Rolls-Royce Phantom

Rolls-Royce Phantom at a glance

For most of its history the Phantom was a rolling chassis: Rolls-Royce built the engine, gearbox and frame, and the customer ordered a body from a coachbuilder of their choice, waiting six months to a year for the finished car. The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot has crowned the Phantom's radiator throughout. The company's story is told in the history of Rolls-Royce, and its models are in the Rolls-Royce catalogue.

Phantom I to III (1925–1939)

The "New Phantom" of 1925 replaced the Silver Ghost, which had been built since 1906. It kept much of the Ghost's chassis but had a new overhead-valve 7.7-litre six-cylinder engine and servo-assisted brakes, which made it one of the safest cars of the 1920s. Two wheelbases were offered. A chassis cost at least 1,850 pounds and a complete car about 2,500 pounds at the time. Derby built 2,212 chassis, and the American plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, 1,225 until 1931.

The Phantom II of 1929 had a new, lower chassis with the 7.7-litre engine bolted directly to the gearbox, synchromesh and dampers adjustable from the driver's seat. Some critics thought it old-fashioned, but owners praised its silence. During the Depression, Rolls-Royce built 1,672 of them while many luxury-car makers went bankrupt.

The Phantom III, shown in London in 1935 and built from 1936, was the most complex pre-war Rolls-Royce: a 7.3-litre V12 with aluminium alloy block and heads, hydraulic tappets and twin ignition, related in concept to the company's aero engines. It also introduced independent front suspension with coil springs. Production stopped in 1939.

Phantom IV to VI (1950–1990)

The Phantom IV is the rarest Rolls-Royce: only 18 were built between 1950 and 1956, and they were sold only to royalty and heads of state. It used a lengthened Silver Wraith chassis with a 3,683 mm wheelbase and the only straight-eight engine in a production Rolls-Royce, the 5.7-litre B80, giving about 108–121 kW (145–162 hp). The first car was delivered to Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on 6 July 1950. Sixteen still survive.

The Phantom V (1959–1968) was based on the Silver Cloud II, with a 6.2-litre aluminium V8 of about 200 hp, a General Motors-derived 4-speed automatic and power steering. Most of the 516 cars had bodies by coachbuilders such as Mulliner Park Ward; John Lennon owned a famous painted example.

The Phantom VI (1968–1990) continued as a hand-built limousine for up to seven people, with air conditioning for front and rear, and 374 were made. It used 6.2 and 6.75-litre V8 engines with an automatic gearbox, reached about 180 km/h and used a great deal of fuel, around 30 L/100 km in town. A few landaulette versions had a folding rear roof, and a Phantom VI served as Queen Elizabeth II's state car until 2002.

Phantom VII (2003–2017)

The BMW era begins

In 1998 BMW obtained the rights to the Rolls-Royce name for cars, while Volkswagen took over Bentley and the Crewe factory. BMW built a new factory at Goodwood in West Sussex, and the Phantom VII was shown at the Detroit motor show on 5 January 2003. A design team led by Ian Cameron gave it a tall, upright body with a huge radiator grille, small round headlights, rear-hinged "coach doors" for the rear passengers and 21-inch wheels with self-righting RR centre caps that always stay upright. The Spirit of Ecstasy retracts into the radiator shell at the press of a button or in an impact.

Engine, chassis and versions

The 6.75-litre V12, based on BMW's N73 engine, produces about 338 kW (460 PS) and 720 Nm, with 75% of the torque available from 1,000 rpm. The car reaches 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and is limited to 240 km/h. Underneath is an aluminium spaceframe with double-wishbone front suspension and air suspension, which smooths out speed bumps even at speed. The body is 5.8 m long, or 6.1 m for the extended wheelbase. A Drophead Coupé (2007–2017) and Coupé (2008–2017) joined the saloon, and each car took about 450 hours to build.

The interior uses about 450 pieces of hide, more than 40 wooden parts made from many veneer layers and a hidden 8.8-inch screen. The Series II, shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012 under design director Giles Taylor, brought rectangular LED headlights, a new bumper, a larger screen and an 8-speed ZF automatic that cut fuel consumption by about 10%, to 14.8 L/100 km, and CO2 from 388 to 347 g/km.

Phantom VIII (2017 to today)

The Phantom VIII was revealed on 27 July 2017 and shown in London two days later; deliveries began in January 2018. It was the first car on Rolls-Royce's aluminium "Architecture of Luxury" spaceframe, which made the body 30% stiffer.

The 6.75 twin-turbo V12 delivers 420 kW (571 PS) and 900 Nm through a ZF 8-speed automatic that uses satellite navigation data to choose gears, and top speed is limited to 250 km/h. Self-levelling air suspension with electronic dampers, active anti-roll bars and four-wheel steering give the "magic carpet ride"; the rear wheels steer against the front below 60 km/h and with them above 80 km/h. Laser high beams reach more than 600 m.

Inside, about 130 kg of sound insulation and 6 mm double glazing make the cabin around 10% quieter than before. The "Gallery" glass-covered dashboard can display works of art chosen by the owner, and the Starlight Headliner uses more than 1,500 fibre-optic points. The Series II, announced in May 2022, brought an illuminated grille surround, revised headlights and new wheels. Annual deliveries ranged from 830 in 2018 to about 400 a year since 2021.

Rivals and legacy

The Phantom has few direct rivals. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the Bentley Mulsanne, built until 2020, are the closest. Over a century, the Phantom has been the choice of monarchs, presidents and celebrities, and its name has never been out of the Rolls-Royce range for long. More British cars are listed among British cars; the story of the related marque is told in the history of Bentley, and the Mercedes-Maybach S600 is one of the Phantom's modern rivals.