Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a full-sized luxury saloon manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It is the eighth and current generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, debuting in 2017, and the second launched by Rolls-Royce under BMW ownership. This is the current flagship model made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and is offered in two wheelbase lengths.[7][8]

Launch

The Phantom was unveiled by livestream on 27 July 2017.[9]

It made its public debut at a special exhibition Rolls-Royce held in London two days later on 29 July. The event, dubbed "The Great Eight Phantoms", took place at Bonhams auction house in Mayfair. The exhibition gathered a noteworthy Phantom from each generation, from Fred Astaire's Phantom I to subsequent models driven by royalty, or made famous by celebrities, including John Lennon's Romany gypsy wagon-style painted Phantom V; John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce.[9]

Design

The Phantom VIII's styling has been described as an evolution of the Phantom VII's as it bears most of the design features of its predecessor.[10]

Like its predecessor, the Phantom VIII has a short front overhang and upright front end, a long bonnet and set-back passenger compartment as well as a long wheelbase and a flowing rear end.[10] It also uses rear-hinged "coach doors". For the first time on a Phantom, Rolls-Royce's trademark "Parthenon" radiator grille is integrated into the surrounding bodywork.

The Phantom is available in two wheelbase lengths. The shorter of the two is the shortest Phantom since at least 1939.

Phantom Extended Wheelbase

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase (EWB), or the Phantom Extended, is a special variant of the Rolls-Royce Phantom that is 220 mm longer than the standard model.[11]

The car's exterior design is identical to that of the original Phantom and excluding the length, every feature has been adapted from the standard model.

The car's rear passenger compartment has been enlarged and the interior features a "Starlight Headliner" that uses more than 1500 fibre optics elements to create the impression of a night sky with stars. This technology was first used on the Phantom Celestial.

The interior features a partition between the front cockpit and the rear passenger compartment, and the rear passenger compartment has been made soundproof for privacy and is known as the "Privacy Suite" by the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.[12]

Buyers can customize the car's interior to some extent– the "Gallery" allows customization of the dashboard and other minor details.[13]

Phantom Series II

In May 2022, Rolls-Royce announced the Series II car, to be available from the 2023 model year. Series II has a number of updated and improved features, including:[14]

• new garnish above the Pantheon Grille and above the LED Daytime Running Lamps
• headlamps have been revised come with bezel starlights
• a new set of disc wheels

Special Editions

Specifications

Equipment

The Electronic Architecture of the New Phantom is the largest ever component produced by the BMW Group, let alone Rolls-Royce. Some, but not all, assistance systems on-board New Phantom include:[25]

• Night vision[19]
• 4-camera system with Panoramic View
• Alertness-assistant
• Adaptive cruise control[19]
• 7x3 HD Head-up display[19]
• WiFi hotspot[19]
• Laser headlights with high-beam range of more than 600 metres[19]

Reception

The Phantom has been very well received by automotive journalists, with many outlets considering it to be the best luxury car on sale. The Phantom's refinement came in for particularly high praise, with Matt Prior in Autocar labelling it "utterly exceptional",[26] while Mike Duff in Car and Driver described it as "freakishly quiet".[27]

Ride quality was adjudged to be similarly good; Gavin Green in Car remarked that the Phantom's ride comfort is "a cut above anything on the road",[28] and Angus MacKenzie in Motor Trend said "the ride is truly magical".[29] The Phantom's interior also came in for praise: it was variously described as "utterly exemplary",[26] "wonderful"[28] and "spectacular".[29] In light of its weight and size, magazines considered the Phantom's driving dynamics to be impressive: reviewers praised the car's surprising dynamism and agility,[28][22][26] light and precise steering,[28][26][30] and excellent brake pedal feel.[26][29]

The Phantom was named Top Gear 's 2017 "Luxury Car of the Year".[31][32] It has received the UK Car of the Year Awards’ prestigious ‘Best Luxury Car’ honour. Drawing on votes from a jury of 27 leading motoring journalists, the awards highlight the best new cars on the market for UK customers.[33] Autocar gave the 2018 Phantom a "Five Star Car" award at the 2018 Autocar Awards.[34]

Production and sales

The Phantom is assembled by hand at Rolls-Royce's plant in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.[43] Customer deliveries commenced in January 2018.[44][45] According to a statement from BMW AG, Rolls-Royce and similar institutions, this generation of automobiles with combustion engines will end in 2030, due to the company switching to electric models.[46]

External links

• Official webpage
• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
• "Great Phantoms" microsite