Very late prototypes of the new "small" Rolls-Royce, known internally as RR4, are now cruising the streets of Munich, giving scoop snappers an easy lunch. "Small" is a relative word: RR4's wheelbase is six inches longer than the BMW 7 Series on which it's based, and it's far taller. As with the Phantom, the huge tires are half the height of the car.
The official sketch released months ago is pretty true to the design, although there will be a Phantom-like style line on the lower body, like the wake playing along the side of a boat. The nose is smoother and the grille smaller and more curved than on any Rolls so far. The RR4-real name to be revealed at the Geneva show-has a twin-turbo V-12, kicking out 550-plus horsepower. The efficiency of the gas direct-injection engine improves fuel consumption and CO2 emissions relative to the Phantom.
The cabin is hugely luxurious because it will start at $300,000, way more expensive than a Bentley Flying Spur. Even so, Rolls is aware that the "cheaper" a car is, the more likely it will be used as an everyday driver rather than a machine for special days. To that end, the electronics and cabin equipment are more comprehensive and current than the deliberately quaint Phantom's. It gets a version of BMW's new-generation iDrive, working a thin-film transistor screen that hinges away behind a veneer panel. A head-up display is fitted, too. The dash is more informal and curved than a Phantom's, but still recognizeably Rolls-Royce.
While the Phantom has an aluminum space frame, the RR4's body is largely steel, in part because the structural members in a steel car are smaller, so the space efficiency improves. It's very roomy. Having a steel shell means it shares a few underskin body parts with the 7 Series. Proportions and cowl position are different, and like a Phantom it has clap-hand doors, which demands very different body engineering from the BMW. One more reason to avoid aluminum: Rolls-Royce engineers say steel is easier to armor. And that's a market that isn't going away.