Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM
27.07.2017 Press Kit
From the moment Sir Henry Royce introduced the Rolls-Royce Phantom in 1925 it was judged ‘The Best Car in the World’ by the cognoscenti. As a result it has conveyed some of the world’s most influential and powerful men and women to the most defining historical moments over the last 92 years.
Press Contact.
Matthew Jones
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Tel: +44 (0)7815 245929
send an e-mail
Downloads.
Related Links.
This article in other PressClubs
From the moment Sir Henry Royce introduced the Rolls-Royce Phantom in
1925 it was judged ‘The Best Car in the World’ by the cognoscenti. As
a result it has conveyed some of the world’s most influential and
powerful men and women to the most defining historical moments over
the last 92 years.
Every new Phantom that has subsequently appeared has
successfully retained the title of ‘Best Car in the World’ as a result
of Rolls-Royce’s tireless pursuit of perfection, visionary
engineering, aesthetic acuity and deep understanding of what the
world’s leading luxury item should be. Quite simply, Rolls-Royce has
innovated for almost a century to set the benchmark and satisfy the
most discerning luxury patrons.
A new benchmark will be set today as the New Phantom – the
eighth generation of this great nameplate – arrives. Not satisfied
with simply launching a motor car that is a wholly contemporary design
interpretation of Phantom DNA and a technological tour de force,
Rolls-Royce has revolutionised the luxury car industry itself by
shifting away from the status quo of shared platforms to an entirely
new luxury business model.
As the next chapter in the Rolls-Royce story opens, the New
Rolls-Royce Phantom points the way forward for the global luxury industry.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Chairman of Rolls-Royce and Member of
the Board of the BMW Group said, “The global
introduction of a new Rolls-Royce is always a very special moment
within the BMW Group. This particular occasion is all the more
special because we are introducing an all-new Phantom, the flagship
of the Rolls-Royce brand and the world’s foremost luxury product.
New Phantom is a powerful statement of design, engineering and
Bespoke expertise and I am delighted with the response we have
received from our many highly discerning customers worldwide. The
BMW Group remains fully committed to the future of Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars and is proud of the many achievements made by the brand since
its acquisition.”
The Genesis of New Phantom
Quite contrary to how other so-called luxury
manufacturers are trying to realise economies of scale by sharing
platforms with mass market manufacturers, Rolls-Royce concluded that
the future of true luxury lies in true small-volume manufacture of a
dedicated ‘Architecture of Luxury’.
“This realisation was a moment of clarity about the destiny of
Rolls-Royce,” reflects Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer
of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Every one of our customers – each a
connoisseur of luxury in the extreme – were asking for something more
individual to them, not less. We were adamant that that was what they
should have.”
“Key to Rolls-Royce realising its vision of being the world’s
leading luxury brand, today and in the future, is an architecture that
spans the entire Rolls-Royce family,” comments Philip Koehn,
Director of Engineering. “The Architecture of Luxury will
carry every future Rolls-Royce, not just the New Phantom. Project
Cullinan and eventually the next Ghost, Wraith, Dawn will ride on this
architecture, as well as future coachbuild projects.”
“Phantom VII’s spaceframe architecture was a good starting point
and inspiration, but we wanted to do much more,” adds Giles Taylor,
Director of Design. “The Architecture of Luxury gives me the canvas to
protect the lineage and brand integrity of Rolls-Royce without
compromise. Starting with New Phantom, I have the framework to create
a future range of true Rolls-Royces. In essence, this is one big
coachbuild project.”
“Our approach has been to forge long-term relationships with
smaller suppliers run by families that will focus on us, giving us
much more attention and therefore results that live within a quality
expectation far beyond any other automotive concern,” continues Koehn.
“For a brand to operate in such a manner within a larger automotive
group is unheard of and truly revolutionary.”
What is the Architecture of Luxury?
The
Architecture of Luxury is an all-aluminium spaceframe architecture
designed by Rolls-Royce engineers that will underpin every future
Rolls-Royce beginning with the New Phantom. As such, no future
Rolls-Royce will be of monocoque construction as used by
mass-manufacturers and some mass-luxury brands.
