Motoring in Spain - Rolls Royce Phantom - Comments

Rolls Royce Phantom

Poster: Charlie Flindt 01/04/2006

Given temporary "custody of the marque", our motoring correspondent Charlie Flindt found the new Rolls Royce Phantom equally at home on the motorway and in the winding hills – as well as Madrid’s city streets.

In recent years, strange things have been going on down near England’s South Coast. Halfway between the green, rolling hilltops of the South Downs and the glistening azure blue of the English Channel, a new building has recently arisen on the Chichester Plain.

It’s a curious construction. Half office block, half warehouse, it sits more in the plain than on the plain, surrounded by vast new embankments. These have been planted with nearly half a million new trees. The flat tops of the building have been put down to grass and shrubs, and hi-tech shutters adorn the windows to keep out the blazing English mid-day sun, keeping the building cool. What on earth is this masterpiece of eco-friendly concrete and glass? It’s the new headquarters for Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce is yet another famous name – arguably the most famous name in car building – which has been through some fairly turbulent times. This in itself would be enough to fill a book, but let’s just concentrate on the fact that BMW has become the latest "custodian of the marque" – a rather sweet little phrase to signify taking on the responsibility for such an iconic name. Thankfully, BMW doesn’t take this responsibility lightly – as shown by the multimillion-pound investment near Chichester.

BMW’s commitment to the Rolls-Royce name is, of course, equally apparent in the 2.5 tonne lump of gleaming, glamorous metal that silently glides out of the new factory: the Phantom. The most obvious thing about it is that it is quite obviously a Rolls-Royce. Despite new owners, a new factory, and a four-year intense design and engineering plan that started with a clean sheet of paper, the Phantom is instantly recognisable. It’s not just the famous grill, or even the "Spirit of Ecstasy" – she has a safety feature whereby she pops out of sight if sensors detect an accident situation. She also quietly excuses herself when parked – what you might call an anti-souvenir hunter feature. It’s the sheer presence of this machine, its long, long bonnet, its deep rear pillar that hides the famous occupant lucky enough to be enjoying the back seats; the whole package spells out clearly Rolls-Royce.

In many ways, the back seat passengers get the best interior deal: Vast amounts of room, shameless luxury, and any fixtures and fittings you like. Nothing is too bizarre or out-of-the-ordinary for the Rolls-Rolls bespoke crew. Blinds, curtains, cinema, conference facilities – you want it, they’ll fit it. Beautifully.

In many ways, the Phantom’s designers have gone shameless retro: that bonnet, for instance. How many cars can you drive these days in which you can see the whole bonnet? And those "coach" doors, specially designed for graceful and elegant entrances and exits. I don’t think the Phantom spent too many hours in the wind tunnel; if it’s a bit high on drag, give it a bit more power.

So they did. A beautiful all-aluminium 6.75 litre V12 sits under that bonnet, mated to a 6-speed auto. Readers of a certain vintage will remember a time when Rolls-Royce didn’t give performance figures; terribly tacky sort of thing to do, a trifle common. Now, thanks to the European Union, we are all commoners, so RR is obliged to tell. Mind you, they’re fairly impressive figures: 460PS, and a 0 to 100 kph time of 5.9 seconds. Bear in mind that this car weighs 2.5 tonne, and then marvel at a combined consumption figure of 15.9 litres/100km.

It’s easy to forget the sheer size of this amazing machine when you drive it. That engine is all but silent, and before you know it, you’re rushing along motorways at licence-threatening speeds; keep a very close eye on that speedometer, tucked away beautifully in the burr and leather of the dashboard. Driving too fast is not wise; speeding down a motorway in possibly the world’s most stunning car is just asking for trouble – no matter how much fun it might be,

But don’t assume that this is the only place to enjoy the Phantom. On my test drive, I found myself enjoying a mock hill climb; a steep, winding piece of "B" road, inexplicably free from other traffic. It was too much to resist, and I gave the Phantom as good a blast up that hill as I dared. Even with an incompetent fool like me at the wheel, it gracefully and forgivingly rushed to the top of the hill. It felt almost unnatural, as if the Phantom had almost taken over the driving itself, guiding me safely up to the top. Could it have been possible? I don’t see why not. As I said, strange things have been going on down there near the South Coast…

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

Engine: 6,749 cc, V12, 48 valve

Power: 460 PS

Max Speed: 240 kph (limited)

Performance, 0 to 100 Kph: 5.9 seconds

Combined fuel economy: 15.9 lt/100 km

SUMMARY: Old meets new in world-beating style

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