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Baby Rolls Get Green Light

It's official! Rolls-Royce has confirmed it's set to raid the history books to create an all-new baby model - and a roadster could be on the cards as well.

By Paul Bailey

12th May 2005

Top brass admitted to Auto Express for the first time that they have ordered engineers and designers to create an all-new model smaller than the Phantom. This is the so-called 'baby Rolls', and a story we exclusively revealed in issue 852.

According to company insiders, the target price for the newcomer is ΂£170,000 - that's more than first thought, and would pitch the car head-to-head with arch rival Bentley's Arnage, rather than the ΂£115,000 Flying Spur. The Phantom costs ΂£250,000. But it's the news of a two-seater that will have R-R fans drooling at the mouth.

Chief executive Ian Robertson told us that his team would be reaching into the archives for future models. "There is very little in the history of Rolls-Royce that the company hasn't attempted at some stage," he explained. "For example, there have been some outstanding roadsters in the past. There is nothing off-limits."

But Robertson warned he would think very carefully before giving new cars the green light. "We have many ideas and there are plenty of options," he continued. "We want to remain true to our heritage and brand quality but broaden the limits." Cars also believed to be under consideration include an off-roader, along with hydrogen-powered versions of all models.

Robertson added that he was keen to work with customers to create more individual cars, even if they could be seen as dubious compared with R-R's traditional image. "One man's taste is another man's concern," he said. "We produced a model recently for a New York customer in a pale shade of pink. Another asked for a big letter P to be painted on the side of the car."

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