Post by Roadrunner on Mar 21, 2017 22:41:15 GMT
Rolls Royce Phantom
Introduced in 2003, the Phantom was first all-new car to be launched by Rolls-Royce, after the company was sold to BMW. It won immediate praise in the motoring press, some writers stating that, for the first time in many years, Rolls-Royce could truly say that they did in fact make ‘The Best Car in the World’. More recently fixed head and drop head coupe models have been added to the range, as well as an extended wheelbase saloon. 
In 2009 Rolls-Royce showed its RR04 concept, which was to become the Ghost. Designed as a smaller, more ‘real-life’ car it too has won considerable acclaim in the motoring press, both for its refinement and dynamic abilities. 
Recently the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club reinstated its ‘Driving Day’ at Club HQ in Northamptonshire, where club members are able to sample the current models produced by the RR factory. This was the first such event for many years and so presented an un-missable opportunity to drive the new Goodwood produced models.
My first drive was in the Phantom. Finished in black, with classic tan hide and piano black wood it looked classy and elegant. The styling has divided opinion, but I like it, preferring a bold, challenging look, to a bland approach. The coachwork fitted to many RR cars in the 1930s would have been considered equally avantgarde in its day and many styling cues from the 1930s and 1950s can be seen in the Phantom.
The interior is a lesson in stylish understatement, in the true RR style, the absence of fussy, unnecessary decoration allowing the stylist’s artwork and the quality of the materials to shine through. 
Entry and exit through the wide doors is easy and the cabin manages to feel spacious and cosy at the same time. The fussy and over-complex seat controls allow me to achieve a comfortable and commanding driving position, while the extremely large door mirrors provide a clear view of what is behind. This is important in chauffer driven car where excessive use of the central rear view mirror, with its view of the rear occupants, is just ‘not done’. 
One touch of a chrome button starts the 6.75-litre V12 engine. Producing 453 BHP and 531 lb ft of torque it powers this 2,625 kg car to a governed 150 MPH and accelerates to 60 MPH in 5.7 seconds and is almost silent in operation. The only sound is a sort of deep, distant burble which suits the car very well indeed and is much more appropriate than the rather too sporty growl of the V12 fitted to the previous Silver Seraph model. The high driving position and large mirrors make the car surprisingly easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces, but there are cameras front and back to help, if necessary. There are even cameras to give a sideways view down the road, as you poke the car’s nose out of a blind opening, onto a busy road. My route consisted of some small, twisty village roads, a short section of the A5 and a mixture of B-roads and small A-roads with twists and straights in equal measure. While some surfaces were smooth, much of the route was pretty much what we have come to expect of our roads, with bumps and poorly made temporary repairs. How would the Phantom cope with this, rather than the boulevards of French Riveiera?
The word ‘effortless’ is often used when describing a car’s performance, but once I am on the A5 I soon find that even this description would prove grossly inadequate. It is possible to reach a licence threatening speed with such little drama that it seems to defy the laws of physics, the power reserve dial going nowhere near the bottom of its register. A noticeable improvement on RRs of old is the almost total absence of wind noise, only minor tyre noise and the distant burble when the engine is asked to provide more of its prodigious reserves of thrust. A trip to the south of France in a day would be easy and enjoyable for driver and passengers alike.
The B-road and A 413 provide an opportunity to explore the Phantom’s handling characteristics. Driving it in a style more associated with a supercharged Jaguar than a limousine it soon becomes apparent that yet again the Phantom defies the laws of Physics by handling in an astonishingly composed manner, with hardly any body roll as it shrugs off the bumpy twists with ease and comfort, but without any of the wallowing that one would expect from a softly sprung car. I press on as hard as I dare and never feel even remotely concerned that the car is going to become unsettled. The feedback from delightfully Roycean, thin-rimmed steering wheel is not as sensitive as on, say, a Focus, but that would miss the point. There is sufficient feel to tell me what the front wheels are doing, I only have to point and squirt. It quicky dawns on me just how quickly I have become at ease as I hustle this 2.6 tonne limo down a twisty road at 80 leptons. This is the easiest car to drive I have ever experienced, by a long way. If you like a car which will challenge you, as you input fine steering movements while balancing the throttle to achieve the best line around a bend, then the Phantom is not the car for you. I’ll wager that the Phantom will get you from A to B almost as quickly as a well driven sports car, but the Phantom can do it with an old duffer like me at the wheel and with draw-dropping ease and refinement.
Time to swap over and make the return journey in the rear seat, as another Club member takes his turn behind the wheel. There is, of course, plenty of room to stretch out in the back, where I have every convenience at my finger tips. Separate upper and lower temperature controls, seat heating and DVD and audio to name but a few. 
From here the ride is equally refined. My driver is not pressing on quite as hard as me, but still makes good progress. We are able to converse without raising our voices as the Northamptonshire countryside rushes past outside.
Back at club HQ I can now see why the Phantom has been described as ‘The Best Car in the World’. For the first time in many years Rolls-Royce have a car with the dynamic abilities to match its quality and refinement. It does not seem possible for a car to be any better than this, but then I am about to drive the Ghost...