2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom

Buckingham Palace probably hasn't been this confused since Prince Charles got married without telling his girlfriend. But get this, Winston: Everlastingly British Rolls-Royce has just released an all-new model born in...Germany.

The Germans largely responsible for the new car, dubbed the Phantom, are the engineers at BMW. Tinkering with British automotive icons is becoming something of a hobby for the Bavarian maker: BMW's credits now include a successful updating of the Land Rover lineup and the introduction of the highly praised Mini. Now comes the Phantom, a legendary moniker whose resurrection began shortly after BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce nameplate in mid-1998.

The new Phantom may be ethereal in name, but it's elephantine in price: The sticker, including destination charges and gas-guzzler tax, is $325,000. To rationalize paying such a staggering sum, some buyers, no doubt, will simply calculate what they're getting by the yard. The Phantom stretches more than 19 feet in length, a good half-foot longer than a Chevrolet Avalanche sport/utility pickup. At 5577 pounds, though, the Rolls is weighty but not quite an avalanche on the scales--thanks largely to a space-frame structure composed of what seems to be enough lightweight aluminum to build a B-52. The body panels, too, use aluminum (and composites) to keep mass to a minimum.