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The eighth-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom has been officially launched in Australia this week, with access to the iconic symbol of success, power and wealth starting from $950,000, or $1.1m for the extended wheelbase version.
Speaking at the unveiling in Sydney today, Paul Harris, Asia Pacific Regional Director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, “New Phantom is highly anticipated – a flagship icon that will once again reset the benchmark for pure authentic luxury. Its exclusivity, bold yet elegant design and engineering dexterity showcases the best that Rolls-Royce has to offer in world-class, handcrafted quality.”
“Cutting-edge innovations include a new exclusive ‘Architecture of Luxury’, an all-aluminium spaceframe designed to underpin every future Rolls-Royce; great leaps in technology, drivetrain and driver assistance systems to produce a peerless ‘magic carpet ride’; and a new, world-first ‘Gallery’ that allows owners to personalise a moving art piece. We are confident that New Phantom will once again take its place at the pinnacle of Australia’s super-luxury landscape, a country of historic and future strategic importance to us,” he added.
Engineering Masterpiece
Underpinning new Rolls Royce Phantom is a new ‘Architecture of Luxury’, an all-aluminium spaceframe architecture designed by Rolls-Royce engineers that will underpin every future Rolls-Royce beginning with the New Phantom. The new platform – significantly lighter yet 30 per cent stronger than before – will underpin the next-generation Ghost, Wraith, Dawn as well as the Cullinan, the brand’s first ever SUV.
The ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ experience is enhanced to levels of near-silence on the new Phantom, thanks to integration of a slew of new technologies, 130kg of sound insulation and an all-new 6.75 litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine developing 420kW and 900Nm of torque. Matched with an 8-speed transmission, the 2.5-tonne Phantom sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds.
Accompanying the increased stiffness of the spaceframe is a high comfort chassis with air suspension and state-of-the-art chassis control systems, delivering ‘effortless’ ride and handling.
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 tyre noise by 9db. Overall, the new Phantom is said to be 10 per cent quieter than its predecessor at 100km/h.
According to Rolls-Royce, when its acoustic test engineers reviewed the results of road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so low they had to check their instruments were calibrated correctly.
In addition, New Phantom is equipped with the ‘Flagbearer’ – a stereo camera system integrated in the windscreen to see the road ahead and adjusts suspension proactively. At night, the latest laser technology headlights provide a 600 metre range of vision to ensure safe travel.
The ‘Suite’
A divine selection of materials have been placed thoughtfully throughout the car’s interior. As a result, being inside the new Phantom is akin to entering a luxury hotel ‘suite’ with passengers being cocooned in the finest leathers and veneers. The famous coach doors can now be closed from the exterior by touch sensitive door handles.
A selection of rear seating options is available on the new Phantom, from lounge to individual formats. Technology is hidden until required, leaving only the visual majesty of curated wood, leather and billeted metal for all to admire.
‘The Gallery’
The latest Phantom debuts ‘The Gallery’, a modern and luxury reinterpretation of a motor car’s dashboard and instrument panel area that uses a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display.
An application of glass runs uninterrupted across the fascia of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present commissioned artwork. According to Rolls-Royce, this has come from an understanding that the marque’s patrons are increasingly collectors of fine and contemporary art.
Infotainment and Safety
The electronic architecture of the new Phantom is the largest ever in a Rolls Royce model. The central nervous system connects and controls all the various advanced intelligence systems of new Phantom. Some, but not all, assistance systems on-board the 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 7×3 high-resolution head-up display, WiFi hotspot, and the latest navigation and entertainment systems.
