A German Rolls-Royce?

The loss of empire was bad enough for the British. But now there's the possibility that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. will become, well, German.

BMW, Daimler Benz, and Volkswagen are making serious bids--with BMW generally thought to be at the head of the pack. However, an enterprising and determined group of Rolls-Royce owners plans to raise $1.1 billion (680 million British pounds) to buy the company and keep it British.