Photo: Alex Opanasenko via Instagram
Rolls-Royce makes coupes. We know, it's hard to tell considering they look more massive than some SUVs out there, but they are technically coupes.
The BMW-owned British brand sells them as such, and since they only have two doors and a slightly lowered roof, they're definitely more worthy of the characterization than something like, say, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and all the other copy-cats.
Based on their size, though, both the Wraith and particularly the Phantom Coupe are enormous. The Rolls-Royce design isn't particularly suited for vehicles that need to suggest even the slightest touch of pace about them, even though their V12 engines might occasionally disagree with that.
They say you don't buy a Rolls-Royce to drive it yourself, but to be driven in it. However, that's true for the limousine versions, whereas the coupe (or the convertible) is made particularly for those moments when the lord wants to experience the thrills of the open road himself. There's no point in dragging all the extra car of a regular Phantom behind you when you can have something shorter, lighter, and marginally more agile.
This coupe cooked up by Alex Opanasenko, on the other hand, is an entirely different proposition. Alex describes himself as a senior car designer working in Russia, and as we all know, the Rolls-Royce is as much a symbol of the nouveau-riche as it is of the British aristocracy. Living in Russia, Alex had plenty of exposure to the former, and yet he didn't choose to brand this creation as a Rolls-Royce, but a Duesenberg instead.
The Duesenberg name still resonates with some people, but the company hasn't been around for over 80 years. That makes any Duesy comeback very unlikely, which is why we feel that Alex would have been better off slapping the Spirit of Ecstasy on top of that grille and calling it a Rolls-Royce Specter (or some other ghostly word) instead.
If it were a Rolls, it would definitely break the mold while also staying true to the brand's design language. All those creases and sculptured surfaces on the side, as well as the exhaust, would have to go, yet other than that, the Specter could remain pretty much unmodified.
The comically long hood is big enough to house even the largest V12 engine, while the rear could go straight into production without any interventions. We suspect the model would even have its fair share of commercial success - unless you needed to make an entrance and have the door open by a chauffeur, we would imagine this becoming the car of choice for any well-off owner.
Based on their size, though, both the Wraith and particularly the Phantom Coupe are enormous. The Rolls-Royce design isn't particularly suited for vehicles that need to suggest even the slightest touch of pace about them, even though their V12 engines might occasionally disagree with that.
They say you don't buy a Rolls-Royce to drive it yourself, but to be driven in it. However, that's true for the limousine versions, whereas the coupe (or the convertible) is made particularly for those moments when the lord wants to experience the thrills of the open road himself. There's no point in dragging all the extra car of a regular Phantom behind you when you can have something shorter, lighter, and marginally more agile.
This coupe cooked up by Alex Opanasenko, on the other hand, is an entirely different proposition. Alex describes himself as a senior car designer working in Russia, and as we all know, the Rolls-Royce is as much a symbol of the nouveau-riche as it is of the British aristocracy. Living in Russia, Alex had plenty of exposure to the former, and yet he didn't choose to brand this creation as a Rolls-Royce, but a Duesenberg instead.
The Duesenberg name still resonates with some people, but the company hasn't been around for over 80 years. That makes any Duesy comeback very unlikely, which is why we feel that Alex would have been better off slapping the Spirit of Ecstasy on top of that grille and calling it a Rolls-Royce Specter (or some other ghostly word) instead.
If it were a Rolls, it would definitely break the mold while also staying true to the brand's design language. All those creases and sculptured surfaces on the side, as well as the exhaust, would have to go, yet other than that, the Specter could remain pretty much unmodified.
The comically long hood is big enough to house even the largest V12 engine, while the rear could go straight into production without any interventions. We suspect the model would even have its fair share of commercial success - unless you needed to make an entrance and have the door open by a chauffeur, we would imagine this becoming the car of choice for any well-off owner.
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