wheels.
Notice that this is the same car below, same licence plates.
Rebodied in 1947 by Labourdette of Paris, this Phantom III was the designer's last and arguably most daring work. It was commissioned by the flamboyant Louis Ritter who let Labourdette go all out, so much so, the body alone cost $44 000 which made it one of the most expensive of its time- equal to around $375 000 in 2003
After it was transformed into Labourdette’s creation, the car was sold off to different owners, including a New York plastic surgeon, a drug dealer who ended up in a Cuban prison and even S. Mars, possibly of the candy empire. In the winter of 2005 John W. Rich of Pottsville, Pennsylvania purchased the car for his extensive collection.
this car was at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours
read about http://www.supercars.net/cars/3606.html
photos from http://www.tuningforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=78130 via http://stipistop.com/
Obviously a firm believer in the doctrine 'the gaudier the better', Mansory came up with a wild gold-on-blue paint job that sets the Ghost apart not only from its stock brethren but probably from anything on four wheels.
Mansory's motto for its latest creation is "Unlimited Luxury in a Golden Robe". That translates to a blue colored body finish and more decorative gold (or gold paint, we're not sure) than you would find at a Mr. T lookalike convention in Las Vegas.
The package also includes an aero kit with side skirts, new front bumper with additional LED lights and side air vents, a boot lid spoiler and a rear apron with an integrated diffuser that houses unique tail pipes.
The car is fitted with 22-inch alloy rims shod with low-profile rubber from Dunlop (265/30 R22 at the front and 295/30 R22 at the back).
There are no teaser pictures or sketches of the interior, but Mansory claims that it has refined the cabin with special leathers, diamond-quilted ornaments, ultra-suede lining from the roof line to the dashboard and carbon fiber trim.
Under the bonnet, Mansory's tuners performed several upgrades including enlarged bi-turbochargers, recalibrated ECU, a new exhaust system boosting the 6.6-liter V12 engine's output from 570HP and 780Nm to a whopping 720HP and 1,020Nm or 752 lb-ft of peak torque.
The extra power shaves half-a-second off the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint with Mansory's Rolls Royce Ghost completing the task in just 4.4 seconds while the removal of the electronic speed limited allows the car to reach a maximum velocity of 310km/h or 193 mph.
We'll have more on Mansory's Rolls Royce Ghost after its official presentation at the Geneva Show next week.
The Rolls Royce Coupe, nicknamed "The Black Ruby", is something like bad taste Batmobile meets Nissan 350Z after crashing out with a Maybach Exelero.
According to the seller, the Rolls Royce-based model that comes complete with Ferrari Enzo-style doors, was originally created by the Indian-based designing firm for a Maharajah for his private collection. More photos after the break.
Thanks to Christopher for the tip! - Link: Sparkscars
