1980 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Ii Base Sedan 4-door 6.7l on 2040-cars

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Is your brain predisposed to make you love Rolls-Royce?

XCAR has taken a look at what could very well be one of the most quintessential British cars ever built: the 1973 Rolls-Royce Corniche. The question at hand is whether or not expensive luxury items like artisan foods, designer clothing and yes, high-end automobiles are worth their monetary cost. Do they bring some undefined additional value to the table over their low-buck counterparts, or are they simply an excellent way to part a fool from his dollar bills? While the video below can't comment on four-course meals or $400 jeans, our valiant host does have a word or two on the joy a Rolls-Royce can bring to your life.
That's even true of a model like the '73 Corniche. Built during one of the darker days of the company's history, the convertible was designed and manufactured by an automaker on the verge of collapse. Still, it manages to hold on to that essential spirit of luxury so crucial to the Rolls-Royce brand. Check out the video below to see what we mean.

Ghost Coupe to be fastest Rolls-Royce ever

Autocar has snapped spy shots of a Rolls-Royce Ghost Coupe, and judging from proportions the car will be so long in front and raked in back that it would make Dick Tracy whistle. We'll get the true story on that at next year's Geneva Motor Show, which is when Autocar says it's due to be revealed, but what's less in question is this: with a 6.6-liter, 600-horsepower V12 and a tauter ride it will be the fastest Rolls-Royce ever.
Weight is estimated to drop by 200 kg compared to its sedan sibling, and its roofline to drop by up to nearly three inches. If the horsepower numbers are correct the shorter and lighter Ghost coupe, with a 69-hp bump over the sedan, will assuredly deliver the "considerably brisker" acceleration promised. Helping matters will be the lowered chassis, larger tires, "mildly sports-orientated" brakes and a suspension tuned to be more aggressive but delivering just as much waftability.
Although it's being called the Ghost Coupe for now, insiders have suggested to the magazine that that it will get its own, bespoke, name, with pricing above the standard sedan but below the extended-wheelbase sedan.

BMW bringing 9 Series concept to Beijing

It appears that BMW is ready to take another step upmarket with a new concept flagship luxury sedan at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. The showcar is said to preview the company's rumored 9 Series, a sedan that would be positioned against top trims of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, like the rumored S600 Maybach.
According to Automotive News Europe, the concept sedan wears styling language adapted from the curvaceous BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe (pictured above) shown at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance in May. It rides on BMW's new, modular platform - codenamed G11 - for the company's largest cars, an architecture also expected to be shared with the next 7 Series and future Rolls-Royce vehicles. It's rumored to bring the weight of the 7 closer to the 5 Series, which would be several hundred pounds lighter when comparing the base models of both current vehicles. We spotted the next-gen 7 Series testing over a year ago, and both it and the 9 Series are expected to go on sale in 2016.
Unfortunately, at the moment there is no official information about the concept. "We don't have any official news yet on anything in Beijing," Julian Arguelles, BMW USA spokesperson, tells Autoblog. However, it's heartening to think that BMW might be adapting the gorgeous shape of the Gran Lusso for production.