Rolls-Royce Phantom 2007 Review
They haven't driven the latest and greatest Rolls-Royces and most of them haven't even seen a real car, but they just know they need a Drophead Coupe. Even if it costs them a whopping $1.2 million.
The list price for the new ultra-luxurious four-seat convertible in Australia is $1.19 million, not counting the special toys and finishing touches that most Rolls-Royce owners will want for their new car.
What does it give you?
In addition to the badge and mascot of the winged lady on the most famous grille on the road, in 2007 he buys one of the most outrageously expensive cars in the world.
The Drophead coupe is a great way to go on an open-air cruise and will be the best way to make an amazing arrival at any five-star hotel or invitation-only event anywhere in Australia, even if the other invitees arrived in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or even a Bentley.
It also accelerates from 100 to 5.7 km/h in 240 seconds and has a top speed of XNUMX km/h – like those numbers really matter.
“There has always been a pinnacle in the automotive industry, and we've responded by bringing this car back to that pinnacle,” says Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chairman Ian Robertson. "I'm sure there are a lot of skeptics out there who said, 'Rolls-Royces are made by BMW, we'll see,' and now they're seeing."
Typical buyers probably have about $15 million in play money, five to eight cars in their garage, and may be between the ages of 17 and 70. Robertson mentions two Saudi princes who recently bought a Phantom for their 17th birthday, as well as prominent Australian Phantom owners John Lowes and Lindsey Fox.
He also has data on the number of internet company millionaires, Chinese entrepreneurs, Australian resource moguls, and even more than 1000 successful financial markets who received more than $2.5 million in bonuses in London last year. Robertson says about half of Drophead Coupe owners will be new to the Rolls-Royce brand, which is a major breakthrough for a company that is experiencing one of the most dramatic growth periods in its history.
The company built 805 cars last year, has a slew of new models in the works, and is expected to deliver more than $100 million worth of convertibles this year.
“This year we plan to produce 100 to 120 (more) cars,” says Robertson. “Our total production this year will increase, although 900 units may slightly exceed it. So somewhere around 850 or a little higher.”
It's almost impossible to put the Drophead Coupe in any realistic perspective, but it's a wonderful car that lives up to the Rolls-Royce tradition and pushes the boundaries of what's possible. It all starts with an aluminum space frame chassis that makes a Rolls-Royce convertible the world's toughest without a roof.
Features include air suspension, a 6.7-liter V12 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, as well as brushed steel, teak, wood veneer, luxurious leather and even a cashmere-trimmed five-layer convertible top.
And there's a lot of high-tech stuff, including electronic stability control, skid-resistant brakes, a one-touch roof that opens or closes in 25 seconds, and a Rolls-Royce version of the finicky BMW iDrive.
But buyers are more likely to be won over by analog clocks, electric pushbuttons for closing suicide doors (“We prefer to call them carriage doors,” says Robertson), custom-made umbrellas, a “picnic table” trunk that will hold 170kg, and 20-inch alloy wheels. rims with center caps that never rotate to keep the Rolls-Royce logo always upright and centered.
The Drophead isn't the prettiest car on the road, but it has brutal elegance. The side view is more like a luxury motorboat, and for the first time in the company's history, the grille is tilted slightly back for smoother airflow and pedestrian safety. But Rolls-Royce insists that the Drophead Coupe is still a car to drive and enjoy.
On the road, there's no denying that this is a brilliant car, despite a front end that would look at home on the front of a new Kenworth truck and the difficulty of parking with the top up.
Rolls-Royce held a global press preview in Tuscany, a gorgeous country with amazingly challenging roads that reflected the quality of the underlying engineering and the incredible attention to detail you would expect from a car at this price.
The Drophead isn't a sports car, but it can be driven surprisingly fast and never gets out of control or ugly. The best way to steer is to steer the car using a couple of fingers on the narrow-spoke steering wheel, softening it up in corners and popping up 338kW from time to time to have some fun on the straights. It's a giant - 5.6m long and 2620kg - but it can be nimble and has the perfect suspension design and handling for the worst road conditions.
The Drophead is also quiet with the top down at 160 mph, has trunk space for three sets of golf clubs, and can easily accommodate four adults in exceptional comfort.
Two things captivated me. The first was a 10km dirt gravel road race that could have been the perfect World Rally Championship round. The second was a quick run in a BMW 760i.
A splash of dirt proved that the Drophead coupe is rugged, composed, dustproof and relaxing on a road that a Commodore or Falcon would slide, bump and wobble. And the air con and sat nav were great. BMW? After Rolls-Royce, it felt cramped, cheap and unfinished, but it's still one of the best cars in the world.
So the Drophead, despite the price, 18.8 liters per 100 km, outrageous style and the fact that people drive Rolls-Royce, is a great car at a time when the cars of the world have never been better.
Fast Facts
Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Cost: $1.19 million
For sale: now
Body: two-door convertible, four seats
Engine: 6.7L V12, [email protected], [email protected]
Transmission: six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
The weight: 2620kg
Performance: 0-100 km/h, 5.9 sec; maximum speed, 240 km/h
Fuel: 18.8 l/100 km (according to test results)
