Ever since Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Ian Robertson admitted to reporters that the BMW-owned British automaker was preparing a "small" model for a 2010 debut, speculation has run rampant. We haven't had a look at the car, code-named RR4, (although we have mulled over a pretty compelling computer rendering and spy shots of some heavily disguised prototypes), but details are emerging. For one thing, it's very likely the car will use a variation of the the next-generation BMW 7-series platform with appropriately stoic sheetmetal (including Phantom-style coach doors at the rear). Price- and size-wise, expect the baby Rolls to slot neatly between the twelve-cylinder, $122,600 760Li (pictured above right) and the twelve-cylinder, $340,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom — it will be pricier and more opulent than its prime rival, the $170,000 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the new model is R-R's apparent interest in placing diesel power behind that famous grille. Robertson conceded that the car will feature an entirely new engine — neither the Phantom's 6.75-liter gasoline V-12 or the 760Li's 6.0-liter gasoline V-12. It seems quite possible, therefore, that the company is developing a new BluePerformance clean-diesel V-8 derived from the 4.4-liter engine in the European-market 745d (an engine that produces 325 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque while returning 25 mpg, despite the long-wheelbase sedan's 4800 pounds). As for a model name, it's anyone's guess at this point, but look for a revival of one of the marque's classic "Silver" monikers, such as Silver Shadow, Silver Cloud, or Silver Wraith.
