The 100 EX concept was produced, and presented in 2004, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the meeting of businessman Charles Rolls and engineer Sir Henry Royce in 1904.

In 2006, the 101EX, a grand tourer coupe prototype that directly followed the 100EX concept of a possible new line-topping two-door Rolls-Royce, was presented at the 2006 Geneva International Auto Show.

The 101EX shares its aluminium space frame chassis technology with the 2003 Phantom, albeit in a shortened version.

The car is 9.5 in (241 mm) shorter than the Phantom saloon, with a lower roofline and shallower glass area.

The latter car was featured in the film Johnny English Reborn, and for the film Rowan Atkinson persuaded BMW to fit one of the three or four V16s originally developed for the 2003 Phantom saloon into the movie coupé, to which BMW agreed.