Rolls-Royce's Illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy Banned In Europe

Rolls-Royce has been enjoying a spate of successes during the last few months. First, the company announced that its sales have made aturn for the better, and then it revealed anextended versionof its ultra-luxuriousGhostwhich it hopes will further increase its market share in Asian and European markets. Now the British auto manufacturer has suffered a slight setback, and it's a pretty weird one. Updated EU car safety rules have forced Rolls-Royce to cease the sale of its optional glow-in-the-dark Flying Lady mascot.

The £3,500 ($4,557) glowing Spirit of Ecstasy has been around for four years, but new EU regulations will see the icon's lights dimmed. These rules are still being enforced while Britain struggles on with the circus show that is Brexit. The ruling comes as EU regulations aim to crack down on "light pollution".

The EU directive is Regulation 48 - 'UNECR48 - entitled 'Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the installation of lighting and light signally devices.'

The Department of Transport that oversees the UK's Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) confirmed that: 'Illuminated bonnet ornaments are not permitted by the EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval process.'