It is a truly revolutionary approach for the motor industry, and
one that is informed by Rolls-Royce’s standing as a luxury house in
the business of cars. Whilst the majority of so-called luxury
manufacturers are limited to sharing individual platforms in a
specific sector with mass brands for say their SUV or GT offerings,
thereby introducing unacceptable compromise, Rolls-Royce will be
uncompromising in only using its own architecture across all its motor
cars, whatever the sector.
It has been designed and engineered from the ground up in such a
way as to be scalable to the size and weight requirements of different
future Rolls-Royce models, including those with different propulsion,
traction and control systems, thus underpinning the long-term future
product roadmap.
Approximately 30 per cent more rigid than the spaceframe
architecture on which sat Phantom VII, the new architecture is at the
heart of how the next generation of Rolls-Royces delivers the
Rolls-Royce experience in terms of ride comfort, acoustic comfort,
seat comfort, exterior presence and interior space.
Engineering a Modern
Masterpiece
The New Phantom will be the first of
a new generation of Rolls-Royces to benefit from the creation of the
Architecture of Luxury. This new architecture serves as the foundation
on which this eighth generation of Phantom reaffirms its position as
‘The Best Car in the World’ by taking the best fundamentals and making
them better.
The first major benefit of the new architecture for the New
Phantom are lightness, increased stiffness, efficient production of
standard and extended wheelbase bodies and uncompromised exterior
surface design.
The all-new aluminium spaceframe structure delivers
extraordinary car body stiffness for exceptional 'best-in-class'
functional performance whilst also being lighter. Indeed New Phantom
is 30 per cent more rigid than its predecessor, leading to better ride comfort.
Accompanying the increased stiffness of the spaceframe is a
best-in-class high comfort chassis with air suspension and
state-of-the-art chassis control systems, delivering peerless
'effortless' ride and handling and optimal vibration comfort performance.
A new double-wishbone front axle and 5-link rear axle deliver
astounding levels of control over lateral roll and shear forces and
delivering incredible agility and stability, as does the addition of
four-wheel steering, all contributing to an undisturbed passenger
whatever the driving conditions.
Rolls-Royce’s celebrated Magic Carpet Ride also improves as a
result of the new lighter architecture, and the latest generation of
self-levelling air suspension. The suspension makes millions of
calculations every second as it continuously varies the electronically
controlled shock absorber adjustment system – reacting to body and
wheel acceleration, steering inputs and camera information. In
addition, the Flagbearer – evocative of those men who were required by
law to carry a red flag ahead of early motor cars – adds a stereo
camera system integrated in the windscreen to see the road ahead,
adjusting suspension proactively rather than reactively up to 100km/h.
The most silent motor car in the
world
Incalculable effort was expended to create ‘the
most silent motor car in the world’ including 6mm two-layer glazing
all around the car, more than 130kg of sound insulation, the largest
ever cast aluminium joints in a body-in-white for better sound
insulation, and use of high absorption materials.
Acoustic insulation from road noise has been helped by the
employment of double skin alloy on areas within the floor and bulkhead
of the spaceframe. This is a feature unique to New Phantom. Further
noise insulation by inserting dense foam and felt layers are between
these skins to provide sound insulation not witnessed before in the
car industry.
In addition, high absorption layers within the headliner, in the
doors and in the boot cavity have further aided insulation and reduced
reverberation. Rolls-Royce also worked closely with its tyre supplier
to invent ‘Silent-Seal' tires – which feature a specific foam layer
placed inside the tyre to wipe out tyre cavity noise and reduce
overall tyre noise by 9db, meaning that conversation within the car is
completely effortless.
All in all it is a perfect 360° cocooning effect in a motor car
that is approximately 10 per cent quieter than its predecessor at
100km/h. Indeed, when Rolls-Royce’s acoustic test engineer first
reviewed results road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so
low they had to check their instruments were calibrated correctly.
