Anything but Ordinary: Jeremy Westerlund’s Rolls-Royce Apparition

In my opinion, über-luxury sedans are a little bit staid. Yes, from an engineering standpoint they are all very impressive and the technology incorporated into them is often state-of-the-art. You have to admit, though, that very few of us would drool over a Maybach the way you’d drool over a Lamborghini. Even the unshakable Rolls-Royce Phantom, the last word in personal luxury, is a little...well, dull.

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.

Clever design features abound, like the spare wheel secreted into the bodywork at the front like 1930s Rollers, an open cockpit for the driver and the twin rear windows that mirror the shape of the headlights. It’s like something out of a science fiction film, and a heck of a lot more interesting than some of the so-called concept cars Rolls-Royce has show in the past five years.

Though don’t take my word for it. Voice your own opinion in the comments section below. Is Westerlund’s Apparition a styling triumph or a design disaster?

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Jeremy Westerlund via Autoblog

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Rolls Royce 200EX: Baby Rolls to get New 6.6-Liter V12 Turbo with over 500HP

Rolls-Royce CEO, Tom Purves announced new details on the firm's forthcoming entry-level 'baby' sedan that was previewed in Geneva in early March as the near-production 200EX concept, at a press conference in New York where the car is currently being shown to potential customers on the first leg of a world tour. Codenamed PR4, the four-door luxury sedan will be powered by a brand new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine unique to Rolls-Royce delivering an output in excess of 507 horsepower.

The new V12 engine that is also said to find its way under the bonnet of the latest generation BMW 7-Series, will be matted to an 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox. The British firm claims that the new drive-train will significantly improve fuel and CO2 efficiency over the larger Phantom series of cars.

Speaking at the event, Tom Purves said, "There has been a great deal of interest in this car since we first talked about producing a new model series in the autumn of 2006 and the reaction 200EX received at its unveiling at Geneva was very positive. As we move another step closer to the start of production at Goodwood, it is exciting to be able to share some of the specific technical details with customers and the media."

"The RR4 will deliver an authentic Rolls-Royce experience to owners, so expect peerless comfort and build quality. However, we have consciously engineered this car to be more involving and dynamic for those owners around the world that will wish to drive it themselves," he concluded.

The production version of the 200EX concept will be officially revealed at this September's Frankfurt Show with sales commencing in early 2010.