Stunning and Graceful are its Middle NamesOn the surface, Rolls-Royce has been rather stagnant. Since
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| The 100EX Convertible is just so Hollywood chic. (Photo: Rolls Royce Motor Cars) |
the Phantom's introduction in 2002, the brand hasn't brought out a single new car, unless you count the long-wheelbase version of the same sedan. But don't let the brand's current state confuse, because deep within the British countryside, the company is very active; its heart healthily ticking away to a completely different beat, mind you.
You see, between selling off a considerable portion of Rolls-Royce's aircraft motor group and currently tarring and feathering the Maybach brand for top honours as the world's most opulent sedan, they're busy expanding the range.
Everyone
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| Roof up, or down, the 100EX looks fantastic. (Photo: Rolls Royce Motor Cars) |
remembers the 100EX; it would be a difficult task to push this opulent four-door convertible out of your long-term memory bank. When it debuted exactly two years ago, all jaws assumed position on the nearest horizontal surface. No one expected that Rolls-Royce could come up with a vehicle so classic, yet contemporary at the same time. It had all the standard appointments of the Phantom, such as its dashboard and a reworked version of its squared bodywork, but featured wooden veneer flooring, inspired by '30s speedboats, and a V16 engine. The 100EX is so very Hollywood; one glance and you can just see a blonde-haired Marilyn Monroe-type behind the wheel in an elegant cocktail dress, wafting down star-lit streets.
Naturally, after all the attention that the 100EX received in the
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| Rolls' Geneva Star should have audiences seeing stars. (Photo: Rolls Royce Motor Cars) |
days, months and years following its Geneva introduction, that it would move from the concept shelf to the production line, and Rolls-Royce is steadily making progress. The vehicle, complete with soft-top roof, has already been spied while out on testing runs. Natural progression would suggest that after going through the effort to create a convertible, to capitalize on all the work and labour, Rolls would turn the 100EX drophead into a fixed head coupe. So, that's exactly what the luxury marque of luxury marque's has done to create this, the 101EX, its star for this year's Geneva Motor Show.
The
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| 101EX is the baby of the bunch. But that's all relative. (Photo: Rolls Royce Motor Cars) |
101EX starts out on an aluminum spaceframe chassis, the same, technologically advanced skeleton that the 100EX and production Phantom use. For this one-off super coupe concept, Rolls-Royce has removed 250 mm (9.8 inches) between the car's wheels, resulting in a vehicle that's some 240 mm (9.4 inches) shorter than the full-fat, four-door Phantom, making it the smallest Rolls-Royce based on the BMW-designed chassis. At the same time, the 101EX features greater rake to its windshield, combined with a high window line and low roof to create a more flowing, wind-shaped look, making the car lower, and sleeker than the standard Phantom sedan. With all dimensions having been changed, every single panel that clothes the aluminum-intensive frame is fundamentally different than the four-door production car.
