Brenner’s on the Bayou will host its annual Fall Wine Fest Saturday, October 15, 2022, providing Houstonians the opportunity to sample a wide variety of award-winning wines.
Enjoy entertainment featuring eclectic wines, delicious chef-crafted bites, live music, and much more along the picturesque Buffalo Bayou; the Wine Fest is the perfect way to celebrate the taste of the grape in one of Houston’s most scenic settings!
Limited tickets are available, so get yours today! The event is held rain or shine. Must be 21 years of age and present valid ID. NO children will be allowed to enter. Visit here to purchase tickets online or visit https://www.brennersfest.com/ for more details.
Ever since the Veyron was introduced in 2005, the W16 engine has been the beating heart of every Bugatti. The roadgoing car that brings the W16 era to an end was always destined to be special: exclusive, elegant and powerful. It must be the very best of its kind. This is W16 Mistral: the ultimate roadster.
During this past week’s Monterey Car Week, Bugatti introduced this latest masterpiece to dealers, clients and the world.
Mate Rimac, Bugatti Rimac CEO, said: “For the final roadgoing appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster. Well over 40% of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design, establishing a long lineage of performance icons that – to this day – are revered the world over. In the Chiron1 era there had, to-date, been no roadster, so the introduction of W16 Mistral2 continues this legacy, driven by enormous demand from our clients for an all-new way to experience the mighty performance of our iconic engine. The W16 Mistral opens the next chapter in the Bugatti roadster story, inspired by over a century of open top legends.”
For a car as evocative and important as this, great consideration went into the badge it should wear. Far more than simply a development of the Chiron, the roadster needed a name associated with freedom, elegance and speed. Inspiration came from the mistral, a powerful wind that blows from the Rhône River valley, through the chic towns of the Côte d’Azur in southern France and into the Mediterranean. And with the engine so central to this roadster’s character, it stands side-by-side with this mighty wind: W16 Mistral.
Only 99 examples of the W16 Mistral will be built, priced at 5 million euros net, with deliveries due to begin in 2024. The entire production run of W16 Mistral is already sold out. Texas will receive one of these.
For questions or details, please contact our Bugatti Brand Manager Max Malikov.
The Batur is a showcase of a new design DNA that will ultimately guide the design of our future range of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).
The Batur is the most powerful Bentley yet, with a 740+ PS version of the iconic, hand-assembled 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine. Engine performance is matched to the most advanced Bentley chassis ever, with Speed-tuned air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, eLSD, four-wheel steering and torque vectoring.
When creating the Batur, the design team reimagined the Bentley design language, keeping some continuity with the past and present while also drastically changing key elements.
A new interpretation of the classic Bentley power line sees the line stretch from the bonnet along the whole length of the car, creating an ‘endless bonnet’. Meanwhile, the visual mass of the car is moved rearwards, further adding depth to the haunches.
At the front of the car, the famous Bentley grille is now lower and more upright, giving a stronger face and a more dominant stance. This is complemented by a new headlight shape and design that are matched with all-new tail-lamps at the rear that sit either side of a deployable spoiler.
Overall, the form is cleaner and simplified, with curvaceous surfaces bisected in the right places to reflect light and dark and bring more muscle to the design.
The collection of just 18 series examples of the Batur is the latest project by Mulliner, and succeeds the Bacalar. Like its predecessor, the Batur is named after a beautiful natural body of water. Lake Batur is an 88m deep, 16 km2 crater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia, and provides nutrient-rich water to both local hot springs and agriculture.
Bentley Houston is thrilled to announce that Bentley is bringing contrast and depth to its Continental GT family with the launch of a new S range, focused on driving performance and visual presence. Through a multitude of enhancements to the exterior design, interior specification and dynamic system, the new S range adjust the Bentley grand touring recipe to center on the pleasure of driving – an opposing yet complementary emphasis to the “Wellbeing behind the Wheel” concept of the recent, comfort-centric Azure range launch.
Owners of Bentley’s two-door models have long appreciated the breadth of choice available to them, from the towering performance of the 6.0-litre W12 Continental GT Speed to the characterful beat of the 4.0-litre Continental GT V8. Now, with the arrival of the Continental GT and GTC S, owners can choose to emphasize the sporting character of the 4.0-litre V8-powered Bentley Continental GT, thanks to a package of performance-focused design and engineering features.
