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Who ordered one? The new Phantom is a triumphant expression of Rolls-Royce’s titanic ambition https://www.wallpaper.com/lifestyle/rolls-royce-phantom-2018 Pent-up demand greets new Rolls-Royce Phantom http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/transport/pent-up-demand-greets-new-rolls-royce-phantom Our focus on the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom explored only a singular facet of this remarkable car’s creation; the ‘Gallery’ feature that allows owners a place for bespoke artworks embedded in the dash. The car launched with seven unique commissions, including works from Thorsten Franck, Liang Yuanwei, Richard Fox and Helen Amy Murray. It was the fluid sculpture of London studio Based Upon that caught our eye, but truth be told, every aspect of the Phantom is something of a creation story, from the impressively engineered platform that sits beneath the imposing bodywork, to the extraordinary complexity of the internal craftsmanship and the little flourishes of detail design that abound. As we noted, commissioning a high-end luxury car like a Phantom has become more and more like specifiying a house or a yacht; a collaborative creative process with limitless options. The new car is the eighth model to bear the Phantom name, but you can sure that practically no two car in this 92-year lifespan has been completely identical. From the very earliest days, the Phantom wasn’t so much a mode of transport as a platform for sybaritic self expression, the self-proclaimed ‘best car in the world’ that existed in a field of its own for most of its life. It’s getting crowded at the top, so Phantom needed to move on. Not that there was any particular wrong with the seventh generation model, a titanic cliff face of an automobile, crafted with enormous assurance at BMW’s DesignWorks studio in order to represent the essence of what was, back in 2003, the complete reinvention of the brand. Fourteen years later, the newest machine to bear the Phantom name was revealed. Unsurprisingly, this is still a monumental piece of automotive design, more akin to a small building than a piece of private transportation. The Phantom has always been about superlatives – price, scale, technology – so Rolls-Royce’s designers and engineers have had to work hard to make light work of a heavy brief. The result will grace the smartest forecourts, rivieras, and private driveways for a generation. Overseen by Rolls-Royce’s design director Giles Taylor, the new car achieves that rare mix of maintaining tradition without jettisoning modernity, swathing the cabin in the traditional mix of leather, wood and chrome, emphasising the architectural and sense of space. The bodywork is evolutionary, not revolutionary, yet retains the undeniably imperious stance that puts the Phantom a head and shoulders above the rest. New Phantom deliveries begin in early 2018, but already change is afoot. Rolls itself is readying a high-riding 4x4, code-named ‘Cullinan’, for launch later next year. And more to the point, given the Phantom’s decade-plus lifespan, could this be the last conventional model before the luxury car evolves into something altogether different? We won’t get behind the wheel – and into that back seat – until later in the year.

http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_rolls-royce_phantom-1.jpg Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited has revealed the all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom today at the company's new manufacturing plant and head office at Goodwood in West Sussex, UK. It is just four and a half years since BMW Group became the custodians of the Rolls-Royce marque for automotive use, in July 1998, and committed to launch a new company, a new plant and a new motor car in January 2003. Entirely new from the ground up, the Rolls-Royce Phantom captures the essence of the world's most famous car brand, interpreted in an utterly modern way. Influenced by the guiding principles of Sir Henry Royce, Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it, the design and engineering teams began with a blank sheet of paper. The result is a motor car which incorporates cutting edge engineering technology, unparalleled quality and the finest in hand-built craftsmanship. The Phantom has a light-weight aluminium space frame body, a V12 engine which develops tremendous power and torque and a style, inside and out, which is every inch a Rolls-Royce. Designers immersed themselves in the heritage and design principles which had made Rolls-Royce world famous and found particular inspiration in the Phantom I and II models of the 1930s, the Silver Cloud of the 1950s and the Silver Shadow of the 1960s. Features like a long wheelbase, a short front overhang, a deep C-pillar, a long bonnet and a particular stance, which made these motor cars look as if they were lightly accelerating even at a standstill, were fundamental design elements and were incorporated into the new Phantom - quite apart from the famous grille and The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. On the inside, the finest leather, Cashmere trim and fitted cabinetry have been used to create an atmosphere which is simple, yet of unquestionable quality. Access is via coach doors, which open from the centre of the car (the rear doors hinged at the back) reminiscent of the classic Rolls-Royce era and which have been chosen to give easy access to the rear. Combined with a flat floor they allow passengers simply to walk in to the rear, turn and sit down. A slightly curved lounge seat helps to create a social environment. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is easy yet rewarding to drive - something which is vitally important as the majority of owners will drive themselves most of the time. The high driving position gives an excellent view. Intuitive and effortless to drive, the Phantom is beautifully refined and precise in its responses. Self-levelling air springs, electronic dampers and multi-link rear, double wishbone front suspension combine with the long wheelbase and high profile tyres to give the perfect combination of ride and handling. The large wheels and tyres have been specially developed for the Phantom: it is the first car in the world to feature the advanced PAX run-flat tyre system as standard, which allows the car to run for 100 miles at 50 mph after a puncture. On the move, the purpose-designed 6.75-litre V12 engine provides huge reserves of power and torque. The Rolls-Royce Phantom will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds (0-100 kph 5.9 seconds) and on to a limited top speed of 149 mph (240 kph). Behind the wheel, the low-down torque wafts the Phantom swiftly yet effortlessly from tick-over. Peak torque is 720 Nm (531 lb ft) at 3500 rpm, but more importantly 75 per cent of that total is developed at just 1000 rpm. Maximum power is 460 PS (338 kW). The latest in combustion technology - variable valve lift, variable valve timing and direct fuel injection - helps produce excellent fuel economy for a motor car of the Phantom's size and power. On the EU extra urban cycle it returns 25.7 mpg (11.0 l/100 km) and a combined figure of 17.8 mpg (15.9 l/100 km). As well as the main features of the Phantom, there are a number of delightful detail touches which help to make this such a special motor car - something in which Rolls-Royce has always taken pride. For example; the electrically retractable Spirit of Ecstasy, which can be lowered out of sight whenever the Phantom is parked; the wheel hub centres, bearing the interlinked double-R logo, which remain upright; and the umbrellas which will be found stowed within each rear door. Tony Gott, chairman and chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, says: For nearly 100 years, Rolls-Royce has been the icon of motor engineering and design. The name has entered the language as an expression of perfection. The new Rolls-Royce Phantom is, we believe, entirely in keeping with that long and illustrious heritage, yet is totally contemporary in its design and technology. Its name evokes the personality of the Phantom I and II models of the 1930s and reflects timeless values of quality, distinction and authority, combining the best of the past with the best modern design, engineering and technology to take Rolls-Royce firmly into the 21st century. Story by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited