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The Rolls Royce Phantom, a car that divides pretty much everyone. The first product of the new Rolls Royce company following the brand's acquisition by BMW in 2003, the Phantom was the company's flagship from its launch the same year to 2016, but its reputation among fans and customers have kept it somewhat in limbo, be it the styling, the size, the features of its internal design, or even its background origin.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, unofficially known as the Phantom VII, was first considered in around 2000 by BMW prior to the handover of the Rolls Royce brand to them in 2003. At the time, BMW and Volkswagen jointly owned Rolls Royce and Bentley, under the agreement that while BMW provided engines, such as the BMW V12 found in the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, Volkswagen would build the cars. In 2003, the contract came to an end, and Rolls Royce was split from Bentley for the first time since 1931, Bentley to Volkswagen, Rolls Royce to BMW. As part of the contract split, Bentley would retain the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, whilst Rolls Royce itself would move to a new factory in Goodwood on the south coast of England. The last Rolls Royce's to leave their home factory in Crewe, the Silver Seraph and the Corniche V, departed in 2002.
As mentioned, BMW had prepared, and were planning to make their company flagship based largely of the BMW 7-Series, though not exactly. The car is built on its own unique platform, with the body constructed predominantly from aluminium. The dimensions of the Phantom are 5.35ft tall, 19ft long and 6.5ft wide, and weighs 2.4 Tons. The car is fitted with a 6.75L BMW V12 producing 453hp, accelerating this behemoth of a car to 60mph in 5.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive.
The acquisition of Rolls Royce by BMW also meant the company could be flung into the 21st Century in terms of luxury amenities, the kind of which the later years of the previous Rolls Royce Company had been lacking. While the Silver Seraph was a beautiful car and a capable machine, the car was very much traditional old England, and in the 1990's this was no longer impressive to the potential market. As such, it lost out heavily to contemporary Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series that cost less and gave more than the Seraph.
The Phantom on the other hand would give you more for your money so that its contemporaries could never compete. The car was available in 44,000 colours, came with rear-hinged 'coach doors' for easier access to the back, inside of which were located umbrellas, navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls.
After a year of no sales, Rolls Royce burst back onto the motoring scene upon the car's launch in 2003, with a price tag of £250,000. Immediately, the car was lauded by the motoring press for being the best Rolls Royce ever built, and a clear sign that BMW's influence had brought the company into the 21st Century whilst still retaining some of its old world charm. It would later win Top Gear's Car of the Year Award for 2003, and would be featured consistently on the show over the following years.
However, while the Phantom was lauded by critics, the traditional customer base were overwhelmed with disbelief, and it, and its derivatives, have almost been unanimously shunned. The first point of contention was the external styling, being seen as bland, boxy and boring. The next was its size, being far bigger than any previous Rolls Royce, even the bombastic designs of the 1940's and 50's.
The third was its image. While in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, Rolls Royce attempted to make themselves more subtle by toning down their designs to look more mundane and therefore less conceited, the Phantom screamed that it was a Rolls Royce, being as subtle as a brick through a stained glass window! The Phantom gave an aura of deluded wealth and snobbery that was being enjoyed by the new money, something in the vibe of "Hello world! Look at me!"
For the crime of being considered bland, oversized and dripping with vanity and narcissism, the Phantom was punished by disassociating itself with regular Rolls Royce customers, who preferred Bentley's more subtle designs such as the Continental and the Arnage. However, it was still very popular with the aforementioned new money, who created a maddening variety of unique designs to fit their somewhat tacky needs. You could get a Phantom gold-plated, in chrome, in velvet, in ultra-reflective red or matte black! The choices were almost limitless, and the new customer base were more than happy to exploit it.
