Rolls-royce History:
In 1998, owners Vickers decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. The most likely buyer was BMW, who already supplied engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, but BMWsfinal offer of £340m was beaten by Volkswagens£430m. However Rolls-Royce plc, the aero-engine maker, decided it would license certain essential trademarks (the Rolls-Royce name and logo) not to VW but to BMW, with whom it had recently had joint business ventures. VW had bought rights to the "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament and the shape of the radiator grille, but it lacked rights to the Rolls-Royce name necessary to build the cars. Likewise, BMW lacked rights to the grille and mascot. BMW bought an option on the trademarks, licensing the name and "RR" logo for £40m, a deal that many commentators thought was a bargain for possibly the most valuable property in the deal. VW claimed that it had only really wanted Bentley anyway. BMW and VW arrived at a solution. From 1998 to 2002 BMW would continue to supply engines for the cars and would allow use of the names, but this would cease on January 1 2003. On that date, only BMW would be able to name cars "Rolls-Royce", and VWsformer Rolls-Royce/Bentley division would build only cars called "Bentley". Rolls Roycesconvertible, the Corniche, ceased production in 2002.

Rolls-royce Overview:
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a BMW subsidiary responsible for the manufacture of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Other Rolls-royce Details:
The current models are Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is an ultra-luxury saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary, in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2003 and is the first Rolls-Royce branded car made under the ownership of BMW. It has a 6.75 L, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 hp (338 kW) and 531 ft•lbf (720 N•m) of torque. The engine is derived from BMWsexisting V12 powerplant. It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (60 mph) in 5.7 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension. An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (0 in) longer than the standard Phantom. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 7, 2007. The platform is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX concept car unveiled to celebrate the companyscentennial in 2004.Rolls Royce announced in September 2006 that it will develop a new 4-door model, using the next generation BMW 7 Series, positioned below the Phantom and with a price range between US$230,000 and US$330,000. It is also working to develop a production version of its 101EX concept.