Car Of The Week - Rolls Royce Phantom

Spirits are supernatural beings, the existence of which remains debatable and is rather unknown. Well, in the car world spirits definitely exist! The spirits in the car world we are referring to are Rolls Royce cars. All Rolls Royce cars are named after a spirit or supernatural object. Rolls Royce cars are the gold standard for automotive luxury and a benchmark in themselves, in a league of their own. Rolls Royce cars are a perfect fit for the crème de la crème of the society - royalty, heads of state, VVIPs, billionaires. The Rolls Royce flagship – Phantom has for many generations been the best and most luxurious car in the world, we are going to tell you more about ‘the best car in the world’.

The Rolls Royce Phantom has been around for a long time and is currently in its eighth generation. The Rolls Royce Phantom was introduced in 1925 (popularly known as the Phantom I) as a replacement for the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Rolls Royce, the world’s premier manufacturer of ultra-luxury cars allows for a lot of customization and personalization to their cars. Hence, giving the Rolls Royce customer the freedom to customize and personalize a majority of the car elements to their individual tastes and preferences. Ever since the early days of the brand, only the engine and chassis were manufactured by Rolls Royce while the remaining of the car body was manufactured by individual coachbuilders basis the individual tastes and preferences of customers. As time has progressed, Rolls Royce manufacturers some body components in-house yet offering a lot of personalization by the customer. The 1925 Phantom was powered by a 7.7 L six-cylinder petrol engine producing 50 bhp of max power output.

The Rolls Royce Phantom III was introduced in 1936 and was the last pre-war Rolls Royce. The Phantom III was more fluidic and aerodynamic in design than its predecessors. The car was powered by a massive V12 petrol engine made using an aluminum alloy. This was the first time Rolls Royce had used a V12 engine, the next would be in 1998. The Phantom III was the last car company founder Henry Royce had worked on. After the war Rolls Royce marked their return to production with the introduction of the Rolls Royce Phantom IV – the most exclusive Rolls Royce ever made. The Phantom IV was the first car manufactured by Rolls Royce after the war, a decade since the Phantom III. The new Phantom was a masterclass of beauty and luxury, and if you wanted to get your hands on one you would have to be part of a very elite list. Only 18 units of the Phantom IV were produced exclusively for royalty and heads of state.  The car was powered by 5.7 L and 6.5 L straight-eight engines mated to manual and automatic gearboxes.

BMW group bought BMW in 1990 and the Rolls Royce Phantom VII became the first Rolls Royce flagship to be developed under BMW. The Phantom VII was introduced in 2003 and manufactured at the Goodwood plant. The new Phantom had a modern styling and came with various body type configurations – 4-door saloon, 2-door coupe, and a drophead coupe. The Phantom VII was powered 6.75 L V12 engine producing 454 bhp and mated to a 6-speed ZF gearbox. The Rolls Royce brand is a true testament of bespoke luxury and attention to detail. A majority of the car is still made by hand by trained craftsmen ensuring the use of the highest quality of materials. Rolls Royce customers are allowed to choose from over 44,000 different color options and any specific leather. The overall list of features and customizations on offer is massive! It takes about 3-4 months on average for Rolls Royce to manufacture each Phantom.  

The current Rolls Royce Phantom is now in its eighth-generation and was introduced in 2017. The current-gen Phantom is built on an entirely new, all-aluminum platform called the ‘Architecture of Luxury’. This platform is shared with the Cullinan SUV as well. The latest-gen Phantom is a great blend of tradition and tech. The current Phantom features a transparent glass compartment within the dashboard of the car known as ‘The Gallery’. Owners can customize and display decorative artwork inside the gallery, hence making each Phantom unique. This is just one example of Rolls Royce taking luxury and engineering to another level and cementing their place at the very pinnacle of car luxury. The Phantom has exceptional noise and cabin insulation with extensive usage of padding and noise reduction materials. The car gets an electronically controlled air-suspension and comes with the biggest air springs out there. This ensures passengers get the best drive comfort money can buy. The latest Phantom is powered by a 6.75 L twin-turbocharged V12 producing 563 bhp of max power and 900 nm of max torque mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

The founders of Rolls Royce – Charles Rolls and Henry Royce started the company in 1904 with a clear intention to make the ‘best car in the world’. The Rolls Royce Phantom with 8 generations and close to a century since introduction has more than lived up to that intention. The Rolls Royce Phantom remains at the top of not only the car world but also the world of luxury.