The Phantom gave rise to a huge number of derivatives throughout its construction life, including; the Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Phantom Coupe, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Armoured Rolls Royce Phantom, the Centenary Edition, the Naples Winter Wine Festival car, the 80th Anniversary Edition, the Rolls Royce Phantom Black, the Rolls Royce Phantom Silver, Rolls Royce Phantom Tungsten, the Grey Goose Extended Wheelbase Phantom, the Pininfarina Hyperion, the 100EX Concept, the 101EX Concept, the 102EX Concept, the Peony edition, the Phantom Sapphire, the Middle East Phantom Bespoke Collection, the Yas Eagle edition, the 60th Anniversary Special Edition Phantom Drophead Coupé, the 2010 Paris Motor Show Phantom, the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection, the Masterpiece London 2011 Drophead Coupé, the Year of the Dragon Collection, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection, Phantom Series II Coupé, 2012 London Olympic Games Phantom Drophead Coupé, Phantom Art Deco cars, Home of Rolls Royce Collection Phantom, Celestial Phantom, Chicane Phantom Coupé, Pinnacle Travel Phantom, Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection, Phantom Limelight and the Phantom Metropolitan Collection.
Construction of the Phantom ended after 13 years on February 24th, 2016, with 4,915 examples produced. The Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe are to remain in production until a successor car is launched in 2018.
One of the earlier versions of this iconic Grand Tourer, the Maranello was the first upmarket front engine V12 since the iconic Daytona, and was marketed as the company's highest-end model.
Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Sorry for some changes, they have money and lawyers, I don't take the risk.
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
With explicit BMW Motorsports identity and a wider track, the 2nd Gen BMW M2 was recently unveiled to automotive media during the 2022 BMW Group Test Fest in Palm Springs, CA. The German coupe is small, but its physicality is immense. The high-performance sports car kicks out 453-horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from its M TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine and pairs with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The featured wheels are 19" front and 20" rear M light alloy Jet Black double-spoke 930Ms with mixed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance rubber.
That’s right; the BMW 7 Series is electrified for 2023 while maintaining the same body style and interior cabin as the gas model. I had a chance to test drive the i7 xDrive60 at the 2022 BMW Test Fest program held at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, CA, with the conclusion that the luxury sedan’s capabilities are superior. It’s fast (especially in Boost mode), achieves 318 electric miles per charge, produces 544-horsepower, and features a rear 31” BMW Theatre Screen that folds out from the ceiling. Other amenities include Rear Executive Lounge Seating, Bowers & Wilkins premium audio, auto opening and closing doors similar to Rolls-Royce, crystal headlights, and three years of free Electrify America charging. Moreover, the EV maintains the dynamic performance attributes we have come to expect from BMWs.
The must-have M Sport Package includes 21” M Aerodynamic Jet Black rims, an M steering wheel, Shadowline exterior trim, and M Sport exterior and interior elements. MSRP is $119,300, but the first batch has been fully reserved.
Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722S + red Rolls Royce Phantom :)
First from Qatar, second from Oman. In Paris.
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The Phantom V was the flagship of the Rolls Royce company from 1959 to 1968, being based heavily on the Silver Cloud II, sharing the same Rolls Royce V8 engine and General Motors Hydramatic automatic gearbox. In traditional Rolls Royce protocol, the company would provide the chassis and drivetrains, and customers would be allowed to choose coachbuilders from a variety of firms, includingH. J. Mulliner, Park Ward, and James Young.
The engine was a 6.25L 90-degree V8 with twin SU carburetors, coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The car had massive drum brakes and a wheelbase of 3,683 mm. Four speed automatic transmission and power assisted steering were standard. Rolls Royce never disclosed the horsepower of the Rolls Royce V8, merely dubbing it as 'sufficient', but if you put the car on a rolling road you'll find it produces about 500hp.
For 1963 both the Phantom V and the Silver Cloud were updated with a newer, more modern design. The launch of the Silver Cloud III resulted in the incorporation of quad-headlights and an increase in power of 7%. These changes were applied similarly to the Phantom V. Probably the most famous Phantom V owner was John Lennon, who painted his 1965 car in a bright yellow and then just basically scribbled all over it with a paint can to give it a psychedelic finish. This car is now on display in Vancouver.
Production ended in 1968 with the unveiling of the Phantom VI, the final model of the original Phantom range that would continue to be built until 1990. In total, 516 Phantom V's were constructed, including the conventional Limousines as well as very rare and ambiguous Landaulette's.
1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 Touter. YX 9746
View the interactive VR image here - www.peterstephens.co.uk/interactive_panoramas/1928_rolls_...
