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Avant-garde design was a staple of Buick during the '50s and '60s, but the brand lost its mojo and its offerings became the main way elderly ladies got to their bingo nights. Now that GM is diversifying its brands again, Buick seems to be regaining its design mojo. But will this new direction be enough to revitalize the brand?

The Buick Enclave Black Platinum Edition was created by Mitek Corporation. The House of Kolor Black Diamond paint is black, blue, or purple, depending on where the light hits the large crossover. Tinted windows and doors sans handles are paired with 20-inch TIS chrome wheels and a two-inch drop in height for a transformed exterior. Inside, Deep Blue leather covers all three rows of seats as well as the headliner and the visors. Despite retaining its third-row bench, the special-edition Enclave still has room for a 4900-watt MTX sound system with three 12-inch subwoofers.

NBA-veteran Jerome Williams has also teamed up with Buick to customize an Enclave: the Buick Enclave Urban CEO Edition. The Urban CEO Edition has White Opal paint and a satellite dish embedded into the roof to make the Buick a rolling wireless hotspot.

Once Williams tires of the Internet, he can watch (on any of the four 10-inch widescreens) a DVD or play a Blu-Ray disc. The front passenger isn't neglected either -- a seven-inch widescreen monitor has been built into the back of the visor. Dark Chocolate leather and LED accent lights in the A- and B-pillers make for a limo-like experience.

The Buick Enclave UpTown was created by Rick Bottom Designs and incorporates a "Ying and Yang" two-tone paint job: White Chocolate Pearl with Cocoa Metallic below. The UpTown has been lowered two inches in the front, three in the rear. Filling the wheel wells are 22-inch MOMO wheels and Pirelli tires. The interior not only features QuietTuning, but Hushmat sound-damping material as well to keep things quiet while you use the 2,000-watt Eclipse audio, visual, and navigation system.

Under the hood, a DOHC 3.6-liter V-6 delivers a sturdy 275 horses through a six-speed automatic and, on our top-model CXL test car, optional all-wheel drive. For relaxed motoring, the powertrain feels up to the job, revving with a pleasing note and cruising with refinement. Unfortunately, the six has to move around a whopping 5077 pounds, a curb weight topped in our test only by the Godzilla-size Land Cruiser. Climbing steep, wriggling Highway 18 to Lake Arrowhead, the Enclave strained (a V-8 is said to be coming in a year or two). Shifting with the electric manual selector helped-and made driving through our handling loop more fun-but the pushbutton is inconveniently (and almost discreetly) mounted on the shift column.

The Enclave radiates a similar "I'm a limousine, not a plaything" character when you leg it. The variable-effort steering telegraphs little in the way of tire information, the engine turns coarse, and the sheer, shifting mass constantly hints that you should be looking for thrills elsewhere-though, in fairness, the Enclave remains poised and holds its line through turns.

The spacious, well-insulated interior is dressed in neatly tailored leather, camphor burl wood trim, and copious electronic conveniences. Worthy of special mention are the brilliant SmartSlide second-row captain's chairs that easily flip completely out of the way for access to the rear bench. This is a cabin worth fighting to ride in.

Let me submit another entry for this not-so-august title. Check out the attached camphone snap of a Phantom Drophead painted this intoxicating (or toxious) combination of bright and I mean bright yellow with black trim. This nighttime photo does it no justice, and if it makes you feel better (or worse) know that the entire interior is trimmed in the same shocking combo.

Note that there is no stainless hood or wood deck here; it's all just yellah. I had seen the earlier in the day, and recalled a comment from DHC's launch program I had attended a year ago. Seems this particular customer paints ALL his cars the same colors, whatever their breed. I know, I know; everyone's entitled.

Time to vote. Which Rolls is uglier, Frank's '54 custom bodied Wraith, or my Screaming Yellow Zonker Drophead Coupe?

The Blackhawk auction brochure says this 1954 Silver Wraith Vignale was built on a long-wheelbase chassis custom-ordered by Joseph Maschuch of New York. It's unclear how many of the various styling cliches that were trowelled onto this monstrosity he personally ordered, but he reportedly insisted that the engine block, head, generator, starter, air cleaner, carburetor, and intake manifold be painted green and the rocker cover and underhood pipes be highly polished or chromed.

