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BMW unveils first German Rolls
By CNN's Abid Ali
FRANKFURT, Germany (CNN) -- BMW, the world's second-largest luxury-car maker, has unveiled the first German-built Rolls-Royce. The car went on sale on Friday. Surprisingly, BMW has not been allowed to promote the car in any way, but that has not stopped buyers trying to snap up some of the 1,000 cars being made each year. The reason for the lack of marketing fanfare lies in the strange story of how Rolls-Royce and Bentley divorced after the two marques were sold by UK defence company Vickers in 1998. At the end of an eight-month bidding war with BMW, Volkswagen believed it had scooped one of the world's best-known brands for $700 million. However, when the dust had settled it became clear that BMW had won the big prize of the right to the name for just $66 million from aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce. All VW got for its money was the dilapidated plant in Crewe, northern England, and the rights to the less well-known Bentley name. Under the terms of the agreement BMW had to build a $96 million Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, southern England but could not mention the name -- even on letterheads -- until January 2003. BMW has spent the last four years designing a totally new car. The exterior was designed near Hyde Park in London, and the engines and bodies are to be made in Munich. The whole car is assembled at Goodwood, where the traditional leatherwork and paint are applied. Before Friday, no one had seen the new car, codenamed RR01, apart for a few glimpses by spy cameras on the roads around Goodwood. But customers can expect to fork out more than $250,000 for the privilege of owning a Rolls-Royce. For that money, the well-heeled will get a 19 feet-long car featuring luxuries such as a humidor -- a humidified cigar case -- custom-fitted luggage, touch-sensitive door handles and door-mounted umbrella holsters. Its rear doors will be hinged at the back, making it easier for the chauffeur to open them, according to Reuters. A motorised Spirit of Ecstasy, the mascot that has sat atop the Grecian radiator grill of Rolls-Royce cars since 1911, will drop into a secure recess to deter trophy hunters, Reuters said. The head of BMW's Rolls-Royce project, Tony Gott, told Reuters the new car would have a 6.75-litre, V12 engine but would have nothing in common with BMWs. "There is no connectivity between the driving experience of the new Rolls-Royce and that of a BMW. The seating position is higher, the steering wheel a shade larger, the engine has incredible torque at very low revs, so from takeoff it is very, very responsive and yet agile.'' About 40 percent of cars are expected to be sold in the United States, with the Far East and Middle East accounting for another 30 percent of sales. But BMW faces tough competition for the wallets of the rich and famous from rival German automakers. VW launches its Bentley model and DaimlerChrysler has resurrected the Maybach. According to the DaimlerChrysler, about 8,500 cars worth more than $250,000 are sold every year.
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