First registerd: 1928
Engine: 43hp 7668cc O.H.V. Straight 6
Transmission: 4 forward and reverse, plate clutch. R.H. gear change
Electrics: 12v. With self starter
Brakes: 4 wheel drum with R.R.mechanical servo
Body: 4/5 seat open tourer
Chassis: Cost new £1850.00 Body coachwork extra.
Photographed at the World of Country Life, Exmouth Devon.
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
The 2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance at Rochester, Michigan, August 2, 2009.
Another wardrobe case is fitted to the left rear door. Lots of luggage space for those long road trips. This one-off Rolls-Royce sold at Pebble Beach auction in 2007 for $1,072,500.
All of my classic car photos can be found here: Car Collections
Press "L" for a larger image on black.
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
With explicit BMW Motorsports identity and a wider track, the 2nd Gen BMW M2 was recently unveiled to automotive media during the 2022 BMW Group Test Fest in Palm Springs, CA. The German coupe is small, but its physicality is immense. The high-performance sports car kicks out 453-horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from its M TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine and pairs with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The featured wheels are 19" front and 20" rear M light alloy Jet Black double-spoke 930Ms with mixed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance rubber.
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
At the 2013 Dubai International Motor Show held in November that year, Rolls-Royce Motor Show displayed the one-off Bespoke Celestial Phantom. Claimed at the time to be the most expensive Rolls-Royce built, it featured 446 diamonds meticulously hand-set into the door cappings, centre console lid, and rear-privacy divider. Other Bespoke features included a Starlight Headliner featuring over a thousand fibre optic lights to form the constellation over the Goodwood factory at midnight 01/01/2003 the time the first Phantom was completed at the new Home of Rolls-Royce. This special Phantom was purchased before the Motor Show by a unnamed collector. The location is the House of Rolls-Royce Goodwood, West Sussex England United Kingdom.
Copyright: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd
With explicit BMW Motorsports identity and a wider track, the 2nd Gen BMW M2 was recently unveiled to automotive media during the 2022 BMW Group Test Fest in Palm Springs, CA. The German coupe is small, but its physicality is immense. The high-performance sports car kicks out 453-horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from its M TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine and pairs with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The featured wheels are 19" front and 20" rear M light alloy Jet Black double-spoke 930Ms with mixed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance rubber.
Shot for RM Sotheby's 2017 Monterey Auction and sold for $825,000 USD.
- “The Gilded Riviera,” an extraordinarily unique and special Phantom I
- Two-time Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 1st in Class winner
Here's something fancy for your upper-crust minifigs.
Instructions can be found here:
rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-161064/IBrickedItUp/rolls-royce-...
The only British Leyland product you'll ever find in Belgravia, the Range Rover and its younger derivatives have since become symbols of this part of London, and there will be at least 10 of them parked on every street!
Rolls Royce Phantom on the show room up at KC Trends in Overland Park, Kansas. Thank you to the guys up at KC Trends for letting me take shots of the beautiful and unique cars at their shop.
You all know the line:
"Rolls Royce Phantom II, 4.3 litre, 30 horsepower, six cylinder engine, with Stromberg downdraft carburetor, can go from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in 12.5 seconds, and I even like the color..."
This time however it is a genuine Rolls Royce Phantom II rather than the 20/25 that actually appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The Rolls Royce Phantom II was launched in 1929 as a successor to the debut car of the legendary range, the original Phantom of 1925. The Phantom II's design was the last to incorporate the Rolls Royce 40/50hp powertrain that was originally the basis of the 1906 Silver Ghost, with the later Phantom III incorporating a new V12.
Power was provided by a 7.7L OHV Straight-6 Rolls Royce engine with a new crossflow cylinder head. Unlike previous models of the 40/50 design, the car's manual transmission 4-speed gearbox was bolted directly to the engine, and Synchromesh was added later.
Like all Rolls Royce models of the time, the company would only provide the chassis and drivetrain to customers, and they would choose their own coachbuilder to construct the body, including Park Ward, Mulliners or James Young. Construction at the Rolls Royce factory in Springfield, Massachusetts closed following the end of the original Phantom's production run in 1931, and thus all models were constructed at the company's Derby works.