The heart of a Rolls-Royce – the magnificent V12 reinvented
At the heart of every Rolls-Royce of the modern
period lies the power of a V12 engine. At the beginning of this next
chapter of Rolls-Royce’s existence, and with the creation of the
Architecture of Luxury, the New Phantom also benefits from a
completely new engine.
With the focus on creating the most silent motor car in the
world, a completely silent engine was also required, and that meant
more low-end output at lower revs to ensure that silence. Hence a
completely new, 6.75-litre V12 powertrain has been engineered for New
Phantom, in place of the previous naturally aspirated V12 engine.
The new V12 Phantom engine employs two turbo chargers that
contribute to a low-end torque output of 900Nm at an incredibly low
1,700rpm whilst also delivering 563bhp or 420kW of power, resulting in
calm low speed progress associated with state occasions and an
unfussed surge of power when one needs to press on. The addition of
Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT), married to a ZF 8-Speed gearbox
also ensures that the driver is prepared for whatever the road has in
store for them.
The most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce
ever
Another benchmark, the Electronic Architecture of
the New Phantom is the largest ever component produced by the BMW
Group, let alone Rolls-Royce, helping to make New Phantom the most
technologically advanced Rolls-Royce ever.
This central nervous system connects and controls all the
various advanced intelligence systems of New Phantom, making it the
most advanced luxury motor car available. Some, but not all,
assistance systems on-board New Phantom include: Alertness Assistant,
a 4-camera system with Panoramic View, all-round visibility including
helicopter view, Night Vision and Vision Assist, Active Cruise
Control, collision warning, pedestrian warning, cross-traffic warning,
lane departure and lane change warning, an industry leading 7x3
high-resolution head-up display, WiFi hotspot, and of course the
latest navigation and entertainment systems.
New Phantom – A
Contemporary Design Masterpiece
"Phantom
is the epitome of effortless style, an historical nameplate that
occupies a rarefied space in the luxury constellation and conjures a
rare magic all of its own. New Phantom raises a glass to an
illustrious design legacy whilst forging a modern and revitalised
presence for the next era of Rolls-Royce design."
Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The first Rolls-Royce to be built on the new
Architecture of Luxury, the New Phantom is a wholly new and
contemporary interpretation of the Phantom DNA, delivering new levels
of iconic presence and an increased elegance of line suggesting both
poise and stability at speed and an unrushed Grand Arrival.
On first glance the New Phantom is remarkable in its purity.
Thanks to the new Architecture of Luxury and new engineering
processes, the precision body joining process ensures there are few,
if any, visible join lines between body panels, giving New Phantom the
appearance of being hewn from a solid block of aluminium. It is truly
a triumph of design and engineering departments working hand in hand
to create a beautiful masterpiece.
Its opening gesture immediately demonstrates a radical
contemporisation of Phantom, through the reimagining of the Pantheon
grille at the heart of the design. The strong portrait grille is
raised higher than that of Phantom VII today, also resulting in a
positioning of the Spirit of Ecstasy approximately a half inch higher.
It is redolent of the futuristic design first hinted at on the grille
of VISION NEXT 100 – codename 103EX last year, but also influenced by
the James Young-era Silver Cloud.
However, unlike 103EX and all previous Phantoms, New Phantom’s
grille is for the first time integrated into the surrounding bodywork.
The resulting effect is a cleaner, reduced design with modernity and
clarity, allowing all New Phantom’s lines to connect with this iconic
statement of power and flow from it.
In addition, a new purposeful headlamp graphic gives a confident
and focused expression with fresh, frosted internals that feel open
and optimistic, whilst accommodating an expressive ring of daytime
driving lights and the most advanced laserlight system of any motor
car that at night casts light well over 600 metres down the road.
This flow is achieved through the handcrafting of beautiful,
authentic materials and subtle creases in the bodywork. The key front
to rear line begins inboard from the top edge of the grille moving
outwards along the body to the rear, lending a sense of dynamism to
New Phantom, while the front wing line fades just after the door
handle suggesting pace and fluidity.