Agile and Exhilarating
The new S range retains the 542 bhp (550 PS) and 770 Nm 4.0-litre V8 engine that’s proved incredibly popular with customers around the world, delivering a time of just 4.0 seconds for 0-100 km/h (62 mph). For the GT and GTC S, the engine is enhanced by the fitment as standard of a Sports Exhaust to amplify the cross-plane V8 beat.
The eager, free-revving and lighter 4.0-litre V8 engine give the Continental GT S models a responsive and agile character, and this is amplified by Bentley Dynamic Ride – the advanced 48V electric active anti-roll control system first pioneered by Bentley. By generating up 1300 Nm in 0.3 seconds, motors within the anti-roll bars actively compensate for cornering forces to minimize body roll under hard cornering while also improving ride comfort at cruising speeds by decoupling the left- and right-hand wheels from each other.
Exterior Design: Assertive and Purposeful
From the black gloss radiator grille and black brightware to distinctive S badging on the front fenders, the new S models make an instant and dramatic impact. Headlamps and rear lights are dark tinted, while all exterior brightware is specified in gloss black – with only the winged Bentley badge and lettering being finished in bright chrome. Gloss black wing build on the darker exterior look. The effect of these features is dramatic, giving the GT and GT S a more assertive stance regardless of the limitless choice of exterior colors they’re paired with.
The S range is offered with an all-new 22” wheel option, with five Y-shaped spokes finished in gloss black and also available in a new Pale Brodgar Satin finish. Red-painted brake calipers sit behind the wheels to provide a perfect sporting contrast.
A second wheel option for the S models is a 21” tri-spoke wheel design that combines gloss black and bright machined finishes – also unique to S.
Finishing touches for the exterior include S badging on the front fenders, quad exhaust tailpipes (in black, naturally) and sill extenders in black as featured on the Continental GT Speed.
Interior Design: Tactile, Dramatic and Individual
Complementing the dynamic and purposeful exterior design is an interior that’s striking and performance-focused, with a two-tone color split that’s unique to the S models.
In the early days of Bentley, competitors at Brooklands and Le Mans would wrap steering wheels in cord for extra cushioning and a more secure grip. Today’s sporting Bentley drivers are rather better served, with the suede-like properties of Dinamica proving ideal for the steering wheel, gear lever, seat cushion and seat backrest of the Continental GT and GTC S range. Leather hide is employed on the seat bolsters, door pads, along the instrument panel and around the console. The pairing of Dinamica with Bentley’s incomparable leather brings an interior that offers the tactile contrast of smooth hide and the soft napped finish of Dinamica.
Driver instrumentation continues the sporting theme with the same performance-focused graphics as the Continental GT Speed. The S design seats are fluted, with quilting available as an option, and the ‘S’ emblem is embroidered on the headrest of each seat; embroidered Bentley wings are a no-cost alternative. Finishing touches include a metal S signature badge on the fascia and illuminated Bentley treadplates with the ‘S’ device replacing the Bentley Motors Ltd plaque.
Customer Choice – Sports and Wellness in Differing Blends
The combination of striking design, performance and agility gives the Continental GT S and Continental GTC S strong appeal for all those who love powerful, extrovert performance cars. With the recent launch of the wellness-focused Azure range alongside the S models, Bentley is providing customers with easier ways to choose the emphasis of their Bentley – centering on either onboard comfort and wellbeing through Azure, or dynamic performance and visual presence through the S and Speed options.
Contact Bentley Houston today for more details on ordering and building your very own Continental GT S.
Saturday, May 21, 2022, The Post Oak Collection and Post Oak Motor Cars kicked off Motor Mornings, taking over the luxurious property of The Post Oak Hotel.
Supercar owners rolled in bright and early and were treated to an Owner’s Only VIP Lounge inside of the newly opened Stella’s Wine Bar. Our partners at Blue Jack National were the lounge sponsors and spoiled our owners with breakfast and mimosas throughout the morning.
Outside, supercar fans were also treated with the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of Houston’s finest selection of hypercars and supercars around. On display were not one but two Bugatti Chiron’s, Ferrari Monza SP2, Pagani Huayra, Ford GT, Lamborghini Aventador SVJs, and the Hennessey Performance Venom F5, plus a wide range of other amazing supercars from Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes and more.
Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include ‘light-touch’ visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback.
Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime, ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty, and luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.
The eighth generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In creating the new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.
A NEW EXPRESSION
The most obvious and important feature to be retained is Phantom’s commanding presence. This has been further enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille. This gives Phantom new and assertive modernity, reflecting its driver-focused character.
A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent when viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature debuted and popularised in Ghost. The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and delight to Phantom’s night-time presence.
Phantom’s side profile retains Rolls-Royce’s signature short front and long rear overhang, long wheelbase, and broad c-pillar, the latter giving greater privacy for occupants. The silhouette preserves the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the tapering rear tail. The ‘split-belt’ line begins at the front fender and curves gently towards the rear door, emphasizing the car’s long dash-to-axle proportions, before falling gently towards the lantern-like rear lamps. The heavily undercut ‘waft line’ creates a strong shadow, visually signaling the marque’s unequaled ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.
The side profile is further enhanced with a suite of new wheels. A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets is available to commission in a fully or part-polished finish. Alternatively, Phantom may be graced with a truly elegant disc wheel, recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars. This disc wheel is produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer, perfectly encapsulating the sense of flight on land.
Responding to Phantom clients who have previously requested a darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen surround, and side frame finishers, these may now be commissioned. This aesthetic now enables Rolls-Royce to transform Phantom into the lightest of light or the darkest of dark appearances.
Phantom’s sumptuous interior remains almost unaltered: the steering wheel has been made slightly thicker, providing a more connected and immediate point of contact for the owner-driver.
Phantom and Phantom Extended have distinct characters of their own, representing two different seats of power. Phantom is now predominantly favored by the ever-increasing number of clients wishing to be in the driving seat themselves. For those preferring to command the road from the rear seat, Phantom Extended offers the definitive super-luxurious chauffeur-driven experience.
ROLLS-ROYCE CONNECTED
Now, Phantom includes the debut of ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’. This enables the owner to send an address directly to the motor car from Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private member’s Application, providing seamless navigation to an event, restaurant, dealership, or even the Home of Rolls-Royce itself.
‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ also displays the motor car’s location, security status, and current ‘health’ condition on Whispers; at the touch of a button, the owner can contact a preferred dealership for any servicing requirements or information about the car.
THE ‘POLES OF LUXURY’
As the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom attracts an elite stratum of Rolls-Royce clients. Established and successful, at the top of their field and often in the public eye, these are determined and demanding people. It is no coincidence that Phantom attracts the most ambitious and challenging Bespoke commissions ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce.
The resulting creations − each an artistic masterpiece in its own right − illustrate a broader truth: since its inception, Phantom has always been whatever the client wants it to be; not only the ‘best car in the world’, but the best car for them and their world.
Self-evidently, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Phantom client. Spanning the ‘poles of luxury’, they may be ever-younger or older, modern or traditional, self-made or from long-established wealth. Their commissions reflect a full spectrum of interests and influences. At one extreme, Phantom takes on a subversive, almost rebellious character – youthful, dynamic and daring. At the other, Phantom transforms into an ode to luxury grandeur, and timelessness.
The challenge of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective is to accommodate this vast expanse of client characteristics and desires in one pinnacle product. The eighth-generation Phantom has thus been deliberately designed to offer a ‘blank canvas’ for Bespoke personalization, capable of becoming whatever the client wishes it to be, and a true reflection of their individual style and character.
Phantom’s great strength and appeal are that it allows clients to position themselves anywhere between these ‘poles of luxury’, defining luxury on their own terms. And wherever that point happens to lie, they have the assurance that Phantom itself is − technically, materially, aesthetically, and dynamically − still the ‘best car in the world’.
PHANTOM PLATINO: THE RETURN OF FINE TEXTILES
To mark the introduction of Phantom Series II and to illustrate Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke capability, the marque has created a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of the coveted and precious metal, platinum.
