Short Take Road Test
It's tempting to see the new Rolls-Royce Corniche, the company's first new convertible since 1971, as a gesture of defiance against BMW, which will assume ownership of the name, the interlocking-Rs badge, and the famous Spirit of Ecstasy hood figurine in the year 2003.
You see, unlike the latest products from Rolls-Royce and Bentley, which have BMW power and some visibly recognizable proprietary stuff in the cabin from that German automaker, this latest Corniche has the venerable Rolls-Royce 6.75-liter V-8 (called the "six-and-three-quarter-liter" engine by insiders) with light-pressure turbocharging, The car's interior is also replete with old-world Rolls-Royce ambience, right down to the chromed-mushroom vent pull switches that have adorned Rolls-Royces for so long.
It is, therefore, easy to believe that this car thumbs its long nose at the Bavarian interlopers. But the Comiche was, in fact, in development before BMW showed up with its engines and climate-control hardware. Before, too, the tug-of -war between BMW and VW for ownership of the two classic British name-plates.
Based on the Bentley Continental and Azure, the Corniche is restyled to resemble the Silver Seraph's overall appearance, albeit trimmed to a convertible's roofless profile. Only 400 of these cars will be built, just 100 of them destined for U.S. shores, stickered at a resounding $376,090.
So what do you get for that tall green? You get 325 horsepower at 4000 rpm propelling a fairly stupendous 6050-pound convertible to 60 mph in about eight seconds and on to a claimed top speed of 135 mph. It doesn't sound that great in today's world of whiz-bang performance, but you have to remember that there's a hearty 544 pound-feet of torque available between 2100 and 2300rpm, enough to tug the car into decisive motion at engine speeds barely above idle.
Then there is the interior, adorned with flaw-less veneers and leather hides, and the fully automatic wool-lined top, which retracts tidily beneath a flat rear tonneau panel. Beautifully engineered though it may be, that disappearing roof takes quite a bit of rear-seat space with it, pushing the two back seats closer together and farther forward than they should be to pro-vide meaningful room for shoulders and legs.
But who cares? This isn't a car intended for utilitarian applications. This is a leisure vehicle for the bloody rich, who, according to Rolls inquiries, have six other luxury vehicles in each of their family stables! And who will probably put no more than 5000 miles a year on the car.
Thus, issues like cowl shiver and steering-column shake (slight, and only on certain surfaces) will not materially affect the ownership experience. Nor will its prodigious gobbling of gas (11 mpg in upscale urban surroundings) or the relative lack of front-seat space for tall drivers. Most savagely wealthy individuals are not very tall-the Napoleonic thing, you know.
Primarily, the Corniche is a collectible for people who can broadcast the fact that $376,090 is just a discretionary purchase. And if this is the first you've heard of the car, you're not on that mailing list. In fact, if your order isn't already in, it's probably too late. Sorry.
