Ask any Pistonheads reader to name sports car marques with a successful
competition history that make cars with stunning good looks and chances are the
names Lotus, Porsche and Ferrari will crop up. Well now there's another name to
add to the list - Phantom.
The successful competition history part comes from the series of Phantom
Supersports and Clubman racers that have won several championships over the
years, while the stunning good looks part should be obvious from the photos.
I've done three photo shoots with this car now, and the appreciative comments
it's received from members of the public each time plus the reaction it gets at
car shows leave no doubt that the Phantom is a winner in the looks department.
Personally I rate it right up there with the Series 1 E-Type, Griffith 500 and
DB7 Vantage in my "sexiest cars ever" list.
The beauty of the Vortex isn't just skin deep either thanks to professional
design and five years development. Both styling and mechanical design are the
work of Chris Greville-Smith, who, when not designing Phantoms, works as project
leader for one of the world's largest car companies and has previously worked
for Jaguar, Jensen and TVR. Helping Chris develop both car and company is his
partner in the project, Norman Morris, who's previously worked for Triumph
sports cars and later became chief engineer for Rover before 'retiring' to run
Phantom.
Financial restraints and commercial caution led to the Vortex being designed
to sell as a kit car (initially at least) which in the light of the Strathcarron
and Jensen debacles looks like a smart move, though in view of their talent and
experience Chris and Norman were determined it would still offer levels of
quality and refinement on par with production sports cars.
The Phantom has been designed to take the engine, gearbox and sundry other
bits from the original Rover 827, which might seem an odd choice but there's
sound logic behind it, the 827 having an extremely reliable 2.7 litre Honda V6
and five speed manual box which easily outlast the rust-prone bodywork, meaning
you can pick up tatty but mechanically sound donor cars quite cheaply.
However, while the choice of donor vehicle might be unusual the construction
isn't, this being a steel space frame chassis with glass-fibre body. The
computer-analysed chassis uses large section but thin gauge rectangular steel
tube to provide a good compromise between high strength and low weight, while
the one-piece GRP body has the floorpan bonded-in to form a semi-monocoque
which, when bolted to the chassis, produces a very stiff structure.
That's obviously important to enable the suspension to work properly, and in
the Phantom's case the suspension consists of custom made double wishbones at
the front and De Dion axle with trailing arms and Panhard rod at the rear. This
might seem another odd choice, but again there is logic to it, Chris feeling the
De Dion offers some technical advantages, particularly the lack of camber
compromise in corners when the car is rolling. Some suspension designers will
take a different view, but the Phantom racers use a De Dion and they win
championships, which should prove something.
Tall Drivers Stoop this Way
With its low roof - 4'2" - and high wide sills, ensconcing yourself in
the Phantom's plush leather trimmed interior requires a certain amount of
agility - though not as much as with an Elise - but once in you'll find roomy
accommodation for two, complete with air conditioning, electric windows and
heated rear screen.
Can't give a definitive opinion on the driving position because each of the
three Phantoms I've been in has had different seats set at different heights,
the lowest of which provided enough head and leg room to accommodate someone of
6' 7"! General impression though is that the driving position is good apart
from the pedals, which are offset towards the centre of the car and widely
spaced, leaving no room for your left foot and necessitating a bent leg posture.
However, thanks to the cabin layout and adjustable steering column you can adopt
this without having your knee wedged against the steering wheel so it's not a
major problem.
The car pictured belongs to a customer, who, understandably, doesn't want
loony hacks let loose in it, so road experience in that was limited to the
passenger seat. It's an automatic anyway so wouldn't serve to show the Phantom's
credentials as a driver's car, but the superb exterior and interior finish do
serve to show the high quality standards you get from Phantom, while a ride in
the passenger seat demonstrated an equally high level of dynamic refinement.
However, a brief stint behind the wheel of the original prototype was
possible, and while this isn't truly representative, lacking as it does some of
the improvements built into 'production' versions, it does have a manual gearbox
and can therefore be driven like a sports car should be. In fact I first drove
this car about three years ago, since when it's been subject to several changes
in the course of development, so my drive served as both memory refresher and
update.
For a car that's 6' wide the Phantom is far from daunting to drive on crowded
urban streets even on short acquaintance, the visible rising curves of the front
wings enabling the front end to be placed with confidence, while rearward
visibility is also good for a mid-engined coupe, making reverse manoeuvring
easier than in an Esprit for example.
Since I last drove the prototype, its steering (unassisted just like a sports
car should be) has been modified to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn
the wheel at parking speeds, though happily this hasn't led to a reduction in
feel, the Phantom keeping you informed of the road surface through the steering
wheel in a way that few cars can match. Quicker gearing would make it
practically perfect, and this is something Phantom are considering.
As for the handling, even during suspension development three years back the
Phantom was impressive in its abilities as I discovered when chauffeured by
Chris along a twisty lane near his home, the car cornering at high speed with
little roll despite the lack of anti-roll bars, which development proved to be
unnecessary.
All too brief recent impressions from the prototype's driver's seat are of a
car that turns in well and isn't badly unsettled by lifting off mid-bend, while
older memories are of a car that's easy to catch when you unexpectedly get it
sideways…
Can't comment on the handling of the 'production' version, but the ride is
certainly good, with noticeably less thumping over ridges than with the
prototype, indicating that in fully developed form that unusual suspension
should provide both a comfortable ride and safe, enjoyable handling.
Regarding straight-line performance, the Honda engine might be reliable, but
being designed for the slushy Legend it's hardly high performance. Even so, its
177bhp propels the Phantom's 1025kg up the road reasonably quickly, 0-60 in
around six seconds and 140mph seeming likely, which still puts the Vortex in
Boxster territory. A simple chip swap gives 200bhp, and while tuning parts for
the now discontinued V6 have never been plentiful, if you do want more power
there's supposedly a company in the US that does a twin turbo kit for it.
There's certainly no lack of stopping power from the prototype's optional all
round vented discs, while enthusiastic driving is also aided by the light
precise gearchange, which along with an equally light clutch pedal also makes
the Phantom easy to drive in the city.
As well as style and performance the Phantom also provides a useful level of
practicality, with enough stowage space behind the seats for a couple of
suitcases and an enclosed compartment behind the engine big enough for a sports
bag. There's also the option of more stowage space in the nose if you forgo the
spare wheel.
The Phantom is very much at the top end of the kit car market and this is
reflected in the price. A full Vortex GTR kit costs just over £13,000, and
there's the donor car, paint job, trim and other sundries on top of that to
consider, which means that the total cost for a high specification self-build
car could be around £20,000. Phantom reckon that many of their potential
customers aren't into building kit cars though, so factory built turnkey cars
are available from about £30,000. Taking this to the next stage, future plans
call for the fitting of a more powerful current V6, at which point (finances
permitting) Phantom can become fully-fledged manufacturers of all-new production
cars.
For now though the Vortex remains a kit car - but while it might be made with
used parts, thanks to its high levels of finish and that gorgeous body the
Phantom is guaranteed to be one kit car that won't look like a poor relation
when parked alongside more expensive production sports cars.
© Copyright Graham Bell 2002