Rolls-Royce Phantom 2013 News

The iconic British brand’s new flagship arrives late next year with more than 100 exterior colour options, 24 recommended two-tone combinations and a host of exterior chrome trims. Bentley product manager Hans Holzgartner said that inside there was even more choice with 24 leather trim colours, five coloured leather pipings, nine wood veneers, even 23 seat belt colours plus a range of optional extras such as cross or contrast stitching and extra Bentley ‘wing’ badges.  “Someone actually did the calculations and came up with a figure of more than a trillion combinations,” he said. However, there is only one engine and one transmission.  The Mulsanne, named after a 1980s model and the notorious high-speed straight at Le Mans, will be powered by a lightweight aluminium 6.75-litre V8 with multi-displacement so it can cruise on just four cylinders.  “Why a V8, we have been asked,” Holzgartner says.  “We didn’t need the car to be any faster but we did want it to be more fun to drive and accelerate harder so we went for more torque for more strength at slow speed.’’ He says the engine is the ‘strongest production V8’ on the market with 1020Nm of torque from just 1600rpm.  The V8 is married to an eight-speed auto/manual transmission that can short shift and skip gears changing up or down to achieve a smooth drive, performance and efficiency.  Bentley claims the engine and transmission combine to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by more than 15 per cent. Asia Pacific marketing manager James Barclay said the Mulsanne would arrive in Australia in the last quarter of next year and cost ‘more than the current top of the fleet’ which means more than the $744,132 Bentley Azure two-door convertible.  The new Mulsanne is 150mm longer than the Arnage with all of that extra length in the wheelbase to provide more interior space. Despite the 23kg lighter engine, 10kg lighter gearbox and use of aluminium in all panels except the steel roof and polymer boot, Holzgartner says the vehicle would weigh much the same as the Arnage because of the extra interior features.  “Even the carpet is thicker to provide a feeling of quality,” he says. Bentley Mulsanne Price: about $750,000On sale: late 2010Engine: twin-turbocharged, 6750cc, alloy V8 with variable displacementPower: 377kWTorque: 1020NmTransmission: ZF 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive DIMENSIONS (mm): 5562 (l), 1926 (w), 1526 (h), 3266 (wheelbase) Rivals: Rolls-Royce Phantom 6.8L ($107,500)BMW 760Li 6.0L ($386,000)Mercedes-Benz 6.3L 63 AMG ($371,400) and 6.0L 65 AMG ($477,400).

Worried about how to keep the champers perfectly chilled in the Caulfield and Flemington carpark during Spring Carnival?  Rolls-Royce has come up with the perfect solution. Buyers can now specify an $18,000 custom-made fridge in the boot of the $1.4 million Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead coupe.  The fridge, along with enough room for three bottles of Krug and eight custom-made cut crystal wine glasses, fits snugly into the Drophead's boot, which can be lined in your choice of leather, carpet or teak.  The fridge sits out-of-sight under the luggage floor. If you need picnic tables to go with the Krug, they will set you back a modest $2000.  The fridge is one of hundreds of special options available through Rolls-Royce Bespoke, which as the name suggests personalises cars to the whims of the owners. The 25-strong Rolls Royce Bespoke team can do just about anything and obviously, money is no object.  Bespoke's product and sales manager, Thomas Jefferson, and manager of interior design, Gavin Hartley, have just finished a whirlwind tour of Australia to meet clients and spread the message about Bespoke.  Jefferson says personalisation is big business, with more than 80 per cent of Rolls-Royce customers choosing something from the Bespoke range. "When it was launched in 2003 Bespoke accounted for about a third of Rolls-Royce business," he says.  "Today it is running between 80 per cent and 90 per cent so it's gone from being quite a minor player to being a major part of the company." It is not surprising that Rolls-Royce customers are not averse to spending up big.  As a rule they generally have millions in their bank accounts, own two or more houses and usually have a garage with more than five cars.  Some are known to have his and hers Roll-Royces, while others have a Rolls-Royce at their disposal in each of the homes around the globe.  One client, which we assume were from the Middle East, bought 10 Phantoms at a $1 million apiece for Christmas presents and then commissioned Rolls-Royce Bespoke to individualise them. Not surprisingly, Middle East royalty and oil money are big clients, followed by customers in Japan and North America.  The nouveau riche in Russia and China are also hopping on the bespoke bandwagon.  Hartley expects demand for the service to grow over the next few years in the emerging powerhouse countries, particularly once the global financial crisis is behind us.  He says that despite their wealth, Bespoke clients still expect value-for-money and the exquisite attention to detail that comes from the hand-crafted cars. Australia remains a small market but Trivett Classic, which sells Rolls-Royce here, says there is growing interest from Rolls-Royce owners.  Trivett Classic general manager, Bevin Clayton, says as word spreads buyers are becoming more interested in personalising their cars.  "We're interested in the Bespoke program because it's a great way of getting someone out of their four or five year old Phantom and personalising their new car," he says. Hartley says Bespoke services are restricted to trim and paint.  There is nothing so crude as chipping the engine for better performance, he says.  "Generally speaking our clients find the power more than adequate," Hartley says.  Hartley says Bespoke can match an exterior colour to just about anything and has even had one request to match a colour to a particular hand cream.  "People can also reserve an exterior colour for themselves and have it named after them," Hartley says. Apart from specific colours, which can cost more than $11,000, Bespoke also has 44,000 colour combinations available for customers so no two Rolls-Royces are the same.  "We have customers bringing us a handbag, lipstick or a tie and we'll colour match it," Hartley says.  The same goes for the interior, where options are only limited by the clients' imagination with the extensive range of leathers and hand-crafted woods. The cheapest item ranges from a few hundred dollars for personalised lambswool mats to one-off features that are done upon customer request that can run into telephone book numbers.  One customer wanted - and got - his wood veneer from a particular tree on his estate.  Another female Phantom owner wanted her car in lilac and Rolls-Royce Bespoked obliged. She also got a full leather lilac interior. Rolls-Royce can also measure customers, as you would for a suit, to determine the exact position and angle of the rear footrests in a Phantom.  No task is too small, minor or considered insignificant.  On one occasion, the Bespoke team asked an owner what drinks they preferred and engineered the cupholders to a particular-sized drink can so it would fit snugly without rattling. Among the more popular ‘options’ in the Phantom are the Starlight headlining with minute fibre optic lights inset into the roof lining for a cool $18,000 and a jewelled illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy radiator mascot for $7400.  If the illuminated variety is not to your liking, you can order the Spirit of Ecstasy in solid silver or gold plate for $10,000 and $11,396. Need privacy? The partition wall between the driver and rear passengers in the long-wheelbase Phantom will set you back a cool $100,000.  To date the most expensive Bespoked Rolls-Royce was a $780,000 Drophead coupe but a special one was recently auctioned for charity and fetched $2 million at a US wine festival. Bespoke guides its customers with a polite but firm hand. Yet if you really want a hot pink paint scheme and lurid interior, the Rolls-Royce folk will reluctantly oblige.  Ultimately though Jefferson says Bespoke is the arbitor of quality and craftsmanship.  "Style is very uniquely personal and it's important to allow the customer to have the final say in their personal style," he says. What you can buyStarlight headlining in oatmeal leather $18,480 Tilt sunroof $10,230 Vanity mirrors for rear passengers $3795 Picnic tables with veneer backs $5005 Individual rear seats $17,435 Drinks cabinet for individual seats $22,605 Drinks cabinet in rear doors $40,040 Solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy $9988 Gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy $11,396 Humidor in the glovebox $7766 Pen set in the glovebox $10,560 Secure safe with electronic lock $15,950 Silver bezel clock face $7128 Silver bezel white clock face $7128 Partition wall/glass $100,056 Drophead Coupe Lambswool floor mats $2706 Leather trimmed boot $14,410 Starlight headlining in bamboo or dark grey $26,620 Teak decking $19,305

