Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM: A NEW EXPRESSION
12.05.2022 Press Release
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II. Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include 'light-touch' visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback.
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- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II
- Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include 'light-touch' visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback
- New ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ feature seamlessly links Phantom with the marque's private members' Application, Whispers
- Launch is commemorated with a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino
“Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of the
luxury world. As our pinnacle product, it represents the very best
of Rolls-Royce design, engineering and craftsmanship – a perfect
blend of vision, creativity, the finest materials, skill, patience
and precision. With Phantom Series II, we have retained and
carefully protected everything our clients love about this
superlative and luxurious item; subtle, yet meaningful enhancements
reflect their evolving tastes and requirements.
“Phantom has always been viewed as the 'best car in the world':
our Bespoke capabilities mean that, for our clients, it can be the
best car for their world, too.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime,
ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty and
luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in
this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.
The eighth-generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In
creating the new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have
been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce
not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In
answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches,
embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is
not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be
preserved and protected.
A NEW EXPRESSION
The most obvious and important feature to be retained is
Phantom’s commanding presence. This has been further enhanced by a new
polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the
Pantheon Grille. This gives Phantom a new and assertive modernity,
reflecting its driver-focused character.
A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’
Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent when
viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature
debuted and popularised in Ghost. The headlights are graced with
intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection
with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and
delight to Phantom's night-time presence.
Phantom’s side profile retains Rolls-Royce’s signature short
front and long rear overhang, long wheelbase and broad c-pillar, the
latter giving greater privacy for occupants. The silhouette preserves
the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the
tapering rear tail. The ‘split-belt’ line begins at the front fender
and curves gently towards the rear door, emphasising the car's long
dash-to-axle proportions, before falling gently towards the
lantern-like rear lamps. The heavily undercut 'waft line' creates a
strong shadow, visually signalling the marque's unequalled ‘Magic
Carpet Ride’.
The side profile is further enhanced with a suite of new wheels.
A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets is
available to commission in a fully or part-polished finish.
Alternatively, Phantom may be graced with a truly elegant disc wheel,
recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars. This disc
wheel is produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer,
perfectly encapsulating the sense of flight on land.
Responding to Phantom clients who have previously requested a
darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen
surround and side frame finishers, these may now be commissioned. This
aesthetic now enables Rolls-Royce to transform Phantom into the
lightest of light or the darkest of dark appearances.
Phantom’s sumptuous interior remains almost unaltered: the
steering wheel has been made slightly thicker, providing a more
connected and immediate point of contact for the owner-driver.
Phantom and Phantom Extended have distinct characters of their
own, representing two different seats of power. Phantom is now
predominantly favoured by the ever-increasing number of clients
wishing to be in the driving seat themselves. For those preferring to
command the road from the rear seat, Phantom Extended offers the
definitive super-luxurious chauffeur-driven experience.
ROLLS-ROYCE CONNECTED
Now, Phantom includes the debut of ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’. This
enables the owner to send an address directly to the motor car from
Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private-members’ Application, providing
seamless navigation to an event, restaurant, dealership or even the
Home of Rolls-Royce itself.
‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ also displays the motor car’s location,
security status and current 'health' condition on Whispers; at the
touch of a button, the owner can contact a preferred dealership for
any servicing requirements or information about the car.
THE ‘POLES OF LUXURY’
As the marque's pinnacle product, Phantom attracts an elite
stratum of Rolls-Royce clients. Established and successful, at the top
of their field and often in the public eye, these are determined and
demanding people. It is no coincidence that Phantom attracts the most
ambitious and challenging Bespoke commissions ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce.
The resulting creations − each an artistic masterpiece in its
own right − illustrate a broader truth: since its inception, Phantom
has always been whatever the client wants it to be; not only the ‘best
car in the world’, but the best car for them and
their world.
Self-evidently, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Phantom
client. Spanning the ‘poles of luxury’, they may be ever-younger or
older, modern or traditional, self-made or from long-established
wealth. Their commissions reflect a full spectrum of interests and
influences. At one extreme, Phantom takes on a subversive, almost
rebellious character – youthful, dynamic and daring. At the other,
Phantom transforms into an ode to luxury grandeur and timelessness.
The challenge of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective is to
accommodate this vast expanse of client characteristics and desires in
one pinnacle product. The eighth-generation Phantom has thus been
deliberately designed to offer a ‘blank canvas’ for Bespoke
personalisation, capable of becoming whatever the client wishes it to
be, and a true reflection of their individual style and character.
Phantom's great strength and appeal is that it allows clients to
position themselves anywhere between these 'poles of luxury', defining
luxury on their own terms. And wherever that point happens to lie,
they have the assurance that Phantom itself is − technically,
materially, aesthetically and dynamically − still the 'best car in the world'.
PHANTOM PLATINO: THE RETURN OF FINE TEXTILES
To mark the introduction of Phantom Series II and to illustrate
Rolls-Royce's Bespoke capability, the marque has created a new Bespoke
masterpiece, Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of
the coveted and precious metal, platinum.
Phantom Platino continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration into fabric
interiors, a story which began in 2015 with the launch of Serenity, a
truly Bespoke Phantom with a hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk
interior. Heralding the next step in this significant journey, Phantom
Platino introduces materials other than leather, an area of
exploration for Rolls-Royce and a move that demonstrates a greater
acceptance of alternative interior upholsteries.
Echoing the marque’s formative days, the front seats of Phantom
Platino are finished in fine Rolls-Royce leather, while those in the
rear are upholstered in fabric.
The beautiful tone-on-tone of Platino's interior is achieved by
combining two differing fabrics; one created in an Italian mill for
its durable yet luxurious appearance, the other derived from bamboo
fibres, selected for its lustrous finish.
Both materials share an original repeating pattern based on an
abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy. In the silken
textile, the design is smaller and woven into the fabric to create a
more visually stimulating finish. It also appears in Phantom’s
Gallery, right in the occupant's line of sight, and on key touchpoints
such as the armrest and centre console. The bamboo fabric is
embroidered with larger icons, presenting a tufted appearance commonly
found in interior design. This more resilient material is placed on
the lower elements of the interior where they will need to withstand
most contact.
The same design also appears on Phantom’s dashboard timepiece.
The surround is made from a 3D printed ceramic, a truly contemporary
execution of a traditional material. Set into an iced finish woodset,
the tonal properties of the interior take Phantom to a beautiful and
unsurpassed level of opulence.
The largest canvas in Phantom is the Starlight Headliner. In a
unique design created especially for Rolls-Royce Platino, the ‘stars’
are placed to draw the eye rearwards, with whimsical shooting stars
following the sweeping arc of the pattern.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars, says, “We are acutely conscious of our clients' esteem for
and love of their Phantoms. They felt it could not be improved; but
while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always
possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of
absolute perfection.
“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom
Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously
executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make
perfection, but perfection is no small thing’.”
CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.
- Phantom Series II: NEDC combined: CO2 emissions: 345 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.7 mpg / 15.1 l/100km. WLTP combined: CO2 emissions: 351-362 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.7-18.2 mpg / 15.5-16.0 l/100km.
- Phantom Extended Series II: NEDC combined: CO2 emissions: 345 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.7 mpg / 15.1 l/100km. WLTP combined: CO2 emissions: 353-365 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.4-18.1 mpg / 15.6-16.2 l/100km.