Following the acquisition of Bentley in 1932, Rolls Royce also introduced more sporting versions of their cars alongside Bentley models, which included the Rolls Royce 40/50 Phantom II Continental. Designed by Ivan Evernden, the original Continental was a short-wheelbase Phantom designated 26EX, and included a tuned engine for more power. This car would go on to appear 1930 Biarritz Grand Concours d'Elegance, where 26EX had won the Grand Prix d'Honneur. Initial sceptisism by the Rolls Royce management was changed by this victory, and thus a Phantom II Continental Saloon was marketed, featuring a shorter wheelbase, stiffer racing suspension and modified engines.
Eventually the Phantom II ended production in 1936, with 1,680 examples produced, 1,281 of which were regular saloons and tourers, whilst 281 were Continentals. Today these cars are exceptionally rare and are among the most desirable Rolls Royces on the market. Cars such as these, especially mint condition ones, will go for the best part of £1 million, so be sure to have a big wallet on you if you intend to buy!
Auf meinem YouTube-Kanal GK Modelcar Universe stelle ich euch dieses und noch viele andere Modellautos vor.
Schaut gern über den hier stehenden Link herein. Viel Spaß bein Anschauen!
youtu.be/LAKayQUSxLE?list=PL_uu4PyIKDJ05KcNWnPEpBBHuJQmpfTey
English:
On my YouTube channel GK Modelcar Universe I introduce you to this and many other model cars.
Feel free to visit the link here. Have fun looking!
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Please don't use and don't link this images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © www.gk-modelcar-universe.de All rights reserved.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, a car that divides pretty much everyone. The first product of the new Rolls Royce company following the brand's acquisition by BMW in 2003, the Phantom was the company's flagship from its launch the same year to 2016, but its reputation among fans and customers have kept it somewhat in limbo, be it the styling, the size, the features of its internal design, or even its background origin.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, unofficially known as the Phantom VII, was first considered in around 2000 by BMW prior to the handover of the Rolls Royce brand to them in 2003. At the time, BMW and Volkswagen jointly owned Rolls Royce and Bentley, under the agreement that while BMW provided engines, such as the BMW V12 found in the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, whilst Volkswagen would build the cars. In 2003, the contract came to an end, and Rolls Royce was split from Bentley for the first time since 1931, Bentley to Volkswagen, Rolls Royce to BMW. As part of the contract split, Bentley would retain the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, whilst Rolls Royce itself would move to a new factory in Goodwood on the south coast of England. The last Rolls Royce's to leave their home factory in Crewe, the Silver Seraph and the Corniche V, departed in 2002.
As mentioned, BMW had prepared, and were planning to make their company flagship based largely of the BMW 7-Series, though not exactly. The car is built on its own unique platform, with the body constructed predominantly from aluminium. The dimensions of the Phantom are 5.35ft tall, 19ft long and 6.5ft wide, and weighs 2.4 Tons. The car is fitted with a 6.75L BMW V12 producing 453hp, accelerating this behemoth of a car to 60mph in 5.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive.
The acquisition of Rolls Royce by BMW also meant the company could be flung into the 21st Century in terms of luxury amenities, the kind of which the later years of the previous Rolls Royce Company had been lacking. While the Silver Seraph was a beautiful car and a capable machine, the car was very much traditional old England, and in the 1990's this was no longer impressive to the potential market. As such, it lost out heavily to contemporary Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series that cost less and gave more than the Seraph.
The Phantom on the other hand would give you more for your money so that its contemporaries could never compete. The car was available in 44,000 colours, came with rear-hinged 'coach doors' for easier access to the back, inside of which were located umbrellas, navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls.
After a year of no sales, Rolls Royce burst back onto the motoring scene upon the car's launch in 2003, with a price tag of £250,000. Immediately, the car was lauded by the motoring press for being the best Rolls Royce ever built, and a clear sign that BMW's influence had brought the company into the 21st Century whilst still retaining some of its old world charm. It would later win Top Gear's Car of the Year Award for 2003, and would be featured consistently on the show over the following years.