The Spirit of Ecstasy which sits as the guiding light on the front of every Rolls-Royce Phantom can now also be lit for night-time impact. The illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy began as a motor show tease and was fitted to the front of the Rolls-Royce 101EX, a concept car which was first seen at the Geneva motor show in 2006. The idea was supposed to start and finish there. But Rolls-Royce has some very persuasive customers with giant cheque books and so the spotlight was shifted to the mascot, with the company's 'bespoke' division swinging into action. The result is a very special mascot made, instead of steel, from an innovative polycarbonate material called Makrolon. This gives a frosted-glass effect but, more importantly, allows the light source to be piped up into the Ecstasy mascot. The system uses a pair of tiny LED bulbs in the base of the figurine which are activated when the Phantom's owner triggers the welcome lighting system which also turns on the headlamps. But this special light show does not come cheaply - it's close to $10,000 - and only 24 have been fitted so far. None have made it to Australia yet, but that could change easily if Rolls-Royce decides to shine the light on the upcoming Ghost, a model that will at least double production and sales of the historic British brand.

Well, you will in 2010 when the newest Rolls-Royce hits the road. The baby brother of the hulking Phantom has just been named, and it's officially the Ghost. The name takes over from the RR4 tag used during development of the compact new Rolls-Royce and was announced today at the opening of the Shanghai Motor Show. The Ghost name has a long history at Rolls-Royce, starting from 1906, although it has not been used since 1925. The company's best-known car is the original Silver Ghost. The Ghost will become Rolls-Royce's fifth model when it joins the Phantom, Phantom extended wheelbase, Phantom Drophead coupe and Phantom coupe. It will be built on a dedicated production line at the Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood in the UK, and is expected to more than double sales from the 1212 sold in 2008.  

Twenty five of the Bespoke cars, called Phantom Black, have been hand built at Goodwood in England. They feature lustrous metallic "Diamond Black" paintwork, 21-inch alloy wheels and visible tail pipes. Under the bonnet the 6.75 litre V12 engine has gloss black inlet manifolds, chrome plated top covers and new black Rolls-Royce badges. The company boasts the motor is almost silent while pumping out 337kW and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.7sec with a limited top speed of 239km/h. It might be bling outside and muscle under the bonnet, but inside, it is still all gentlemen's club with soft black leather upholstery edged with "Seashell" piping, black ash wood veneer and silver pinstripe on the door capping. However, the steering wheel has a slightly thicker rim, hinting at its sporting dynamics. All 25 Phantom Blacks have been snapped up. Who knows; they could feature in the next hip hop video.