The word “overdose” typically equates to unpleasant thoughts, but we can’t say the same thing about Novitec’s newest creation. The German tuning firm renowned for turning Ferraris, McLarens, and Lamborghinis into extreme automotive engineering works has pointed its wrenches at the Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge. The result is SPOFEC Overdose, and we think it looks fantastic.
We say the name Rolls-Royce, we usually think of incredibly luxurious cars that cost more than many homes. However, Rolls-Royce isn't only in the automotive business. The company has a very long and rich history of building engines for aircraft. Rolls-Royce engines were key to the war effort during World War II and beyond.
Rolls-Royce has long proclaimed its cars are the benchmark for luxury, but the new Black Badge Ghost feels like a yardstick for electric luxury, too. True, with its vast 6.75-liter twelve-cylinder engine this is far from a zero-emissions car, and in my time behind the wheel even its 14 mpg EPA rating seemed hopelessly optimistic. All the same, while we wait for Spectre, Rolls-Royce's first EV, I can't escape the feeling that its charms are already hiding in plain sight.
Back when Rolls-Royce unveiled the Ghost last year, it described the luxury sedan as "Post Opulent" design. Now, it's giving the V12 car a sinister twist. The Black Badge Ghost joins the ranks of Rolls-Royce's wildly successful Black Badge series, getting distinctive styling, an uptick in power, and a very particular appeal.
Rolls-Royce is wading into the NFT space, and it's teasing a very special new car to mark the occasion. A new Rolls-Royce Black Badge car is due for a reveal in a week's time, and the automaker has partnered up with Mason London to create a non-fungible token to go with the vehicle.
Rolls-Royce is going electric, with the British automaker announcing its first all-EV, the Rolls-Royce Spectre. Part of a plan which will turn the company's luxury range into a fully electric one by 2030, Spectre will be the first of a new breed of EVs, expected to come to market in Q4 2023.
The United States Air Force has awarded Rolls-Royce North America with the coveted Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) contract to build the replacement engines for the B-52 bombers. Rolls-Royce beat out competitors like Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, scoring a $2.6 billion contract to build more than 600 engines for the classic aircraft.
Rolls-Royce's experimental all-electric plane, Spirit of Innovation, has successfully flown for the first time, taking the zero-emissions project one step closer to powering "air taxis" in future. Though the single-propeller aircraft may have relatively classic looks, its powertrain is thoroughly modern.
German tuning house Mansory has unveiled its high-performance iteration of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Mansory has already created quirky renditions of a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, and even a lawnmower, for crying out loud. And while some may look at Mansory’s Rolls-Royce Ghost as excessive or indiscreet, there’s no doubt the Mansory Ghost has an appeal of its own.
Of all the things I expected from the 2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge - an SUV with a near half-million-dollar price tag - a reminder of the value of simplicity was not among them. Launched in 2018, the Cullinan is as luxurious, as excessive, and as attention-grabbing as you'd think, particularly in Black Badge form. Look beyond the glitter, though, and there's something more important there too.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection is limited to only 20 units worldwide. As it turns out, 1 of the 20 Phantom Tempus cars has debuted in Southern California recently, and it’s a sight to behold with its Crystal over Arctic White Paint.
The newest Landspeed Collection from Rolls-Royce pays a salute to British engineer Captain George Eyston who, from 1937 to 1938, set three land speed records at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah. Captain Eyston did it in the Thunderbolt, a seven-ton car with a bare aluminum body, three axles, and a pair of Rolls-Royce RV12 aero engines.