PETALING JAYA, Oct 16 — When someone says that an item is ‘the Rolls Royce of’ something, it means that that item is the best there is. Well, today, we witnessed what one might call the Rolls Royce of Rolls Royces, with the unveiling of the eighth generation of the Rolls Royce Phantom at Rolls Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur.
The new Phantom takes a big step away from the (now) convention of building a car out of a monocoque body — Rolls Royce builds the Phantom based on an aluminium space frame, and this will underpin all future Rolls Royce models. The Phantom space frame is lighter, yet provides 30 percent more rigidity than in the predecessor Phantom VII.
Taking a step back in history, in the early days, up to the fifties and early sixties, cars usually had a ‘chassis’ frame, or an central skeleton on which the suspension and drive train were hung, and on this same chassis frame, the coach work or body was built. Until today, most trucks still use this method. Somewhere in the mid-fifties, ‘monocoque’ bodies appeared as they were more cost-effective to build. Monocoque bodies rely on the car body itself to provide structural strength for the vehicle — achieved through using bulkheads, box sections and tubes built under the outer skin. However, racing cars are traditionally built using ‘space frame’ technology — a typical space frame is made of tubular sections either bolted or welded together to provide a ‘skeleton’ on which the drive train is fitted, and the body panels are hung. The space frame method is usually for low production volumes and for ‘purpose-built’ vehicles.
The Phantom VIII also gets the next-generation four-corner air suspension system, state-of-the-art chassis control systems, and a whopping 130 kg of sound insulation. Add to this double-laminated glass, and dual skin alloys across the bulkhead, and you get a supremely quiet car. When Rolls Royce acoustic test engineers reviewed the results of road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so low they had to check that their instruments were calibrated correctly.
An all-new 6.75 litre twin turbo V12 engine provides 563 horsepower and 900Nm of torque, available in full from just 1,700 rpm, and drive is to the rear wheels through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. Despite a curb weight of 2,610kg, the Phantom VIII can do the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is 5.4 seconds, and has a top speed which is electronically limited to 250 km/hr. This is definitely not a slouch, although I doubt that any chauffer would get to keep his job while trying this out, unless it is to get away from a potential kidnap attempt. Fuel consumption for the Phantom VIII, if you care to know, is 21.4 litres per 100 km (urban), and 9.7 litres per 100 km (extra urban) — note that these are the rated figures, and I dare say that the real world figures would be something else. Of course, if you can afford this car, the numbers would be inconsequential anyway. If you need to ask, you probably cannot afford this car anyway.
The new Phantom promises and delivers what Rolls Royce calls ‘The Magic Carpet Ride’ — super smooth gliding on the road, helped by the chassis control system that senses the road continuously and adjusts the spring rates and dampers, proactively to cater for undulations ahead, helped by multiple sensors and cameras that scan the road ahead. Headlights are lasers that can penetrate up to 600 metres at night.
Inside, the Phantom VIII is like entering a luxury hotel’s suite — it is fully customisable, with countless options and colours. The rear doors open from the B-pillar end, like that of a coach, and all can be electronically closed from inside the car, a very useful security feature. Technology is hidden throughout the car until required, leaving only the visual majesty of wood, leather and billeted metal for all to admire.
Pricing in Malaysia for the Phantom Standard Wheelbase starts from RM2.2 Million (before taxes), while the Phantom Extended Wheelbase starts from RM2.5 Million. This pricing includes a four-year service package, regional warranty, 24-hour roadside support and a ‘flying doctor’ aftersales team.