Phantom Platino continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration into fabric interiors, a story that began in 2015 with the launch of Serenity, a truly Bespoke Phantom with a hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk interior. Heralding the next step in this significant journey, Phantom Platino introduces materials other than leather, an area of exploration for Rolls-Royce and a move that demonstrates a greater acceptance of alternative interior upholsteries.
Echoing the marque’s formative days, the front seats of Phantom Platino are finished in fine Rolls-Royce leather, while those in the rear are upholstered in fabric.
The beautiful tone-on-tone of Platino’s interior is achieved by combining two different fabrics; one created in an Italian mill for its durable yet luxurious appearance, the other derived from bamboo fibers, selected for its lustrous finish.
Both materials share an original repeating pattern based on an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy. In the silken textile, the design is smaller and woven into the fabric to create a more visually stimulating finish. It also appears in Phantom’s Gallery, right in the occupant’s line of sight, and on key touchpoints such as the armrest and centre console. The bamboo fabric is embroidered with larger icons, presenting a tufted appearance commonly found in interior design. This more resilient material is placed on the lower elements of the interior where they will need to withstand most contact.
The same design also appears on Phantom’s dashboard timepiece. The surround is made from a 3D-printed ceramic, a truly contemporary execution of traditional material. Set into an iced finish wood set, the tonal properties of the interior take Phantom to a beautiful and unsurpassed level of opulence.
The largest canvas in Phantom is the Starlight Headliner. In a unique design created especially for Rolls-Royce Platino, the ‘stars’ are placed to draw the eye rearwards, with whimsical shooting stars following the sweeping arc of the pattern.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, says, “We are acutely conscious of our clients’ esteem for and love of their Phantoms. They felt it could not be improved; but while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of absolute perfection.
“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing’.”
To commission your very own Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II, please contact our Concierge to schedule an appointment.
Bentley is bringing a new focus on wellness to its model range with the launch of the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase – a new grand touring SUV that builds on the strengths of the Bentayga to become a new luxury flagship, extending the latest product range to five models.
So much more than just a stretch, the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase is the result of a nine-figure investment by Bentley to create a new model that provides the best rear cabin experience since a Mulsanne, whilst retaining the Bentley hallmarks of effortless performance, exquisite handcraftsmanship, and endless personalization.
The success of the Bentayga defined and enabled the growth of the luxury SUV market since its first unveiling in 2015. Over the last seven years, the Bentayga has proved its credibility through genuine off-road capability, hybrid technology, record-breaking performance, and bespoke specifications. The Bentayga remains Bentley’s best-selling model and has become the benchmark against which other luxury SUVs are measured. The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase once again redefines the zenith.
In 2021, Bentley achieved record sales of 14,659 cars, a 31% growth over the previous best from 2020 – and the Bentayga accounted for just over a third of this volume. The global luxury SUV market continues to expand, with the forecast increasing towards the end of the decade across all regions. However, this is not the same for the E-segment, which has been declining. The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase has the potential to raise the ceiling of the D-segment, as one of the spiritual successors to the Mulsanne.
Feedback from Bentley customers is that design, technology, and performance are the three most important factors on the decision to purchase, with the driving characteristics being the top priority amongst current owners. In a recent survey, owners also confirmed that 82% of them use their luxury SUVs daily, 74% in cities and urban environments. The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase stretches the class-leading SUV’s breadth of ability even further whether you are driving or being driven.
The Extended Wheelbase will be responsible for up to 45% of all Bentayga sales when the car goes on sale later this year. The Bentayga will therefore remain Bentley’s number one model, and the most successful and in-demand luxury SUV in the world.
Introduction to the Bentayga EWB
The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) builds on the latest second-generation Bentayga, extending the wheelbase and rear cabin space by an extra 180 mm. With Body-in-White changes to the underfloor, side panels, door and roof, Bentley’s design team have ensured the lines and proportions continue to exude style and presence. This increase results in the wheelbase of the car stretching from 2995 mm to 3175 mm, with an overall length of 5322 mm. The increased length is all in the rear door, creating an exceptionally luxurious rear cabin area. With a larger cabin space than any other luxury competitor, an emphasis on wellness, and the introduction of the world’s first auto climate and advanced postural adjustment rear seat, extraordinary journeys are guaranteed.
