Rolls-Royce: The audacity of scope

Rolls-Royce will debut a smaller, leaner, less formal car at the Geneva Auto Show on March 3: The 200EX concept is a near-production version of the saloon that will begin production in 2010.

So, is this a smaller Rolls for leaner times? Is the car's gross tonnage some kind of index of global economy?

Not really. The fact is, sales of the Phantom, extended-wheelbase Phantom, Coupe and Drophead Coupe have been brisk, despite the $400,000 to $560,000-plus price tag. The 200EX -- the development of which predates the current financial China Syndrome -- is about extending the brand to compete in the suburban grocery-getter segment. That's a price point in the $230,000 to $300,000-plus range, somewhere just above the coming Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera.

It's also about amortizing parent BMW's engineering costs in the new 7-series. The 7-series and 200EX will be mechanical first cousins.

But a smaller Rolls? How will that work?

This is a delicate matter. The visual language of Rolls-Royce cars is one of grandeur and monumentality, a kind of enduring classicism and formality somehow outside the stream of time: the long, proud prow, the Parthenon grille, the high shoulders and sweeping contours, the sheer dizzying size of the thing. A Hooper-bodied Phantom from the 1950s looks like it should have its own airport.

Call it the Audacity of Scope.

The marque made a succession of more modestly sized two-doors from the early 1970s to early 2000s called Corniche -- "modest" being relative, since the cars were over 5 meters long. Hard-core enthusiasts have argued that the smaller Rolls precipitated the decline of RR that ultimately ended with the ignominious acquisition by the Germans. (Actually, the cars sold very well, but you can't reason with enthusiasts.) The argument ran that the smaller cars lacked the aristocratic hauteur of the big cars.

Perhaps when it comes to Rolls, size -- avoirdupois, scale, mass, dimension -- matters.

The point was underscored in 2003 when BMW rolled out the frighteningly massive Phantom. Designed by Marek Djordjevic as the first car under German ownership, the car seemed to overcompensate with a spectacular, dreadnought-class grandiosity.

Now Rolls-Royce seems to be getting more comfortable in its own skin: The grilles are smaller (as a percentage of frontal area) and more streamlined and contemporary. The single-bow through line is more windswept, converging at a tapering tail. The glass-to-body ratio is more typical of a modern saloon (in the older cars, the windows are narrow and high above the cliffs of sheet metal).

Judging by the 200EX -- a gracious 5.4 meters long -- Rolls isn't exactly abandoning its road-going arrogance. Note the sweet coach doors (the rear doors have the hinges at the rear, like the larger Phantom).

The question remains: Is a more reasonable, rational car still a Rolls?

-- Dan Neil

Photo: Rolls-Royce

Comments

[Randy I of Mililani, Hi.]

Of course, it's still a Rolls! Albeit a smaller and less luxurious one, but still a Rolls. I know I've really enjoyed seeing the Maserati Quattraporte, and although it is a much less expensive automobile, I would compare the two as for purchase. I would imagine that the Rolls Royce would be much more plush and have a greater name recognition, but, who knows, it may be a very good stand in. Still, I would definitely check out the Rolls Royce, as for as long as I can remember it has been my fantasy car. That, or a Bentley, there is nothing else like it.

[AmbroseKalifornia]

Avoirdupois:

The word avoirdupois is from French and Middle English (Anglo-French) avoir de pois, "goods of weight" or "goods sold by weight".
-Wikipedia

Just in case anyone ELSE isn't as smart as Dan.

[Gurney]

No, I think the rest of us are all pretty much as smart as Dan. That's why we read him.

Good that you used your dictionary!

[Donnell]

The Germans know how to design and sell a car.

It goes to show the stiff neck stubborn arrogance of British and American people's over indulgence in tiresome vehicle tradition even when it's failing is driving these nations out of business. And other nations seems to succeed at selling the automobile. You would think the British were smart enough to redesign and resell Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover all which they sold due to low something !!!

It's said that in the next decade the British and American nations won't be even a factor on the world economic scene ! They are going out of permanent business sorry but it's prophesied and the evidence of todays failing economy verifies the ancient prophecies.

The lesson of today..

Every other nation is making a good enough profit selling newly design very good looking cars to remain a business other than America and Britain.

Even the Koreans, Japanese, Germans, Italians and now the Chinese will make cars that look good and make a profit.

American cars are either too expensive, ugly or unfocused or theoretically incomplete with a good front end and ugly rear or good rear end and ugly front to compete anymore with foreigners. they're never as thorough and complete as european and asian cars aside from a few trucks and maybe a cadillac and a Lincoln vehicle which won't sustain the going out of business American and British car companies.

America when are you gonna wake up and learn you need to focus on competing with foreigners before all we are offered are foreign vehicles. Someday all of americas car companies may be bought out just like the british it can and may eventually happen believe it or not. The dollar will be replaced by the euro in the next decade and that may trigger a massive buying frenzy from humongous debt owed to other nations. No man will be able to buy or sell unless he does through the next world currency along with the accompanying world politics.

[gustrainer]

American car manufacturers forget the MAIN reason a car sells: looks! we buy cars because we fall in love with their design, then other things come into place, such as price, fuel economy ,convenience and crash ratings. I remember a commercial from GM trying to sell its Malibu where the selling argument was that its back row seat could move forward and back! I think this RR idea is brilliant! in tough economic times, to make a RR at half the price. but the main reason you would buy it is still that its a beautifull, magnificent car!

[Tiago Gomes]

The Corniche was not an entry-level car, it wasn't even a 2-door coupe in the first place. It was a Convertible, even though some "fixedheads" were ordered. It was usually 30% more expensive then the standart sedan. It would be the current Phantom Drophead.

[Dimitri]

Germans DO know how to design and sell a car. Except the Maybach, AKA the invisible car. It's in production and being sold, except you never seem to see any...

I wonder what went wrong there. It wasn't expensive enough? Which reminds me of the Phaeton, also not expensive enough? Or too expensive for a VW (even though it was more of an Audi)?

Hmm. Maybe I better shut up.

[Dimitri]

OK, to answer the question: a "smaller" Rolls is still a Rolls - but not if they call it the "200EX"!! No one can argue with this.