LIMITED EDITION ROLLS-ROYCE MARKS 80 YEARS OF PHANTOM
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has produced a special motor car to mark the 80th anniversary of the Phantom name. Just 25 specially designed new Phantoms will be made available worldwide.
The original Phantom was launched in the summer of 1925 and soon became an iconic motor car and a great sales success. It was followed by the Phantom II in 1929 and the Phantom III in 1936. The name returned to the line up after the war in 1950 with the Phantom IV, followed by the Phantoms V and VI , the latter being produced until the early 1990s. Then in 2003 the Phantom name was chosen for the all-new motor car, built at a new manufacturing plant in Goodwood under the ownership of BMW Group.
Each of these special new Phantoms has either a black or black and silver exterior that echoes the colour schemes of the early 1920 models. A silver hand-painted coach line runs along the full length of the bodywork. Stylish 21-inch aluminium wheels complete the exterior look.
The coach-doors open to reveal a B-pillar chassis plate that discreetly points to the motor car’s unique nature. Inside the Bespoke interior uses black and seashell leather in a natural finish. Contrast leather piping accentuates the seats. A number of new Bespoke features adorn the interior, including a wine cooler, below the rear seat, and a DVD system. The usual wood veneer found on the front of the picnic tables gives way to a sumptuous leather-writing surface. However the reverse, visible side, features the trademark wood, in this instance cross-banded burr walnut.
A further distinguishing feature of this special series is the beautiful Conway Stewart pen set fitted inside the glove box. It comprises a classic Duro style fountain pen, ballpoint and propelling pencil. The pens are housed in a hand crafted case made at Goodwood and featuring Rolls-Royce leather.
Conway Stewart is one of the great English pen makers of the last century. Thomas Garner and Frank Jarvis started the company in 1905. They set out to make pens that were both reliable and solidly constructed. The acclaimed Duro pen was designed in the mid 1920s – at the same time as the first Rolls-Royce Phantoms were being developed and so it was judged entirely fitting that it was included in the specification of this motor car.