However, while the Phantom was lauded by critics, the traditional customer base were overwhelmed with disbelief, and it, and its derivatives, have almost been unanimously shunned. The first point of contention was the external styling, being seen as bland, boxy and boring. The next was its size, being far bigger than any previous Rolls Royce, even the bombastic designs of the 1940's and 50's.
The third was its image. While in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, Rolls Royce attempted to make themselves more subtle by toning down their designs to look more mundane and therefore less conceited, the Phantom screamed that it was a Rolls Royce, being as subtle as a brick through a stained glass window! The Phantom gave an aura of deluded wealth and snobbery that was being enjoyed by the new money, something in the vibe of "Hello world! Look at me!"
For the crime of being considered bland, oversized and dripping with vanity and narcissism, the Phantom was punished by disassociating itself with regular Rolls Royce customers, who preferred Bentley's more subtle designs such as the Continental and the Arnage. However, it was still very popular with the aforementioned new money, who created a maddening variety of unique designs to fit their somewhat tacky needs. You could get a Phantom gold-plated, in chrome, in velvet, in ultra-reflective red or matte black! The choices were almost limitless, and the new customer base were more than happy to exploit it.
The Phantom gave rise to a huge number of derivatives throughout its construction life, including; the Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Phantom Coupe, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Armoured Rolls Royce Phantom, the Centenary Edition, the Naples Winter Wine Festival car, the 80th Anniversary Edition, the Rolls Royce Phantom Black, the Rolls Royce Phantom Silver, Rolls Royce Phantom Tungsten, the Grey Goose Extended Wheelbase Phantom, the Pininfarina Hyperion, the 100EX Concept, the 101EX Concept, the 102EX Concept, the Peony edition, the Phantom Sapphire, the Middle East Phantom Bespoke Collection, the Yas Eagle edition, the 60th Anniversary Special Edition Phantom Drophead Coupé, the 2010 Paris Motor Show Phantom, the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection, the Masterpiece London 2011 Drophead Coupé, the Year of the Dragon Collection, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection, Phantom Series II Coupé, 2012 London Olympic Games Phantom Drophead Coupé, Phantom Art Deco cars, Home of Rolls Royce Collection Phantom, Celestial Phantom, Chicane Phantom Coupé, Pinnacle Travel Phantom, Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection, Phantom Limelight and the Phantom Metropolitan Collection.
Construction of the Phantom ended after 13 years on February 24th, 2016, with 4,915 examples produced. The Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe are to remain in production until a successor car is launched in 2018.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, a car that divides pretty much everyone. The first product of the new Rolls Royce company following the brand's acquisition by BMW in 2003, the Phantom was the company's flagship from its launch the same year to 2016, but its reputation among fans and customers have kept it somewhat in limbo, be it the styling, the size, the features of its internal design, or even its background origin.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, unofficially known as the Phantom VII, was first considered in around 2000 by BMW prior to the handover of the Rolls Royce brand to them in 2003. At the time, BMW and Volkswagen jointly owned Rolls Royce and Bentley, under the agreement that while BMW provided engines, such as the BMW V12 found in the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, Volkswagen would build the cars. In 2003, the contract came to an end, and Rolls Royce was split from Bentley for the first time since 1931, Bentley to Volkswagen, Rolls Royce to BMW. As part of the contract split, Bentley would retain the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, whilst Rolls Royce itself would move to a new factory in Goodwood on the south coast of England. The last Rolls Royce's to leave their home factory in Crewe, the Silver Seraph and the Corniche V, departed in 2002.
As mentioned, BMW had prepared, and were planning to make their company flagship based largely of the BMW 7-Series, though not exactly. The car is built on its own unique platform, with the body constructed predominantly from aluminium. The dimensions of the Phantom are 5.35ft tall, 19ft long and 6.5ft wide, and weighs 2.4 Tons. The car is fitted with a 6.75L BMW V12 producing 453hp, accelerating this behemoth of a car to 60mph in 5.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive.
The acquisition of Rolls Royce by BMW also meant the company could be flung into the 21st Century in terms of luxury amenities, the kind of which the later years of the previous Rolls Royce Company had been lacking. While the Silver Seraph was a beautiful car and a capable machine, the car was very much traditional old England, and in the 1990's this was no longer impressive to the potential market. As such, it lost out heavily to contemporary Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series that cost less and gave more than the Seraph.