Could he possibly have wanted the rear axle tucked right up directly under the back seat? Well, maybe. Beneath the right rear seat is a toilet that dumps onto the ground. I didn't stick my head under there, but perhaps the right rear halfshaft includes some sort of impellors to chop up whatever's being flushed. (Note, there are no curtains installed now, so this convenience was probably only employed at speed.) Curiously, the brochure indicates the toilet was used mainly to keep champagne chilled. Mr. Maschuch was clearly an exceedingly eccentric customer. Other interesting features: electric front seats, a full bar, and a television. The expected price? $550,000! That'd buy at least 10 or 15 Camargues, which altogether wouldn't be as homely. Oh, well, somebody will love it...

I've just spent two days and about 600 miles in the Phantom Coupe, driving from the factory at Chichester in the south of England to Crozet, just outside Geneva. A long-distance trip like this is exactly what Rolls-Royce says the car was designed to do, though in truth the folks who can afford to spend $400,000 on a two-door coupe are more likely to use their Rolls-Royce-powered private jet for the journey.

I guess that only goes to prove money is wasted on the rich because the Phantom Coupe is a very pleasant device in which to cross a continent. Under a hood long enough to double as the flight deck of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is the now-familiar BMW-based 6.75L V-12, with 453 hp on tap at 5350 rpm and 531 lb-ft of torque at 3600 rpm. Rolls-Royce claims 75 percent of the torque is available from just 1000 rpm, though, in practice the big V-12 likes to rev, becoming more responsive as engine speeds build.

While much of the rolling stock -- front and rear suspension, hubs, wheels, brakes -- is shared with the Phantom, the Coupe rolls on a wheelbase that's 9.85 in. shorter than the sedan's. The smooth-shifting ZF 6HP32 six-speed automatic transmission is also shared. Detail changes include revised spring rates to stiffen the ride, a thicker rear stabilizer bar to improve turn-in, and reprogrammed power steering. The brake modulation has been tweaked to provide more aggressive tip-in, and the transmission has been remapped with different shift points.

Even so, the Phantom Coupe feels...languid. Its natural rival, the Bentley Brooklands coupe, launches like a Saturn V, accompanied a rolling-thunder soundtrack that resembles the USS Missouri delivering a broadside. The Rolls oozes away from a standstill with the quiet murmur of a Buckingham Palace garden party. Hit the sport button on the giant steering wheel, and the car will launch in first gear instead of second and hold on to each gear longer. Selecting sport mode also sharpens the steering response, though in no way could you call the result truly sporty.

Like the Phantom sedan, the Coupe is best driven with your fingertips, guided rather than hustled. Driven smoothly, the Phantom Coupe is deceptively quick, though it's clearly best suited to fast, open roads than sinuous mountain passes. On the freeway it's so smooth, so quiet -- and so big -- you easily find yourself wafting along at an effortless 100 mph.

I arrived here at Crozet a few hours ago, relaxed and ready to watch the sunset with a chilled glass of champagne on the hotel terrace. Instead, I came back to my room to write this and a first-drive story for Motor Trend magazine. Like the rest of us, I might not be able to live how the super-rich live. But at least I've driven their car.

We'll have a more complete story on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe -- with more photos -- here at motortrend.com in the next couple of days.

We've agreed not to release any information on that model until the embargo breaks at 12:01am Sunday morning, but in the meantime, we can offer up some very interesting information about how Rolls is doing and what have they in store for the future -- including some tidbits on the rumored small Roller.

Here are the goods:

* The new, smaller Rolls-Royce should debut in 2009 as a 2010 model and is internally coded the RR4, following the naming convention for the Phantom (RR1), Drophead (RR2), and model whose name will be revealed on Sunday (RR3)

* RR4 is significant for the brand as show of strength and expansion. Rolls-Royce had record sales in 2007, breaking the 1000 unit sales mark (1010 vehicles sold worldwide) for the first time ever. Understandably, it is looking to expand production capacity with the introduction of the RR4. To this end, Rolls-Royce's sole plant, on Lord March's 12,000 acre estate in Goodwood, England, has recently been expanded to include a new assembly line and another shift (up from one shift to two) that should double output. For a company that only sold 300 units in 2003, this is big news indeed.

