There is nothing quite like a Rolls-Royce Phantom and probably there never will be. The silky-smooth engine along with the thin steering wheel plus the vast reservoirs of torque makes for an automotive experience that one needs to savor while the element of luxury is carefully distilled amongst a lack of clutter. Modern luxury cars are increasingly filled with the need to complicate matters with a huge amount of technology and features. The Phantom shuns that and moves in its own direction. It is pretty much the ultimate luxury car for the jet-set and can be termed as a road-going Gulfstream.
For the new ‘updated’ Phantom there are some tweaks but the basic car remains the same and that’s what owners want apparently. The changes revolve around minor tweaks to the exterior which gives the car a more authoritative stance and does move along nicely with its massive proportions. There is a new line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille while the Pantheon Grille gets a subtle ‘geometric change’ with the Spirit of Ecstasy being more upright.
Like on the new Ghost, the grille itself is now illuminated along with laser-cut bezel star lights being draped on the headlamps. Other new elements include a 3D milled stainless steel wheel which evokes the 1920’s Rolls-Royce cars. A darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen surround, and side frame finishers can also be now commissioned. Many Phantom owners do like to drive while the extended wheelbase version is the more popular choice for those who like to be chauffeur-driven. Owners now have an access to a private club thanks to an app called ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’. This app called ‘Whispers’ maintains a digital overview of the car including its health report, location, and security while also navigating to a restaurant or dealership.
The car itself has been kept unchanged and is being looked at as a blank canvas for personalization as normally done by any Phantom. One such bespoke creation is the Phantom Platino which embraces fabric interiors and moves beyond leather. The tone-on-tone of Platino’s interior is a mixture of two fabrics. The Starlight Headliner of the Phantom Platino also gets a new bespoke pattern. While carmakers hurry to bring many changes to their cars, the Phantom continues unabated and is oblivious to the world around it while catering to the wealthiest people in the world. Sometimes less is indeed more.
