Rolls Royce to end Phantom production

Last Phantom to be produced this year; 'Zenith' Drophead and Coupe are the run out specials

By Matt Bird / Saturday, 27 February 2016 / Loading comments

It's hard to overestimate the impact of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. It created 21st century Rolls Royce, taking the brand from the Silver Seraph to being the cool and contemporary brand that it is in 2016. Today though Rolls Royce has announced that Phantom production will end this year, ahead of an all-aluminium replacement due in 2018.

Will the V12 remain in future? Discuss!

Moreover, the

Phantom Coupe

and

Drophead

will not be replaced. Apologies, "will not be renewed" to use the appropriate Rolls-Royce terminology. To mark the demise of those cars, Rolls-Royce will build 50 Zenith models split between the two bodystyles. Each will be fitted with 'laser-etched armrests' (seriously) depicting the original launch locations of the 100EX and 101EX concepts plus bespoke dials, a new Spirit of Ecstasy figure and a 'money can't buy' memento of the purchase. The mind boggles... The Zenith cars will be offered in a range of colour combinations from the history of Rolls Royce. They will be built this November and expect demand to substantially outstrip supply; the price, unsurprisingly, hasn't been announced.

For the Phantom, Rolls Royce is preparing a series of one-off specials to mark the occasion in appropriate style. There is less information than provided for the Zenith cars, with the only clue so far being that the design department "will create the most highly Bespoke examples of each Phantom model".

As for the Phantom replacement, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said "I am proud and excited to announce that a new Phantom is on the way - a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies." Expect plenty more to follow on the 'Phantom VIII' - as it's officially known - as 2018 draws closer.

So with dealers desperate to shift stock and a replacement on the horizon, now must be the time to grab a run-out bargain on the Phantom... Perhaps. In all seriousness though, Phantoms have dipped below £100,000 on the odd occasion and, if the running cost budget allowed, there's a serious amount of temptation in a Rolls Royce for new S-Class money. Interested? See here!