* RR4 should retail between $250,000-280,000, which puts it squarely in Bentley Arnage territory, though it should be sized more like the smaller Flying Spur. Rolls-Royce executives are quick to point out that there are few comparisons in this competitive set, not just in price, but objective -- smaller and sporty, but still the utmost in ultra premium transportation.

Graham Biggs, Rolls-Royce Corporate Communications Director, put it this way, "In the $100,000-200,000 price range, there are lots of cars. The RR4 buyer might have had a Flying Spur, an S-Class, or 7-series, but is looking to upgrade."

* Though it will be built in Goodwood alongside the Phantom and Drophead, the RR4 will not share architecture and will built on the new line. RR4 will share technology from BMW, including engine parts and electronics (iDrive) but only where it makes sense. Biggs explains, "It makes perfect sense to use BMW tech, but not at customer touch points; where customers, see, feel, etc..."

More interesting news from Ian Robertson, Chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce on the current state of the brand:

* Of the 1010 Rolls-Royce models sold globally in 2007, just under 400 went to the United States, making it far and away the largest market. The UK was second with 130, while China finished a strong third at 110 units sold. That fact is particularly interesting, given that all Chinese buyers pay a 300 percent tax, which turns a $400,000 Phantom into a cool million car.

* Which are fourth and fifth largest markets? Taken together, the United Arab Emirates accounts for fourth place, but if you separate them into their respective countries, primarily Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Japan moves from fifth to fourth.

* The split between the owners that prefer to drive or be chauffeured is also telling. In North America, Robertson says 90 percent of Rolls-Royce owners drive their cars. In Asia and the Middle East, the ratio is reversed -- 90 percent of owners prefer to be driven.

* Buying habits also say a lot about North Americans. We're the only market where the dealer specifies the cars that are to be sold, partly because the North American consumer is impatient and will not wait the 4-5 months it would take to custom build a Phantom, or join the 18-20 month list for the Drophead. Apparently, we Norte Americanos want it now, and want to drive it right off the lot.

* Asia is different, says Robertson. There the customers are excited about the bespoke business model, and are perfectly happy to wait 10-12 months as their car is built to order. In fact they will often visit the factory one or two times to check out the progress on their vehicle and make last minute changes. Robertson says the Asian consumer seems to enjoy on the uniqueness of the car; in fact they sell more extended wheelbase (EWB) models in Asia because the longer chassis allows for greater customization.

* On the topic of the long wheelbases, you should know that due to the aluminum space frame construction of the Phantom, you don't have to stop at the 10-inches of extra wheelbase on the EWB. If you'd like a longer saloon, Rolls-Royce can accommodate nearly any length you'd like -- though the typical extensions are 15.7-inches (400mm) and 47.2-inches (1.2 meters), at which point you get another set of seats (facing the rear) and doors that open ahead of the scissoring rear doors. As far as the breakdown goes; EWB Phantoms make up 90 percent of the models sold in the Middle East, 60 percent in China, and only 10 percent in the US.

* If a custom EWB is not enough, Rolls-Royce also sells an armored version of the Phantom, which Robertson admits adds a lot of weight and complexity, since their armor is rated at a Central European Norm (CEN) protection level of B7. This means it will stop most standard military-grade small-arms fire and explosives, including mines, hand grenades, and those cool plastics you see in movies. For armoring, Rolls use of aluminum presents some problems, since heavy steel plating and aluminum don't mix. Special measures must be taken to insure that corrosion via electrolysis doesn't occur at the places where the two come together.

* More interesting sales trivia overheard: In the UK, BMW's Rolls-Royce marque outsells Mercedes-Benz's Maybach brand ten to one. No idea what the ratio is in the U.S., but the single largest Rolls-Royce dealer in the world's biggest Rolls-Royce market is just down the street from our office in Bevery Hills, California.

And that's it for day one of the BMW Group Press Event 2008. Check back with us regularly, as over the next three days we'll have drive reports on the BMW M3, 128, and MINI Clubman. Stay tuned.