The new Bentley Airline Seat specification is the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car, with 22-ways of adjustment and world-firsts in a new auto climate sensing system and postural adjustment technology.
In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40 degrees, whilst the passenger seat motors forwards and a beautifully leather-trimmed footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat. In Business Mode, the seat moves into its most upright position to make working on the move more comfortable.
The auto climate seat technology senses occupant temperature and surface humidity and then determines whether to apply heat, ventilation, or both simultaneously to keep the occupant at optimum thermal wellbeing. Meanwhile, the postural adjustment system automatically makes micro-adjustments to the occupant’s seating position and pressure points, by measuring pressure across the seat surface. The system can apply 177 individual pressure changes across six fully independent pressure zones over a three-hour period improving comfort and minimizing fatigue throughout a journey.
Bentley Houston is now accepting orders for the new Bentayga EWB. Please contact our Concierge to schedule your appointment.
Coming soon to our Bugatti Boutique at Post Oak Motor Cars is the new Bugatti smartwatch by Viita.
New Bugatti smartwatch range, created with VIITA Watches, mirrors the unrivaled precision, artistry, and technology synonymous with Bugatti hyper sports cars crafted in Molsheim.
Each of the new Bugatti smartwatch models offers an innumerable amount of technical features, among them 90 different sports, your level of oxygen in the blood, your acceleration, and specifically for the Bugatti watch a GPS tracking mode. To quickly adjust to new technologies and customer demands, VIITA has developed its own software.
Wide-ranging personalization is central to the Bugatti experience. And so the wearer has the option to affix a tailored Bugatti rubber wrist strap for ultimate comfort, or a bespoke titanium strap to complement the titanium theme of the case. The Bugatti Ceramique Edition One Pur Sport, Bugatti Ceramique Edition One Le Noire and Bugatti Ceramique Edition One Divo editions can each be further customized with a unique bezel to reflect the customer’s personal style.
Every example is made by hand with meticulous attention to detail, produced by a team of renowned IT and watch-experts leading to a seamless integration of more than 1,000 individual parts. The outcome represents the same engineering excellence which Bugatti’s own hyper sports cars stand for.
The bezel – located at the most exposed point on a watch – is carefully sculpted and milled from scratch-resistant ceramic to the smallest of tolerances, made possible by an ultra-precise CNC process. The bezels for all three models are made of scratch-resistant ceramic, elaborately finished by hand in a production process lasting 20 days. With the special key supplied, the customer can replace a bezel within one minute.
With a water resistance of 100 meters (10 ATM) the Bugatti Ceramique Edition One is perfect for swimming, showering, snorkeling and scuba-diving.
Each smartwatch offers a battery life of up to 14 days between charges, made possible by a custom-built 445mAh power cell. Coupled with a high definition 390×390 pixel LED touchscreen within a scratch-resistant housing of sculpted sapphire glass, 16.7 million colors pierce through the display for definitive clarity.
The Bugatti smartwatch is offering almost as many features as the Chiron electronic data. Among them the measuring of health data. A new dual-sensor measures both heart rate and heart rate variability to report individual health data. Cardiovascular recovery, training recommendations, biological age and stress level measurements are each generated and supported by VO2Max; the data corresponds for use in over 90 sports.
The GPS sensor has been specially developed for the Bugatti smart-watch and houses among the watch’s 1,000 intricately packaged components, which provides an entirely new level of accuracy and resolution rate. Wearers taking it to the racetrack can have their lap times, and acceleration values logged automatically by the GPS sensor. This feature is applied for the first time in the world in a smartwatch to correspond to Bugatti’s uniquely fast and powerful hyper sports cars.
VIITA Watches is a leader in smartwatch and timepiece design. The company was founded in 2012, with its luxury watch division launched five years later. Just like Bugatti, VIITA prioritizes high quality and cutting-edge technology as the leading attributes of its peerless products.
For pricing and availability, please contact our Parts Manager Dustin Leighton at dleighton@postoakmotors.com
A new Rolls-Royce motor car always begins its life in winter. Temperatures at the Bespoke facility used by the marque, located in Arjeplog, Sweden, just 55km from the arctic circle, drop to -26 degrees centigrade and are further cooled to -40 degrees centigrade.
