The fifth Rolls-Royce to bear the Corniche name, this modern legend made its debut in January 2000. With a base price of $359,900, it was the most expensive vehicle offered by Rolls-Royce at the time. In 2001, when Bentley and Rolls-Royce once again became two separate companies, the Corniche production run ended. Bentley became a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and its vehicles continued to be manufactured in the Crewe factory, while Rolls-Royce was owned solely by BMW and produced in an entirely new factory built by BMW. The Corniche is special, as it was the only new Rolls-Royce developed under Volkswagen's ownership.

Befitting luxury automobiles of this stature, a Corniche of this vintage is a truly hand-built vehicle equipped with the best of everything. The 6.75-liter turbocharged V-8 engine was rated to produce 325 horsepower and gives this stately luxury convertible a top speed of 135 mph and a 0–60 acceleration time of eight seconds. Though it had styling cues sourced from the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph sedan, the Corniche shared little mechanically with the BMW-engined cars. Instead, the Corniche body was set onto the platform used for the similarly styled Bentley Azure; thus, it was the first and only Rolls-Royce descended from a Bentley, rather than the other way around.

The Corniche offered here is, on account of its chassis number, the second of only 32 left-hand drive examples produced during the model’s final year of availability. Finished in the handsome shade of Silver Tempest, it boasts a luxurious, hand-trimmed interior furnished with Cotswold leather and French Navy leather, matching Wilton wool carpets, and high-gloss burr walnut trim throughout. A Blue-colored fabric convertible top deploys at the push of a button, lending the Corniche’s all-weather appeal an attractive countenance.

This Corniche was completed at Crewe in August 2001 and delivered new to Royal Motor Cars of Atlanta, Georgia shortly thereafter. However, the Carfax shows that most of the car’s life has been spent in the Tri-State area surrounding New York City since 2002. Today it shows 6,837 miles at time of cataloguing, and it is accompanied by a set of manuals, two Rolls-Royce umbrellas, and a copy of the window sticker.

Given its unique status as the last Rolls-Royce model to be manufactured at the Crewe factory, and the only new Rolls-Royce developed under Volkswagen's ownership, this low-mileage Corniche would be an excellent addition to any discerning enthusiast’s collection.