Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe news - Coupe master general - 2007

Last week, as part of a big, boring business statement, BMW chiefs happened to mention - in passing, almost - that Rolls-Royce is building a new two-door coupe based on the 101EX concept we saw in 2006.

We reckoned this was worth a bit more than a throwaway line on a corporate release, so we've done a bit of digging and found out some more on the as-yet-unnamed coupe.

The four-seater promises to be a sharper drive than the rest of the Rolls family. Utilising the same all-aluminium construction as the Phantom, the coupe will be slightly shorter and feature a sharper suspension and chassis set-up.

The Phant's 6.75-litre V12 will remain, however, still putting out 453bhp and 531lb ft of torque. Expect a 0-60mph time of nigh-on five seconds.

It'll still be more of a wafter than a thrasher though, according to Rolls designer Ian Cameron. "Whilst never overtly sports, Rolls-Royce is a brand that has always offered owners a powerful and refined drive combined with, as Sir Henry Royce described it, a bit of fizz," he says.

That bit of fizz won't come cheap. A Rolls spokesman told us that the coupe will be priced between the current Phantom and Drophead Coupe, which means it'll weigh in somewhere between £260,000 and £300,000 after taxes.

We're also assured that the styling will remain true to the 101EX, which you can see in the photos on the right. With the coupe due to launch in the second half of 2008, you've got a year to make your fortune if you fancy buying one.

Time to call Ocean Finance...