The Phantom on the other hand would give you more for your money so that its contemporaries could never compete. The car was available in 44,000 colours, came with rear-hinged 'coach doors' for easier access to the back, inside of which were located umbrellas, navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls.
After a year of no sales, Rolls Royce burst back onto the motoring scene upon the car's launch in 2003, with a price tag of £250,000. Immediately, the car was lauded by the motoring press for being the best Rolls Royce ever built, and a clear sign that BMW's influence had brought the company into the 21st Century whilst still retaining some of its old world charm. It would later win Top Gear's Car of the Year Award for 2003, and would be featured consistently on the show over the following years.
However, while the Phantom was lauded by critics, the traditional customer base were overwhelmed with disbelief, and it, and its derivatives, have almost been unanimously shunned. The first point of contention was the external styling, being seen as bland, boxy and boring. The next was its size, being far bigger than any previous Rolls Royce, even the bombastic designs of the 1940's and 50's.
The third was its image. While in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, Rolls Royce attempted to make themselves more subtle by toning down their designs to look more mundane and therefore less conceited, the Phantom screamed that it was a Rolls Royce, being as subtle as a brick through a stained glass window! The Phantom gave an aura of deluded wealth and snobbery that was being enjoyed by the new money, something in the vibe of "Hello world! Look at me!"
For the crime of being considered bland, oversized and dripping with vanity and narcissism, the Phantom was punished by disassociating itself with regular Rolls Royce customers, who preferred Bentley's more subtle designs such as the Continental and the Arnage. However, it was still very popular with the aforementioned new money, who created a maddening variety of unique designs to fit their somewhat tacky needs. You could get a Phantom gold-plated, in chrome, in velvet, in ultra-reflective red or matte black! The choices were almost limitless, and the new customer base were more than happy to exploit it.
The Phantom gave rise to a huge number of derivatives throughout its construction life, including; the Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Phantom Coupe, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Armoured Rolls Royce Phantom, the Centenary Edition, the Naples Winter Wine Festival car, the 80th Anniversary Edition, the Rolls Royce Phantom Black, the Rolls Royce Phantom Silver, Rolls Royce Phantom Tungsten, the Grey Goose Extended Wheelbase Phantom, the Pininfarina Hyperion, the 100EX Concept, the 101EX Concept, the 102EX Concept, the Peony edition, the Phantom Sapphire, the Middle East Phantom Bespoke Collection, the Yas Eagle edition, the 60th Anniversary Special Edition Phantom Drophead Coupé, the 2010 Paris Motor Show Phantom, the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection, the Masterpiece London 2011 Drophead Coupé, the Year of the Dragon Collection, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection, Phantom Series II Coupé, 2012 London Olympic Games Phantom Drophead Coupé, Phantom Art Deco cars, Home of Rolls Royce Collection Phantom, Celestial Phantom, Chicane Phantom Coupé, Pinnacle Travel Phantom, Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection, Phantom Limelight and the Phantom Metropolitan Collection.
Construction of the Phantom ended after 13 years on February 24th, 2016, with 4,915 examples produced. The Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe are to remain in production until a successor car is launched in 2018.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, a car that divides pretty much everyone. The first product of the new Rolls Royce company following the brand's acquisition by BMW in 2003, the Phantom was the company's flagship from its launch the same year to 2016, but its reputation among fans and customers have kept it somewhat in limbo, be it the styling, the size, the features of its internal design, or even its background origin.
The Rolls Royce Phantom, unofficially known as the Phantom VII, was first considered in around 2000 by BMW prior to the handover of the Rolls Royce brand to them in 2003. At the time, BMW and Volkswagen jointly owned Rolls Royce and Bentley, under the agreement that while BMW provided engines, such as the BMW V12 found in the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, whilst Volkswagen would build the cars. In 2003, the contract came to an end, and Rolls Royce was split from Bentley for the first time since 1931, Bentley to Volkswagen, Rolls Royce to BMW. As part of the contract split, Bentley would retain the Rolls Royce factory in Crewe, whilst Rolls Royce itself would move to a new factory in Goodwood on the south coast of England. The last Rolls Royce's to leave their home factory in Crewe, the Silver Seraph and the Corniche V, departed in 2002.