There are several reasons for subjecting the marque’s products to such extremes. When the first prototypes are built, engineers perform very basic tests in extreme conditions to ensure that each system is operational and functions at a basic level in a cold weather environment. This test is combined with the beginnings of the refinement process – the first ‘lessons’ in a finishing school that will form the foundations of a motor car worthy of the marque.
This begins with processes that are common to the automotive industry such as noise, vibration and harshness tests. The variables that affect this are manifold, spanning from the materials selected for major hardware components to the density of the door rubbers, bushing compounds, fastening materials and even properties of bonding agents. The performance of these variables can change considerably when subjected to extreme temperatures – likewise the efficiency of the motor car’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling systems.
As a true luxury brand, there is an additional component of winter testing that is of great importance to Rolls-Royce. This is defined by the marque’s engineers as ‘de-escalated time’, which enables incredible accuracy and control in creating the Rolls-Royce experience using Spectre’s chassis control systems, powertrain management and electronics control.
By driving on low traction surfaces such as snow and ice and wilfully destabilising Spectre, the engineers can create dynamic circumstances at low speeds that would ordinarily occur at high speeds. This can be reviewed and guided in situ and in slow motion, in doing so parametrising and finessing cold-weather vehicle performance in areas such as handling, controllability, stability, predictability and the ‘waftability’ that defines the Rolls-Royce experience.
De-escalated time enables engineers to create unparalleled detail in the motor car’s response, in doing so schooling Spectre to think, behave and communicate like a Rolls-Royce worthy of the marque. Following more than half a million kilometres of testing, 25% of this process has now been completed.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: ROLLS-ROYCE 3.0
Rolls-Royce 3.0 represents the beginning of the marque’s bold electric future. The term ‘Rolls-Royce 3.0’ is a reference to the brand’s progress during its renaissance, which began in Goodwood, West Sussex on 1st January 2003. The first Goodwood Rolls-Royce was Phantom, and it was underpinned by its own Bespoke architecture. This was Rolls-Royce 1.0. Following this, a new, highly flexible all-aluminium spaceframe architecture was conceived that could be adapted for multiple applications, including the current Phantom, Cullinan, Ghost and Coachbuild projects. This was Rolls-Royce 2.0. Rolls-Royce 3.0 is the integration of a fully electric power train and Decentralised Intelligence into the marque’s architecture.
In component terms, the simplicity of the car has increased significantly. However, the requirement for engineering Spectre – of sending this uneducated car to Rolls-Royce finishing school – is unparalleled. The definition of engineering has changed. Historically, engineering a Rolls-Royce has taken place in workshops. Spectre sees this pivot into the digital space.
Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce ever and each component within it is more intelligent than in any previous Rolls-Royce. It features 141,200 sender-receiver relations and has more than 1,000 functions with more than 25,000 sub functions. By comparison, Phantom has 51,000 sender-receiver relations, 456 functions and 647 sub functions.
The dramatically increased intelligence of Spectre’s electronic and electric powertrain architecture enables a free and direct exchange of detailed information between these 1,000+ functions with no centralised processing. While this has required engineers to increase the length of cabling from around 2 kilometres in existing Rolls-Royce products to 7 kilometres in Spectre, and to write more than 25 times more algorithms, it offers a significant step forward for the brand. A dedicated control can be created for each set of functions which enables unprecedented levels of detail and refinement, allowing for what Rolls-Royce chassis specialists are already calling “Rolls-Royce in high definition”.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: ARCHITECTURE
In creating a design for Spectre, a generously proportioned, highly emotional body style was selected. This could only be enabled with the marque’s all-aluminium spaceframe architecture. Indeed, the scale is so far beyond other contemporary coupés that it has been designated an Electric Super Coupé. It is the brand’s belief that there is only one other contemporary product that occupies this space – Phantom Coupé. The marque’s designers consider Spectre to be Phantom Coupé’s spiritual successor.
Indeed, when it came to styling Spectre, the marque’s designers considered the dimensions and emotionality of Phantom Coupé, and other grand coupés from Rolls-Royce’s past. Not only did they create this emotion with Spectre’s fastback silhouette and size, but they also carried forward a key design feature of Phantom Coupé: the iconic split headlights, a design tenet that Rolls-Royce has owned for many decades.
