Rolls-Royce Phantom. Perfection.

Part 1: The look and design

“Strive for perfection in everything you do”, said Sir Henry Royce, company founder and, it seems, perfectionist.

I’ve been invited to take a look around a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Excited? Just slightly. I’d only ever seen this car in the flesh once, at the London Motor Show a couple of years ago, behind a huge barrier of razor wire and armed guards. Okay, not really that extreme but it might as well have been. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to be able to sit in it and take in all the beauty and craftsmanship and maybe start that 6.75 litre, V12 engine, then perhaps craftily ‘borrow’ it for a while. Actually, it’s lucky it did have a barrier around it now I come to think of it.

So when I was asked if I wanted to go on a grand tour of the HMS Phantom, I jumped at the chance. The first impression I got of it, as it was backed out of the garage, was that it has a huge, expensive ‘get out of my way, I’m very rich’, look. At over 19 feet (nearly 6 metres) long, and six and a half feet (2 metres) wide, this is not even a large car, it’s humongous.

To stop peasants and commoners stealing the Spirit of Ecstasy (the angelic looking statue on the front of the bonnet), it has an in-built security feature. For example, if the car is locked, and detects the movement of the Spirit, it will make the ornament retract and drop down inside the grille, after which a metal plate will slide over the space where it had been. If the driver, from within the safety of the Phantom’s luxurious surroundings, observes shifty-looking people eyeing up the prized statuette, he can also retract it with the push of a button. It’s just a simple thing on Rolls-Royce’s part, but it all adds to the drama surrounding the car.

“Strive for perfection in everything you do” said Sir Henry Royce

Rolls Royce Phantom ICE TV Monitor

On opening the ‘coach doors’ as Rolls-Royce refer to them, you are greeted by the sight of ultimate luxury and refinement. The Phantom that I had the privilege of viewing, had a white-on-black interior, which had a very art deco look, and just oozed quality. Everything, of course, is hand-built, and the customer can pick and specify just about anything. This particular Rolls had the TV monitors in the back of driver and passenger’s seats, a mere £20,000 option. Yes, I was thinking, that’s the same price as a brand new BMW 318i. Unbelievable, but then again when you’re paying over £265,000 for the car in the first place, it doesn’t seem a whole lot of money.

When inside, one doesn’t have to shut the doors themselves, and neither does the chauffeur. Instead, an inconspicuous button by the c-pillar is pressed, and if by chance, you can’t be bothered to even do that, the driver will know a door is open, as the car will only drive at walking pace until it is shut again. Leg room is more than adequate, and you can stretch out in comfort in the beautifully deep leather seats. In fact, I heard that when the cows heard that their hides would be used for the seats in Phantom, there was a bit of a scuffle and a rush to put their names down for it. One at a time please lads.

Sitting in the drivers seat, you are surrounded by just a few buttons and switches. Simplicity is the order of the day here. The satellite navigation system and control computer are hidden behind the beautifully styled clock, which, at the push of one of the chromed buttons, flips around to reveal the screen.

The dials are also designed to look minimalist. There is a speed indicator, a fuel gauge and a water temperature gauge, but instead of a tachometer there is a Power Reserve dial, which shows how much power you have left. A nice, classy touch I thought. You really don’t need a rev’ counter in the Phantom, it’s much better to see how much power you have left.

The gear shifter lever, located on the steering wheel’s column, is again, simple but functional. Forward and reverse is all that you need and is all that is provided.

All in all, I’d say that this Rolls-Royce keeps well within Sir Henry Royce’s quota of striving for perfection.

Read Part 2 – The drive.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Official Website

All photos taken with a Nikon D70 DSLR