2001 Rolls-Royce Corniche

2001 Rolls-Royce Corniche

The original Corniche convertible had been a major success for Rolls-Royce, so the revival of the model in 1999 after a gap of five years caused considerable excitement. By this time, Rolls-Royce was owned by BMW, but the Corniche V had been developed while the British firm belonged to Volkswagen, which would keep both the Bentley brand and the Crewe factory. It is historically significant as the new Rolls-Royce developed under the auspices of VW, and the last built at Crewe. Thus, the Corniche used the 'old' Rolls-Royce / Bentley 6.75-liter pushrod V8 in its turbo-charged form with an astounding 544 ft. lb. of torque. A stiffer body shell, new hydraulic engine mounts, lighter steering, softer suspension and special Avon tires all contributed to characteristics more at home on the boulevard, which is exactly what its target market expected. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive Rolls-Royce on offer, with a base price of $359,900. When the last Corniche was rolled off the production line in August 2002, it marked the end of Rolls-Royce manufacture at the Crewe factory, which would henceforth only produce Bentleys. When production ceased in 2003 a total of only 374 Corniches had been built.

Descriptions and pictures by bonhams & other