Bettering the best

Ask the people at Rolls-Royce what their competitors are and the answer would likely be a powerboat, a painting or a beach condo.

So when I was invited to the international media launch of the Phantom Series II in Nice, France, I reckoned it would be a pleasant holiday.

The French Riviera, the Monaco Grand Prix, The Cannes Film Festival, James Bond gambling somewhere in Monte Carlo, and nudist beaches. Ah, this is the ultimate playground of the rich and famous. And I’m the first journalist from Thailand to be invited to test-drive a new Rolls-Royce.

As you can see I wasn’t thinking a bit about the car. Well, a Rolls has to be luxurious, elegant and heavy, have a long bonnet for a large V8 or V12 engine that runs without making so much as a whisper, and that was it.

The point in having a Rolls is to arrive at your destination with lots of fanfare. After all, the message is clear – I’m not just rich. I’m important too.

But let’s get back to the model I’m test-driving: it’s the Phantom Series II, which replaces the Series I that was first launched in 2003 after five years of development.

Well, the Series II is not exactly new, but lots of work has been put into giving the car a more contemporary look as well as increased equipment level.

The Series II comes with exterior cosmetic improvements, including the 21-inch wheels (the largest to be offered in a standard production car) that features the “RR” monogram on the wheel hubs that stays upright all the time.

Inside, there’s a new 8.8-inch LCD screen that flips over to show an analog clock on a wooden panel. Meanwhile, the satellite navigation system has been improved with 3D display and offers a “guided tours” feature that takes you around interesting or historic locations within the area.

This is the first time that I have driven a Rolls and to be honest I’m not too concerned about what’s new and what’s not. With a brand like this you can be sure that everything in this car is the best there is. As Sir Henry Royce once said, “Take the best that exists and make it better.”

So we still have the same 6.75-litre V12 engine supplied by BMW (which owns Rolls-Royce) that pumps out 458 brake horsepower and a massive 720Nm of torque, with most of it being available at 1,000rpm onwards. Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes 5.9 seconds, which is remarkable for a ship – pardon me – car weighing in at over two-and-a-half tonnes. The top speed is limited to 240km/h.

The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF in which both team up to offer what you’d call “effortless” motoring. There is plenty of torque reserve to accelerate smoothly to cruising speed without the engine revving up over 20 per cent.

Speaking about revs, there is no tachometer but instead a power reserve gauge (in per cent).

On the highway, the Phantom provided an extremely smooth and comfortable ride, with hardly any wind noise, while the double-layer floor effectively absorbed road noise. The result is a very quiet interior and a great environment for the Harman Kardon entertainment system to perform to its fullest potential (the subwoofer is  mounted between the floor layers, making use of the space and turning it into a bass box.

The test-drive included a host of narrow and winding mountain roads which aren’t the type of environment the Phantom would perform brilliantly in. The front end of the car (where the mammoth V12 is mounted), doesn’t like to change direction suddenly and you’re not going to take it through a mountain corner like a sports saloon. Most of the time I ended up making sure the front end of this 6-metre-long behemoth would make it through the narrow curbs rather than trying to cut through with speed.

Well, it has to be said that it’s no fun driving the Phantom fast. But again, it’s not designed to be driven that way. Actually, the best place to ride in is the back seat where all the goodies are.

When you’re being driven in a Phantom you want to be in your tuxedo, with a glass of champagne nestled in the centre armrest (unfold the armrest and voila! a drinks cabinet) and perhaps with a nice co-passenger (preferably with killer eyes and long, long legs!) on the way to a gala dinner or an awards ceremony. And this is the time to switch on the starlight headliner, which features 1,600 tiny fibre-optic lights hand-woven into the leather roof lining to create a beautiful starry sky. May I also suggest tunes from Shirley Bassey or Nat King Cole to go with this heavenly interior environment.

Both rear passengers have their own entertainment system to play with, and there are all sorts of amenities to keep you spoiled. Both get veneered shelves and their own screen plus six-disc DVD changer, AV (for games) and USB inputs, as well as a high-speed Bluetooth music streaming function that of course works particularly well. Sound quality is simply excellent.

In Thailand, Rolls-Royce has just appointed a new official importer, Millionaire Auto (Thailand), which will officially open its showroom and service centre in Bangkok later this year.

This means that customers will be enjoying Rolls-Royce-service quality for both sales and after sales, something that grey importers may not be able to offer.

The retail price of the Phantom in Thailand has not been quoted by the official importer, but in world markets it carries a price tag of close to US$500,000 (Bt15.78 million).

 

Craftsmanship

 

It takes 60 pairs of hands and more than 450 hours to design, construct and craft each Rolls-Royce. The Rolls plant in Goodwood employs about 1,000 people and has only two robots in the paint shop. Depending on the specs, up to 43 wooden parts are used in every Phantom, each constructed from 28 layers of wood. They are interspersed with thin sheets of aluminium for strength and to prevent splintering. All veneers come from one log, and they are carefully selected and laid out so that the grain detailing is mirrored across the interior of each car. The leather, meanwhile, is hand-selected from Alpine bulls raised in open meadows without thorn or barbed wire resulting in fewer natural marks. And there are five layers of paint and clear lacquer coating (seven if the car is two-tone).

 

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM SERIES II

Engine: V12 48-valve direct injection

Displacement: 6,749cc

Bore and stroke: 84.6x92.0mm

Compression ratio: 11.0:1

Max power: 458bhp/5,350rpm

Max torque: 720Nm/3,500rpm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

0-100km/h: 5.9 secs

Top speed: 240km/h (electronically governed)

Fuel consumption

City: 22.8/100km

Highway: 10.2/100km

Average: 14.8/100km

Average CO2 emission: 347g/km

Suspension (f/r): double wishbone/multi-link

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 13.8 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented discs/vented discs

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 5,842

Width: 1,990

Height: 1,638

Wheelbase: 3,570

Track (f/r): n/a

Weight (kg): 2,560  

Wheels: 21-in alloys

Tyres: 235/45 R21

Fuel tank capacity: 100 litres

Price: n/a

Official importer: Millionaire Auto (Thailand) Co Ltd