2000 ROLLS-ROYCE Corniche V 6.75L V8 4AT RWD (325 HP)

Vehicle Overview

It was the last Rolls-Royce built on the Crewe factory, and it was built for only two years before the argument between BMW and Volkswagen forced the car’s ending.

When Rolls-Royce and Bentley were in the same group, the Flying-B took a platform from the Flying Lady and adapted to create the Continental R coupe. After that, it cut the roof and installed a canopy, and transformed it into the Azure model. Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, didn’t have any open-top vehicles. So, the company’s management decided to take back the reworked platform made by Bentley and create the open-top Corniche. The car was unveiled at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, two years after Volkswagen bought the Crewe factory. Unfortunately for the German carmaker, it didn’t get the rights to use the Rolls-Royce brand. That was bought by BMW, who was also the engine supplier for the Bentley Arnage.

To make the Cornich look like a proper Rolls-Royce, the brand’s designers transferred the design language from the Silver Seraph luxury car. Its dual headlights sported a chromed surrounding and a separate cluster for the turn signals and parking lights mounted vertically on the front fenders. A body-colored wrapped-around plastic bumper with a wide and narrow gap on the lower side completed the car’s look. From its side, a sloped-down line crossed the large convertible towards the rear taillights. A power-operated roof covered the car at a touch of a button.

Inside, the combination of Scandinavian cow leather-clad interior and finest wood-veneers (not plastic) was completed by chromed door handles, vents, dials, and switches. The carpets were made out of wool.

Volkswagen built the Corniche as a rebadged Bentley Azure and used the older 5.75-liter turbocharged V-8 engine paired with a four-speed automatic transmission built by GM.