This year marks the ten-year anniversary of Rolls-Royce falling under non-British ownership, and BMW stewardship has served the company well, both where reliability is concerned—soiling your Savile Row suit as you dive under the hood to fix an oil leak or track down an electrical short is a blessedly rare occurrence—and in the proliferation of new models.
Applying the large-scale manufacturing practice of platform-sharing, BMW has been able to flesh out what is—for Rolls—a large and varied lineup. Indeed, the newest Roller isn’t really even all that new: slap some hand-welded sheetmetal in place of the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s canvas top, and you’ve got the Phantom Coupé, which makes its worldwide debut at the 2008 Geneva auto show. Yes, the suicide doors carry over intact.
In an automotive world where too many vehicles have strayed from their respective brand’s design heritage, Rolls-Royce has stayed true to its traditions. Indeed, the new Coupé is tastefully elegant—the seven-foot long hood, characteristic waterfall grille, and short front and long rear overhangs are all distinctly Rolls-Royce—yet contemporary.
In designing the four-seat Coupé, Ian Cameron, Rolls-Royce’s chief designer, said the team wanted to emphasize the “dynamism” of the vehicle. This car, he believes, caters to an entirely different driver than the similarly styled Drophead convertible. We guess that’s true; obscenely rich guys who want a mind-blowingly expensive two-door car with a fixed roof will be interested in the Phantom Coupé. Obscenely rich guys who want a mind-blowingly expensive two-door car with a roof that goes down will be interested in the Phantom Drophead Coupé.
Applying the large-scale manufacturing practice of platform-sharing, BMW has been able to flesh out what is—for Rolls—a large and varied lineup. Indeed, the newest Roller isn’t really even all that new: slap some hand-welded sheetmetal in place of the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s canvas top, and you’ve got the Phantom Coupé, which makes its worldwide debut at the 2008 Geneva auto show. Yes, the suicide doors carry over intact.
In an automotive world where too many vehicles have strayed from their respective brand’s design heritage, Rolls-Royce has stayed true to its traditions. Indeed, the new Coupé is tastefully elegant—the seven-foot long hood, characteristic waterfall grille, and short front and long rear overhangs are all distinctly Rolls-Royce—yet contemporary.
In designing the four-seat Coupé, Ian Cameron, Rolls-Royce’s chief designer, said the team wanted to emphasize the “dynamism” of the vehicle. This car, he believes, caters to an entirely different driver than the similarly styled Drophead convertible. We guess that’s true; obscenely rich guys who want a mind-blowingly expensive two-door car with a fixed roof will be interested in the Phantom Coupé. Obscenely rich guys who want a mind-blowingly expensive two-door car with a roof that goes down will be interested in the Phantom Drophead Coupé.