The grille itself is created from hand-polished stainless steel,
a material that highlights the precious and timeless nature of this
New Phantom and its modern architecture through the use of a visually
warm and highly tactile material. Emanating from the upper tips of the
grille, the polished stainless steel strips curve along the upper
edges of the bonnet and around the windscreen, accentuating the length
of the bonnet and seamlessly blending the cabin to the lower volume as
though swept by the wind.
From the side, New Phantom has the iconic 2:1 proportions that
have endeared so many to every generation of Phantom, featuring a
short front and long rear overhang, an upright front and a flowing
rear. The rear lines of the car in side view circle forward to the
waft line and lead the eye back through the front wheel. The largest
single-piece of hand-polished stainless steel on any motor car is the
side frame finisher of New Phantom. It beautifully accentuates the
elegant stance of the car and with a rounded softer feel, preserves
the iconic wide C-pillar for privacy, while allowing the eye to
transition easily to the rear. Furthermore, a single polished
stainless steel strip is placed on the sill of the Phantom Extended
Wheelbase to differentiate it.
“The side view design theme of Phantom recalls the elegance of
Phantom V. By separating the front wing line from the waist line, we
introduce a sense of movement and this line circles back under the car
inferring a lighter, fleetness of foot,” comments Taylor.
A lot happens at the back of New Phantom as the design evokes
the beautiful flowing rears of the 1950’s and 1960’s Phantoms. The
rear glass, again defined by an impeccably crafted stainless steel
frame, is more raked and the rear lines sleeker than the previous
Phantom, whilst a subtle scallop on the rear roof line that hovers
above the rear occupant’s assures one of preserved head room.
The eye is also drawn inboard by a neat tapered tail, which is
constructed of super formed aluminium to ensure more join-free
surfaces and flowing bumper lines around the rear light graphic.
Subtle creases in the bootlid that hark back to the more pronounced
boots of earlier Phantoms flow on to a pronounced boot lid finisher.
Again in stainless steel this feature echoes the front grille whilst
allowing the airflow to gracefully depart from the rear of the car.
Even the jewel-like rear light cluster is furnished in exquisite
detail with the famous Double-R badges etched in.
Hand-polished stainless steel also envelops the first
touchpoints of New Phantom – the handles on the iconic coach doors.
Unlike the trend for insubstantial fared in handles, Rolls-Royce
understands that the substance of a Rolls-Royce door handle is key to
the owners every day physical experience of their motor car, and the
feel of this beautiful material under the hand is highly satisfying to them.
The final visual expression of Phantom is its wheels, which of
course conform to the golden mean of Rolls-Royce design proportion.
Essential to providing the sensation of flight on land, the largest
high-value alloy wheel ever employed on a Rolls-Royce is offered. At
22-inches, the diameter when shod in Rolls-Royce’s Seal Technology
Tyres’ delivers a Magic Carpet Ride never experienced in a Rolls-Royce before.
Phantom: The World’s Leading Luxury
Item
Stepping aboard the New Phantom is an occasion in
itself. The coach doors stand open. The only choice is whether one
drives or is driven. As the patron settles into the car, an assistant
or valet steps forward and lightly touches the sensor on the door
handle. The door automatically whispers closed of its own accord,
enveloping the occupant in ‘The Embrace’ of the World’s Leading Luxury Item.
Fundamental to the rear occupant’s experience and enjoyment of
their New Phantom is this ‘Embrace’. It re-defines Rolls-Royce comfort
and refinement – already the benchmark for any carmaker – to create a
detoxifying environment whilst cocooning the occupant in the finest of
materials, whilst all four doors are enhanced with this new technology
to enfold the occupant. The rear and now front doors can also be
effortlessly closed from the inside.
‘The Embrace’ is the vision of Giles Taylor, inspired by his
creation of 103EX. He has taken great strides towards evoking the
spirit of 103EX with the futuristic interior design of the New
Phantom, where nothing detracts from calmness and tranquillity in this
particular sanctuary. Technology is hidden until required, spaces and
surfaces are clean, and the eye rests only on beauty as if in an art gallery.
