Freebie for the Rich

Even in a world of "buy one, get one free," the full-page New York Times ad was an eye-catcher. The deal: buy an apartment in the Viscaya, a new luxury high-rise on Manhattan's swanky East Side, and drive away in a free 1983 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. "If you already own a Rolls," continued the ad, "we can discuss alternative options."

The Viscaya is what real estate agents like to describe as "very special." Maybe a little too special. The two-bedroom units in the pencil-thin tower start at $582,500 and go as high as $1.2 million. They come complete with spectacular views, small kitchens (who cooks?), marble baths with Jacuzzi whirlpools and a roof garden for parties. Owner Harold Lynn, 45, a onetime Seventh Avenue clothing importer, admits that the Rolls come-on amounts to a $110,000 discount to perk up sales (twelve of his 21 units are unsold).

The promotion seems to have worked. The ad brought sightseers, who gawked at the Silver Spirit parked out front, and at least two serious potential purchasers. But while one wants the Rolls, the other asked for a cash discount instead. Perhaps it was the car. The Silver Spirit, notes Rolls-Royce Spokesman Reg Abbiss, is "the bottom of the line." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.