Rolls-Royce is planning to break with more than a century of tradition by building a radical 4X4 off-roader.
More than 100 years after the ultimate luxury British car firm was founded, bosses want the famous Spirit of Ecstasy that adorns bonnets to sit atop a 'Chelsea tractor'.
Detailed design plans have been drawn up by executives, who accept the controversial idea will divide opinion.
In talks: Discussions between top bosses at Rolls-Royce and its German parent company BMW over the design have taken place
Details of discussions between top bosses at Rolls-Royce and its German parent company BMW over the design have been revealed in CAR magazine.
It comes as Rolls-Royce, whose boutique factory is based in the Earl of March's estate in Goodwood, Sussex, prepares to launch a new two-door coupe called the Wraith at next month's Geneva Motor Show.
It will go on sale in Autumn priced around £225,000. Rolls-Royce already builds four versions of its range-topping Phantom and two versions of its smaller 'baby' Ghost.
But executives are planning a sports utility and two-seater sports cabriolet, with both at the planning stage.
Porsche broke the 4X4 mould when it launched its Cayenne sports utility vehicle. And Bentley is currently giving a facelift to a prototype super-luxury Bentley off-roader which it plans to launch within 18 months.
News of the radical Rolls-Royce 4X4 plans emerged in an interview with BMW board member and Rolls-Royce chairman Harald Krüger.
Sleek: Executives are also planning a sports utility and two-seater sports cabriolet
Asked if Rolls-Royce would follow Bentley’s lead, he said: ‘We’re monitoring the competition’s activities, and we’re regularly debating whether to take action. This applies to all brand-relevant segments and technologies.’
Rolls-Royce said last night the idea of a 4X4 was 'speculation' but did not deny reports that detailed plans have been drawn up.
CAR editor Phil McNamara said: ‘Rolls-Royce is thinking the unthinkable. Its advanced design team has sketched radical proposals for two prospective models: one is a Rolls-Royce crossover sports utility vehicle. The other is a two-seat roadster.’
He said: ‘The BMW and Rolls management are hotly debating the character of a Rolls sports utility vehicle, with two different proposals under review, called Coach and Pullman
Rolls Royce will launch a new two-door coupe called the Wraith at next month's Geneva Motor Show
A teaser shot of the eagerly-anticipated new model
‘Coach, as the name implies, is solid and stately, square and slab-sided, substantial and supreme.
‘Pullman is influenced by legendary first-class trains like the Royal Scotsman or the Orient Express. Lower than Coach as well as longer and sportier, Pullman would feature an airy glass roof, a split rear lid made to measure for exclusive tailgate parties and an extended rear overhang.'
Mr McNamara said: ’It could sell like crazy in the USA and China. It’s up to Krüger and the BMW board to decide the way forward. A progressive faction wants to give the market what it craves, we’re told. The battle for Roll-Royce’s future has begun.'
Rolls-Royce was founded after sales and marketing genius the Honorable Charles Stewart Rolls met legendary engineer Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on May 4 1904 with the aim of creating the world's finest motor car.
German car giant BMW bought Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from Vickers PLC in 1998 following a bidding war with rivals Volkswagen, with the first BMW-produced Rolls-Royce Phantom launched in 2003.