As one would expect from a Rolls-Royce, the environment is
crafted from the most precious and contemporary of materials. What is
unexpected is the feeling of lightness and simplicity, an effortless elegance.
From one’s position on beautifully enhanced rear seats, the
occupant is borne along in near-silence as if on a pillow of air,
thanks to much enhanced ride and acoustic comfort. When in need of a
space to reflect on issues of importance or simply lost in thought,
ones imagination is inspired by the largest Starlight Headliner ever
seen in a Rolls-Royce. High gloss, exquisitely tactile wood panelling
that can be commissioned for the door interiors, centre consoles,
dashboard and picnic tables, encircles the passenger in only the most
beautiful and authentic materials.
The lines at the front of the interior lean forward suggesting a
progressive nature, while in contrast the rear doors lean back,
relaxing the character of the rear environment. When designing the
armrests, the J-Class yacht was heavily referenced as a design
inspiration. The tension and ‘hull’ of the armrests are directly
influenced by these large sailing yachts.
The seats are newly sculpted and hand-crafted to deliver even
more comfort. They feature a strong horizontal element through the top
of the seat, imparting a sense of width, comfort and presence, whilst
visually enhanced with a vertical interpretation of the seat ‘bullet’
previously seen in Wraith and Dawn. The sweep of wood panelling
across the back of the front seats have clearly been influenced by the
famous Eames Lounge Chair of 1956, a design so regarded by patrons of
luxury that it is part of the New York Museum of Modern Art’s
permanent display.
Cleverly secreted behind the wood panelling on the rear of the
front seats are the Rear Picnic tables and Rear Theatre Monitors,
which are electrically deployed and retracted at the effortless touch
of a button, ensuring an uncompromised theatre experience.
Rolls-Royce’s customary attention to detail even dictates that the
seat controls are repositioned from the centre armrest to a more
intuitive position for the user.Phantom patrons will be able to
commission different seating choices best suited to their
requirements. Choices include the more intimate lounge seat,
individual seats with occasional armrest, individual seats with fixed
centre console and the newly introduced sleeping seat.
The new fixed rear centre console receives significant
enhancement, by incorporating a drinks cabinet with whisky glasses and
decanter, champagne flutes and coolbox. In any configuration
effortless conversation is aided with the very careful angling of the
rear seats. This ensures occupants are able to talk to each other
without straining their necks.
The sense of touch is also satisfied by the continued use of the
finest and most authentic materials throughout the interior. Every
item of switchgear is made from metal – such as the iconic eyeball
vents and organ stop controllers, seat and light switches, violin key
window switches – glass or wrapped in the finest leather as dials
including the new front and rear Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controllers.
Meanwhile, further unseen levels of comfort and refinement are
introduced into the Phantom Suite with heated surfaces operated in
conjunction with the seat heating functionality. Areas throughout the
interior that are now heated include the front door armrests, front
centre console lid, lower C-Pillar, rear side armrests with all
individual seats, and rear centre armrest.
‘The Gallery’ – an unprecedented new concept in
luxury
At the heart of the New Phantom’s wholly modern
design aesthetic is ‘The Gallery’, a wholly contemporary and luxury
reinterpretation of a motor car’s dashboard and instrument panel area.
While the character of the monolithic, upright dashboard pays
contemporary homage to Rolls-Royce models of the past, with one clean,
symmetrical surface, the main fascia veneer takes the eye from the
lower centre up and outwards to create a sense of width.
All of the elements within ‘The Gallery’ are enclosed in an
uninterrupted swathe of toughened glass that runs the full width of
the dash area. Within it, the instrument digital dials are framed with
chrome, adding a degree of jewellery and continuity throughout the
front of the interior.