This design typology was selected in consultation with the marque’s clients, who found the idea of a Phantom-scale Electric Super Coupé highly appealing. However, the decision to pursue this aesthetic was also strategic. Leaders within the brand wanted the first fully electric Rolls-Royce to be highly emotional, something that shows that electric powertrain technology can deliver on the promise of such grand, seductive and compelling styling. While Spectre represents an historical moment for Rolls-Royce, it is also an historic moment for electrification – the technology is now able to contain the Rolls-Royce experience.
The flexibility of Rolls-Royce’s proprietary architecture, which is reserved for the marque’s exclusive use and does not underpin mass market cars, enables the exterior design to carry the scale required to create the presence of an authentic Rolls-Royce. This is plain to see in Spectre’s wheel size – it will be the first coupé equipped with 23-inch wheels since 1926.
The flexibility of the marque’s architecture also enabled designers to dramatize the coupé experience. By placing the floor halfway between the sill structures rather than on top or underneath the sills, there is a highly aerodynamic channel for the battery, providing a perfectly smooth underfloor profile. Likewise, this creates a low seating position and enveloping cabin experience.
By moving the bulkhead location, designers and engineers have also been able to deepen the dashboard location to truly cocoon passengers. This is amplified with a dramatically low windscreen rake and incredibly efficient airflow profile. This, along with other intelligent design solutions such as an aerodynamically tuned Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, contributes to a drag coefficient (cd) of just 0.26 in early prototypes.
The battery location, which is enabled by the marque’s architecture, unlocks another benefit that is commensurate with the Rolls-Royce experience. By creating wiring and piping channels between the floor of the car and roof of the battery, engineers have created a secondary function for the battery – 700kg of sound deadening.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: THE EXTRAORDINARY UNDERTAKING CONTINUES
With the winter testing phase completed, Spectre will continue its global testing program. The Electric Super Coupé still has to complete nearly two million kilometres before the marque’s engineers will consider this undertaking complete prior to first customer deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Post Oak Motor Cars (“POMC”), owned by businessman Tilman Fertitta, today announced a partnership with NYDIG, a leading bitcoin company, to integrate bitcoin into the Houston-based luxury auto dealer’s business operations. This partnership will allow POMC customers to purchase luxury automobiles financed through loans secured by bitcoin, enable POMC to use its appreciated bitcoin treasury holdings to finance a new expansion, and enable employees to allocate a portion of their paychecks to bitcoin – all powered by NYDIG’s secure, regulated, full-stack platform.
POMC also announced that it had sold its first luxury automobile financed with bitcoin: a Rolls Royce Ghost, financed with the customer’s bitcoin held at NYDIG.
The collaboration will enable POMC to offer customers access to NYDIG’s institutional-grade, 100% cold storage custody solution. Bitcoin holders who don’t want to sell their bitcoin will be able to access a portion of its value by borrowing USD using the bitcoin as collateral. The product does not require customers to make any interest payments during the life of the loan.
“In today’s rapidly changing financial landscape, we are proud to partner with a firm like NYDIG to offer our customers the ability to finance a car with a loan secured by bitcoin and to offer our employees the opportunity to allocate a portion of their paychecks to bitcoin,” said Lonny Soza, General Manager of Post Oak Motor Cars. “NYDIG has a vision to make bitcoin more accessible, and our industry-leading partnership will propel that vision into reality and give our key stakeholders the opportunity to have exposure to sound digital money in bitcoin.”
Alongside the partnership, POMC will be leveraging NYDIG’s platform to hold its appreciated bitcoin treasury position and efficiently finance an expansion of POMC’s footprint. The first bitcoin-financed venture will be a new state-of-the-art POMC location in The Woodlands, TX.
“We are thrilled to work with POMC and grateful for their vision and dedication to bitcoin. This partnership marks an important milestone as we start to help Americans unlock the spending power of their bitcoin through borrowing USD against it without selling their long-term bitcoin holdings,” said Patrick Sells, Chief Innovation Officer at NYDIG. “By bringing together the worlds of fiat and Bitcoin, we can usher in an exciting new era of prosperity for bitcoin holders.”
