Rolls-Royce Phantom

First impressions

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It was inevitable that Rolls-Royce would build a convertible version of its Phantom saloon. Historically it is a path it has followed many times before and, traditionally, the Drophead has always been reassuringly more expensive than the four-door. In this latest incarnation the Drophead is also full of drama. Based upon the 100EX show car from 2005, it’s surprising that so much of the spectacle of the design has been carried through to the production car. With lights like these, the Phantom Drophead Coupé is hardly a thing of beauty, but it has unsurpassed visual impact. Mixing new technology with traditional values, this is a car that Rolls will have no trouble in selling the 200 it plans to build each year.

Performance

Somewhere in its history, Rolls-Royce moved from being cars of sedate luxury to something altogether more vigorous. Perhaps it was the influence of Bentley, which always had a sporting edge. As, for years, the cars were fundamentally the same, Rolls-Royce got pulled along on Bentley’s coat tails. Now the two brands are spilt apart, Rolls-Royce owned by BMW and Bentley by Volkswagen, and neither can afford to lose face. The Drophead comes with the same 6.75-litre V12 that powers the saloon, coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. There’s nothing as brash as paddle shift or even a Sport function. You just move the steering wheel lever to Drive and perambulate off in near total silence.

But there’s much more to the car than this. Work the long accelerator pedal nearer the floor and with a slight lift of the nose, the Phantom simply takes off. The fact that it will reach 149mph is not really significant – a quick Astra will do that. Zero to 62 mph in a mere 5.9 seconds is pretty stunning though, for a car that weighs in nearer to three tonnes than two. And it continues to perform like this in near silence. Is it exciting? This is a very big car, 5.6 metres long and 2 metres wide. Punch it down a road which is even slightly limited in width and it certainly sends a tingle down your spine.