Behind the physical chrome surrounds of the instrument dials,
Rolls-Royce has embraced a more futuristic approach to clearer
instruments for the driver, something requested by Rolls-Royce
customers around the world. 12.3 inch TFT colour displays with LED
backlighting now communicate all driver information from within the
round chrome surrounds, with the displays themselves designed with
clear and beautiful virtual needles, Rolls-Royce jewellery-like
chaplets and clear lettering.
In addition to speed, power reserve, fuel and temperature
levels, the displays also react to provide essential information on
cruise control settings, navigation instructions, driver assistance
systems and a whole host of other information.
Also behind the glass of ‘The Gallery’ are housed the analogue
clock – a nod the fact that it is “the loudest sound you can hear in a
Rolls-Royce …” and the central information screen which can be
retracted behind the centre stack when not in use.
The standard clock features a dark face and the surround is
finished in black leather. However, each Bespoke Clock features a more
intricate design, including a lighter backlit face with crystal effect
details and counterweighted hands, and is finished to match the
material selected within ‘The Gallery’.
The Art of Movement
“Art is at the heart of the
conception of the New Phantom’s interior,” comments Taylor. “As an
interest, we know that a huge number of our clients are patrons of art
and indeed have their own private collections. Art is a binding factor
for many of them.”
This binding factor was what inspired Taylor to radically
reinterpret the motor cars’ dashboard from being a dead expanse into a
riveting focal point. “I wanted to take a motoring constant that has
existed for a century, but served little purpose but to hide airbags
and componentry, and give it another purpose, space to breathe,”
comments Taylor.
Hence the real purpose of ‘The Gallery’ – to be just that, a gallery.
By realising a space in the upper dashboard, Taylor envisioned a
new use – to create an area for Bespoke works of art and thereby
multiply the personalisation potential for every owner of a New Phantom.
“In the 18th century, miniatures were highly
fashionable and valuable items of art that allowed their owners to
carry images of their loved one with them wherever they travelled. I
really loved that idea of taking your art with you, when travelling,
and so I acted on it,” continues Taylor. “Now, our clients will be
able to do the same.”
As a Bespoke Commission, customers will be able to choose a
favoured artist or designer to work with Rolls-Royce to create a truly
individual work of art that spans the width of ‘The Gallery’ in their
New Phantom.
Rolls-Royce has already worked with a number of artists,
designers and design collectives to demonstrate what kind of creations
are possible to put behind the glass of ‘The Gallery’ for the owners
pleasure. Works as various as an oil painting inspired by the South
Downs of England in Autumn by renowned Chinese fine artist Liang
Yuanwei, a gold-plated 3D-printed map of an owners DNA created by the
enfant terrible of German product design Thorsten Franck, a
hand-made stem of the finest porcelain roses handmade by world
renowned porcelain manufacturer Nymphenberg or an abstract design in
silk by young British artist Helen Amy Murray are some of the
creations inspired by this most unusual of Gallery spaces.
In addition to these Bespoke Commissions, which will take longer
to deliver, Rolls-Royce’s craftspeople and designers at the Home of
Rolls-Royce in Goodwood have created a stunning collection of
forward-looking Gallery treatments of silk, wood, metal and leather,
which are available immediately.
Conclusion
The Architecture of Luxury, ‘The Gallery’,
The Embrace, The Art of Movement, the best possible materials in the
world and peerless Rolls-Royce design and engineering; the New
Rolls-Royce Phantom resets the benchmark not only as ‘the Best Car in
the World’, but as the world’s leading luxury item. As the next
chapter in Rolls-Royce’s story opens, the New Rolls-Royce Phantom
points the way forward for the global luxury industry.
Article Offline Attachments.
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, ES, 120.67 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, FR, 123.31 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, IT, 121.32 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM (KH) DOCX, MULTI, 164.55 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM PDF, ZH-CN, 406.02 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM PDF, AR, 353.17 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM (Thai) PDF, MULTI, 2.98 MB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, ZH-CN, 145.85 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, EN, 127.44 KB
-
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS PDF, EN, 377.28 KB
-
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – EWB PDF, EN, 397.31 KB
-
THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DOCX, DE, 122.92 KB