To be known as the 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II, the sedan, coupe, and drophead coupe models have received modifications to their styling, drivetrains, connectivity features, and other luxury accoutrements.
"These cars are timeless in their appeal," said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, "but technology moves rapidly and we cannot afford to stand still."
Starting from the front, the Phantom Series II features a subtly restyled front end. As before, the full 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom range includes the sedan (or "saloon" as the company terms it), the extended-wheelbase sedan, the Drophead Coupe, and the Coupe.
From launch, the Rolls-Royce Phantom proved itself a worthy recipient of the famous Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. From Pantheon grille to long rear overhang, the design was clearly a Rolls-Royce.
New Phantom variants were added, starting with Phantom Extended Wheelbase in 2005. In 2007, Phantom Drophead Coupé revealed the ultimate in luxurious open-top motoring, while Phantom Coupé, Rolls-Royce's sophisticated grand tourer, joined the family in 2008.
A new world - Phantom Series II in summary
Rolls-Royce Phantom's striking and modern front end best encapsulates the essence of changes that lie beneath, with re-styled bumpers and rectangular light apertures that frame full-LED light clusters. Phantom's already sublime drive-train has also been enhanced. Front, rear and top-view camera systems, further augment Phantom's ease of use particularly when driving in tight urban environments.
Design
Ian Cameron - Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Director of Design
Like a piece of inspirational music, the Rolls-Royce Phantom continues to delight an audience.
Nearly ten years from launch, the design team responsible for creating a modern masterpiece remain at Rolls-Royce. The signature is an elegant and dramatic bar, capturing the simple elegance of a continuously lit element, a feature complementing Rolls-Royce tail light design.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé now come with a single piece grille surround, presenting a smoother, more contemporary front end that arch into sculpted front wings, while Phantom saloon features a new rear bumper incorporating a polished stainless steel highlight.
Interior
All Rolls-Royce Phantom family cars now benefit from improved interfaces and interaction with wireless technology. For Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II the telephone cradle has been replaced by a standard fit smart phone cradle which connects directly into the car antennae. Rolls-Royce has a long history of technological firsts and is now the first car manufacturer to offer full LED headlamps as standard for Phantom models. Continuously lit, an elegant bar runs through the centre forming Phantom's LED daytime running lamps.
\Engineering excellence
Originally conceived by the Rolls-Royce engineering team, an advanced aluminium spaceframe retains its position at Phantom's core, serving as the foundation for the car's extraordinary driving prowess. Precision might also be the best word to describe the manner in which Phantom drivers place their cars through corners.
Complementing Phantom's reassuring safety features are changes to front door side pockets.
Drive-train and suspension
Rolls-Royce Phantom's power reserve gauge is another of those trademark Rolls-Royce design cues that always raises a smile. For Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II, Rolls-Royce has improved the drive-train by incorporating a new 8-speed auto ZF-gearbox for all variants. It takes 60 pairs of hands and more than 450 hours to design, construct and craft each Rolls-Royce motor car. At the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood there are around 1,000 employees, including craftspeople working in wood and leather shops, making the world's finest cars.
Leather
Only the finest hand-selected hides from Alpine bulls are used by Rolls-Royce. Perhaps one of the most delightful and popular of Rolls-Royce bespoke features is the starlight headliner, which integrates more than 1,600 tiny fibre optic lights which are hand-woven into the leather roof lining to create a beautiful starry sky within a Rolls-Royce Phantom Saloon or Phantom Coupé.