As mentioned, BMW had prepared, and were planning to make their company flagship based largely of the BMW 7-Series, though not exactly. The car is built on its own unique platform, with the body constructed predominantly from aluminium. The dimensions of the Phantom are 5.35ft tall, 19ft long and 6.5ft wide, and weighs 2.4 Tons. The car is fitted with a 6.75L BMW V12 producing 453hp, accelerating this behemoth of a car to 60mph in 5.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive.
The acquisition of Rolls Royce by BMW also meant the company could be flung into the 21st Century in terms of luxury amenities, the kind of which the later years of the previous Rolls Royce Company had been lacking. While the Silver Seraph was a beautiful car and a capable machine, the car was very much traditional old England, and in the 1990's this was no longer impressive to the potential market. As such, it lost out heavily to contemporary Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series that cost less and gave more than the Seraph.
The Phantom on the other hand would give you more for your money so that its contemporaries could never compete. The car was available in 44,000 colours, came with rear-hinged 'coach doors' for easier access to the back, inside of which were located umbrellas, navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls.
After a year of no sales, Rolls Royce burst back onto the motoring scene upon the car's launch in 2003, with a price tag of £250,000. Immediately, the car was lauded by the motoring press for being the best Rolls Royce ever built, and a clear sign that BMW's influence had brought the company into the 21st Century whilst still retaining some of its old world charm. It would later win Top Gear's Car of the Year Award for 2003, and would be featured consistently on the show over the following years.
However, while the Phantom was lauded by critics, the traditional customer base were overwhelmed with disbelief, and it, and its derivatives, have almost been unanimously shunned. The first point of contention was the external styling, being seen as bland, boxy and boring. The next was its size, being far bigger than any previous Rolls Royce, even the bombastic designs of the 1940's and 50's.
The third was its image. While in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, Rolls Royce attempted to make themselves more subtle by toning down their designs to look more mundane and therefore less conceited, the Phantom screamed that it was a Rolls Royce, being as subtle as a brick through a stained glass window! The Phantom gave an aura of deluded wealth and snobbery that was being enjoyed by the new money, something in the vibe of "Hello world! Look at me!"
For the crime of being considered bland, oversized and dripping with vanity and narcissism, the Phantom was punished by disassociating itself with regular Rolls Royce customers, who preferred Bentley's more subtle designs such as the Continental and the Arnage. However, it was still very popular with the aforementioned new money, who created a maddening variety of unique designs to fit their somewhat tacky needs. You could get a Phantom gold-plated, in chrome, in velvet, in ultra-reflective red or matte black! The choices were almost limitless, and the new customer base were more than happy to exploit it.
The Phantom gave rise to a huge number of derivatives throughout its construction life, including; the Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Phantom Coupe, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Armoured Rolls Royce Phantom, the Centenary Edition, the Naples Winter Wine Festival car, the 80th Anniversary Edition, the Rolls Royce Phantom Black, the Rolls Royce Phantom Silver, Rolls Royce Phantom Tungsten, the Grey Goose Extended Wheelbase Phantom, the Pininfarina Hyperion, the 100EX Concept, the 101EX Concept, the 102EX Concept, the Peony edition, the Phantom Sapphire, the Middle East Phantom Bespoke Collection, the Yas Eagle edition, the 60th Anniversary Special Edition Phantom Drophead Coupé, the 2010 Paris Motor Show Phantom, the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection, the Masterpiece London 2011 Drophead Coupé, the Year of the Dragon Collection, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection, Phantom Series II Coupé, 2012 London Olympic Games Phantom Drophead Coupé, Phantom Art Deco cars, Home of Rolls Royce Collection Phantom, Celestial Phantom, Chicane Phantom Coupé, Pinnacle Travel Phantom, Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection, Phantom Limelight and the Phantom Metropolitan Collection.
Construction of the Phantom ended after 13 years on February 24th, 2016, with 4,915 examples produced. The Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe are to remain in production until a successor car is launched in 2018.