There’s a Rolls-Royce Phantom sitting elegantly outside of MotorMartin Towers and it’s there for four full days. Four days of luxury, cosseting and being made to feel like royalty. It’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it.
The interior is as luxurious as you hoped it would be with carpets deep enough to dive into, leather of a quality unlike any other car you’ve ever sat in before and that incredible mixture of old school feel and thoroughly modern technology that defines the current model. Comfortable? Of course. Tech? Most definitely. Think of something you’d like in a car and the chances are, it’s already in the Phantom and is remarkably simple to control and use through the elegant control dial. Bespoke art across the dash? Absolutely.
The rear of this Extended WheelBase model lives up to it’s name and then some, offering your two passengers a seven star experience worthy of the very best hotel. The difference being that this luxury accommodation can also transport you from and too your favourite destinations in complete comfort. Seats that heat, cool, massage and recline, hidden footrests that rise from the floor combine with the all important champagne fridge and flutes allow for journeys to be looked forward too as a chance to unwind and relax, cushioned from all imperfections of the outside world. An incredible multi media centre for each passenger, easily controlled from a central control, keeps even the most demanding guest happy and helps to create that feeling of contemplation that we all need from time to time. One could very easily get used to this.
At 5982 mm in length, 2018 mm in width and with an unladen weight of 2610 kg, the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB could be quite intimidating to the uninitiated after all, this car has presence unlike any other on the road today. There’s also a V12 engine with twin turbos and 6749 cc which produces a more than reasonable 563 bhp @ 5000 rpm whilst offering up 664 lb/ft torque @ 1700 rpm propelling the Phantom forward in a manner that makes it’s size simply disappear. A 0-60 mph of 5.2 secs is sports car quick.
And the Rolls’ greatest achievement? This Phantom EWB is just so easy to drive. Far from being intimidating, once used to the size you find yourself driving the Rolls-Royce as you would any other car, the steering is so light you could steer with just one finger if you so desired whilst the sophisticated suspension keeps body roll to an absolute minimum and does an amazing job of isolating front and rear passengers from all imperfections in the road’s surface. Double glazed windows, of course, complete the feeling of calm that pervades the interior which, when combined with the car’s sophisticated driving aids, makes for an incredibly relaxing state of mind as you waft along to your destination, be that the supermarket, a business meeting or driving across Europe just for the hell of it.
Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, as is a sense of worth, but even the most cynical would have to admit that the Phantom is a beautiful piece of automotive sculpture, a shape still instantly recognisable today, a feat unique amongst it’s peers.
In MotorMartin’s opinion, Rolls-Royce is to be celebrated for taking it’s long held values and tradition and transporting those qualities into their present day products. The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB is expensive as it absolutely should be. After all, it combines a standard of build quality, style and performance that is simply breathtaking.
It’s a celebration of the motorcar and all that it can be. And for that, we should all be utterly thankful.
Where will you go?