It's
been a long wait and this afternoon Rolls Royce - now operated by BMW in an
underground factory near Goodwood - revealed the new Phantom.
The car is likely to receive a harsh reception if only because RR was such a
bastion of Britishness before being consumed into the BMW empire. Stylistically
a good job has been done however. The front end is sure to be controversial with
the lighting being less than pretty but behind the bonnet a strong Rolls Royce
image is still projected with a very hefty looking body drawing many of its
influences from Rollers of old.
The Phantom is completely new however. It features a lightweight aluminium
space frame body and in place of the traditional V8 is a V12 of 6.75 litres with
a handy 531 lb ft of torque and 450bhp. It will waft up to 60mph in 5.7 seconds
and on to a top speed of 149mph.
To keep the ride like a glide, the Phantom uses self-levelling air springs
and electronic dampers,
Leaving your Roller in the street can be a gamble with the famous bonnet
mounted mascot often the target of envious hands. To keep thieving urchins from
pilfering the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, the silver lady is now electronically
retracted when the car is parked. More bizarre is the fact that the wheel hub
centres, bearing the interlinked double-R logo remain upright when parked.
Reflecting on the launch, 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.
Link: http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com