2010 Rolls-royce Rr4

The Age

Saturday September 6, 2008

Barry Park

HERE at last is the car that should double luxury saloon maker Rolls-Royce's sales.

Our spy photographers have caught a prototype of the shrunken, niche limousine that is likely to cost about $500,000 when it lands in showrooms, about half the price of the other Rollers in the current line-up.

The whisper is the RR4 will have much in common with the nextgeneration BMW 7-Series saloon - the German car maker added the Spirit of Ecstasy badge to its portfolio in 2003 after cutting a deal with Volkswagen, which picked up the Bentley name. However, indications are the new model will use a Rolls-developed engine.

This dispels rumours it will share the same twin-turbo V8 to be shoehorned under the bonnet of BMW's niche X6 "sports activity coupe".

Other rumours suggest the engine will be a cut-down version of Rolls' power plant of choice, the 6.75-litre V12. Yet more have floated the idea of a turbo-diesel engine. An oil-burning Rolls? That's just not cricket.

Engines aside, the signs show the new baby Roller will feature similar hard lines and flowing curves to those of its slightly larger Phantom sibling.

It's going to be a long wait for the final production model, with our first close-up look at the RR4 pencilled in for next year's Geneva motor show.

-- BARRY PARK

© 2008 The Age

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