100 Rolls Royces Take to the Streets of London to Celebrate Centenary of 'Spirit of Ecstasy'

A selection of one hundred Rolls Royce cars from all eras and generations including examples of Silver Ghosts, Silver Clouds, Silver Shadows and Silver Spurs, took to the streets of London on Sunday, February 6, to celebrate the centenary of the brand's famous hood mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The hood ornament, also called "Flying Lady", was first fitted to Rolls-Royce models in 1911. It was designed by Charles Sykes and legend has it that the figurine was inspired by Eleanor Thornton, a co-worker of Sykes at the time.

“The Spirit of Ecstasy is a genuine icon, a graceful goddess who has adorned the prow of Rolls-Royce cars past and present,” said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. “She is recognized the world over as a symbol for the pinnacle of automotive aspiration and is an inspiration to those of us working for the company today. The centenary drive was a fitting tribute to such an important figure for our company.”

The Rolls Royce drive started in Belgravia and ended at the Great Conservatory at Syon House in West London, making its way pass significant locations for the British brand including the birthplace of one of the founders of the automaker, Charles Rolls in Hill Street, Mayfair, the site of the studio where Charles Sykes is believed to have created the design of the Spirit of Ecstasy on Brompton Road and Berkeley Square, and the 21st century home of Rolls-Royce in London.

It Came from eBay Hell: ‘80s VW Golf Stretch Limo with Mercedes Nose

So you want your own limousine? Sure, I can dig that. Who hasn’t thought of trading in their daily commute for something that’s chauffer driven? And what better place to start your search than on eBay, where you’re sure to find something both unique and affordable, if not exactly well built or driveable.

Here’s one such find, based on a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf for the rest of the world) with a Mercedes-Benz nose piece. The seller’s description reveals that this vehicle has new brakes, struts, a new exhaust, new wheels and tires, new windshield and gas tank. And it still has its original motor and transmission, with a twin barrel carburettor with aluminium intake and header which the seller assures us makes it, “Fast for what it is.”

Inside there are two bench seats facing each other, and an electrically operated tinted glass partition that can separate the passengers from the driver. Classy.

The interior is in need of a lot of attention, though. There’s no headliner, no carpet and the custom interior panels have yet to be fitted. The air conditioning’s not hooked up and there’s no sound system, either. The car’s also missing a, “Few other odds and ends.”

On the upside, it has a clear title and the car comes with a fixer upper GTI engine and a white rabbit plush toy that has been stretched and has a VW hat on its head. Sadly there are no pictures of the latter. The starting price is a low, low US$4,999.00 (€3,676). Price for a first generation Rabbit, but not bad for something with such...uh...”unique qualities.”

The strange this is, this car has been on sale before, almost two years ago. And it was in the exact same state it’s in now. We don’t know what this means, except maybe that the owner grew tired of working on it. Take that however you want, and leave your comments below.

1955 Ford "Beatnik" Bubbletop Custom Concept going up for Auction

Making its way down to Florida for RM Auction's annual Amelia Island even on March 2, is this 1955 Ford "Beatnink" Bubbletop custom concept inspired by futuristic design studies from the 1950s. Despite its name, the Beatnik is a fairly new creation built by Gary “Chopit” Fioto. It is based on the body of a 1955 Ford model but rides on a modifies chassis of a 1988 Lincoln Town Car and is powered by a Chevrolet 350-cubic inch small-block V8 engine.

The brand mixing doesn't stop there as Fioto used a variety of components from Cadillac, Chrysler and Lincoln, including the canted quad headlights. The front bumper was adapted from a '59 Cadillac, while the rear bumper was fashioned from the front bumper of a '58 Cadillac. In addition, the finned taillights are sourced from a 1960 Chrysler. However, the front and rear fenders, the door skins and the entire rear section of the car were all hand formed.

The one-of-a-kind model, which took four years of hard work to create, also features a bespoke interior complete with an aircraft control yoke-inspired steering wheel and a rounded dash pod as a tribute to the late 1950s and early 1960s concept cars from Detroit.