MONTEREY, California - Rolls-Royce isn't the same as it used to be. Whether that's a good thing or a bad one depends in part on your knowledge of the British ultra-luxury motorcar company's heritage.

From 1904 through 2002, Rolls-Royce turned out a long series of stately, elegant classic vehicles for astronomical prices. Silver Spur, Silver Shadow, Corniche. Even the model names evoke a sense of wonder.

Only the very wealthy need apply may as well have been the theme. After all, shoppers who couldn't quite manage a Rolls-Royce had the Bentley marque to turn to. Bentleys weren't cheap either, of course. But compared to a Rolls, it qualified almost as a bargain.

At the start of 2003, Rolls-Royce and Bentley went their separate ways. Bentley became part of Volkswagen/Audi. Rolls-Royce fell under the stewardship of BMW.

All the old Rolls-Royce nameplates faded into history, replaced by a single, mammoth sedan called the Phantom. Nearly every luxury and convenience a person could want went into each Phantom. Still, some traditionalists were mortified. This wasn't the Rolls-Royce marque they'd grown to adore. Not only was the Phantom completely different from anything that preceded it, but Rolls was now owned by a German company, of all things.

When the Phantom sedan debuted during 2003, its purpose was to "establish the brand again," says Rolls-Royce chairman Ian Robinson. To produce the Phantom, Rolls-Royce "recruited a completely new workforce" at Gaydon, England. Among the many changes from the past, the Phantom cost twice as much as the previous model.

Robinson says the Phantom sedan was Phase One of a five-pronged plan. Step two was "expanding the range," led by an extended-wheelbase version. Next came the Drophead Coupe (convertible), placed on sale in summer 2007. An armored sedan followed. The fifth element, unveiled at a media dinner in Monterey, is the Phantom Coupe. Chief designer Ian Robinson drove the Coupe into the dining area, to give the assembled journalists a close look. The Phantom Coupe makes its official debut at the Geneva (Switzerland) Motor Show in early March.

An experimental coupe appeared at Geneva two years ago. As expected, the production version resembles the convertible. Both have "suicide" doors that are hinged at the rear, not the front - a design touch that reached its zenith back in the 1930s, but has reappeared periodically on specific models from various manufacturers.

The Coupe was "designed as a more dynamic vehicle" than the Drophead, Robinson said. That means stiffer springs and other components, qualifying it as a "transcontinental tourer." Sales begin in June.

Prior to revealing the new Coupe, journalists were invited to gaze upon and sit in a group of Phantom models - two-door Drophead as well as several four-door sedans. Sedans offer more backseat space than any vehicle in recent memory. Even though the Drophead and Coupe are exercises in excess, on a scale seldom encountered anywhere else in the automotive world, a brief stint behind the wheel - even though the car isn't running - is an experience to be savored.

Test drives? Only a tiny elite crew of journalists ever gets to drive Rolls-Royce models. For most of this group in Monterey, a minute or two luxuriating in Rolls-Royce leather and gripping the big, traditional-look steering wheel is the limit of experience in such a rarefied realm.