Rolls-Royce Phantom

See also Rolls-Royce Phantom for other models sharing this name

Rolls-Royce Phantom

Manufacturer	Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Parent company	BMW Group
Production	2003-present
Assembly	Goodwood, Chichester, W Sussex, England
Predecessor	Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style(s)	2-door drophead coupe/convertible 4-door saloon
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	6.75 L V12 453 bhp (338 kW)
Transmission(s)	ZF 6-speed automatic
Wheelbase	140.6 in (3571 mm)
Length	229.7 in (5834 mm)
Width	78.3 in (1989 mm)
Height	64.3 in (1633 mm)
Curb weight	2,485 kg (5,480 lb)
Related	Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé
Designer	Marek Djordjevic Ian Cameron

The Rolls-Royce Phantom British saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in England. It was launched in 2003. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, both based on the 2003 Phantom, are the most recent additions to the Rolls-Royce brand.

Construction

The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.

Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is down the street from the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof.^[1] There are only two robots in the factory. The two robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat.^[2] All other work is done by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.

V12 engine of a 2008 Phantom

It has a 6.75 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 bhp (338 kW; 459 PS) and 720 N·m (530 lb·ft) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's N73 V12 powerplant. The engine is assembled by BMW. The engine uses direct fuel injection, and is a drive by wire design, using valvetronic technology. The power output is regulated by infinitely varying valve lift by moving the rockers and rocker fulcrums via electric servos, rather than using the throttle body.The throttle body is maintained for fail-safe operation.

The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.^[3]

It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension. The transmission is sourced from ZF of Germany. The vehicle electronics are sourced from BMW.

An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase^[4] (or EWB).

A Rolls-Royce Phantom owned by the Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah

Novel features

• Customers can choose from 44,000 paint colours, and specify any leather colour.^[5]

• Instead of a tachometer, the car has a power reserve dial indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver. This is to provide a sense of tremendous power in reserve, and to hide "crude" underlying mechanicals from its owners. The cluster is not shared with any other vehicle. Doors are remote operated.

• The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving. The car will automatically brake to a walking speed if a coach door remains open when driving off.^[6] The rear doors also house umbrellas that are stored within the doors, and can only be accessed when the front or rear doors are open. The fabric of the umbrella is coated with Teflon to assist in shedding water when the wet umbrella is stored within the door.

• The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an automatic electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button, and retracted when the alarm is armed. The base contains a sensor which detects movement, and will retract if tampered with.

• The 'RR' logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.

Luxury Amenities

Features include a 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 trunk lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are unlimited options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" program through which the factory will create any option a customer asks for.

Drophead Coupé and Coupé

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX concept car unveiled to celebrate the company's centennial in 2005.

Sales

• The introductory base price was £250,000 in the United Kingdom and $300,000 in the United States.
• After selling 805 units in 2006, Rolls-Royce first met its annual sales target of 1,000 vehicles in 2007 (1,010 Phantoms sold, Drophead Coupé sales included).^[8]
• In 2004, Rolls-Royce was selling twice as many cars as its closest rival Maybach.
• The 2,000th car rolled out of the Goodwood factory in December 2005.^[9]
• In July 2006, Rolls Royce produced a limited edition run of 25 cars called the "Phantom Black"^[10]
• The 3,000th car rolled out of the Goodwood factory in March 2007.
• Rolls Royce produced a limited edition run of 25 cars to commemorate the centenary of the Silver Ghost.^[11]
• The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong has purchased a fleet of 14 extended wheelbase Phantoms to replace the Silver Spurs in the fleet, all painted in a special "Peninsula Green" and delivered in December 2006, making history for being the largest single order for the Phantom.^[12]
• Luxury Vodka maker Grey Goose and Rolls-Royce teamed up to create two customized limited-edition Rolls-Royce extended wheelbase Phantoms to help promote social responsibility while drinking.^[13]
• Rolls Royce released a special Tungsten edition Phantom which incorporated innovations featured in the EX101 Experimental Car.^[14]

Scale models

Although a number of unauthorized scale models of the Phantom have been produced (including a few Mansory edition Phantoms), Rolls-Royce has awarded Exoto the exclusive right to make a 1:18 of the Phantom and the EWB Phantom. The models will sell for US$498 for the Phantom and US$598 for the EWB Phantom making it one of the most expensive scale models.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rolls-Royce Phantom (2003)

• Official Website