Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII
The Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII is a full-sized luxury saloon manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It is the eighth and current generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the second launched by Rolls-Royce under BMW ownership. It is offered in two wheelbase lengths.
Launch
The Phantom was unveiled by live-stream on 27 July 2017.It made its public debut at a special exhibition Rolls-Royce held in London two days later on 29 July. The event, dubbed "The Great Eight Phantoms", took place at Bonhams auction house in Mayfair. The exhibition gathered a noteworthy Phantom from each generation, from Fred Astaire's Phantom I to subsequent models driven by royalty, or made famous by celebrities, including John Lennon's Romany gypsy wagon-style painted Phantom V.
Design
The Phantom VIII's styling has been described as an evolution of the Phantom VII's.Like its predecessor, the Phantom VIII has a short front overhang and upright front end, a long bonnet and set-back passenger compartment as well as a long wheelbase and a flowing rear end. It also uses rear-opening "coach doors". For the first time on a Phantom, Rolls-Royce's trademark "Parthenon" radiator grille is integrated into the surrounding bodywork.
The Phantom is available in two wheelbase lengths. The Phantom Extended Wheelbase is longer than the standard wheelbase.
Specifications
Platform
The Phantom uses an aluminium spaceframe chassis; this is a version of Rolls-Royce's modular "Architecture of Luxury" platform. The Phantom is the first car to be based on this new platform, which will later be used by the Cullinan SUV and other future Rolls-Royce models.Suspension and steering
The Phantom is fitted with self-levelling air springs and electronically controlled dampers front and rear. It uses a double wishbone front axle and a 5-link rear axle. It is also equipped with active anti-roll bars.The suspension system is linked to a stereo camera mounted behind the windscreen. This scans the road ahead and preconfigures the spring and damper rates, and the anti-roll bars, so as to improve ride quality. The system, dubbed the "Flagbearer" by Rolls-Royce, operates at speeds of up to.
The Phantom is the first Rolls-Royce to be fitted with four-wheel steering. The system turns the rear wheels counter to the front wheels through a maximum of 3° at speeds lower than to improve manoeuvrability. Between the rear wheels do not steer at all. At speeds above 80 km/h the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels through a maximum of 1° to increase high-speed stability.
The Phantom uses "Silent-Seal" tyres which Rolls-Royce co-developed with Continental. These use a layer of foam inside the tyre to reduce tyre cavity noise, lowering sound levels in the cabin by up to 9 decibels.
Interior
The interior is fully bespoke and personalised to the clientele like previous and current Rolls Royce models offer. They also have "The Gallery", a display section in the vehicle in the front seat veneer with experimentation of different materials and artwork to be integrated with the vehicle and all the options are limitless.Powertrain
The Phantom is exclusively available with a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine. This is a variant of BMW's N74 called the N74B68 which is unique to the Phantom.ZF's 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission is the sole gearbox option. This is linked to a GPS receiver which analyses the car's location and speed to optimise shift timing.
| Model | Displacement | Power | Torque | Top speed | 0-100 km/h |
| Phantom | at 5,000 rpm | at 1,700 rpm | 5.3 seconds | ||
| Phantom Extended Wheelbase | at 5,000 rpm | at 1,700 rpm | 5.4 seconds |
Equipment
The Electronic Architecture of the New Phantom is the largest ever component produced by the BMW Group that let alone Rolls-Royce. Some, but not all, assistance systems on-board New Phantom include:- Night vision
- 4-camera system with Panoramic View
- Alertness-assistant
- Adaptive cruise control
- 7x3 HD Head-up display
- WiFi hotspot
- Laser headlights with high-beam range of more than 600 metres
Reception
The Phantom's refinement came in for particularly high praise, with Matt Prior in Autocar labelling it "utterly exceptional" and Mike Duff in Car and Driver describing it as "freakishly quiet".
Ride quality was adjudged to be similarly good; Gavin Green in Car remarked that the Phantom's ride comfort is "a cut above anything on the road" and Angus MacKenzie in Motor Trend said "the ride is truly magical".
The Phantom's interior also came in for praise: it was variously described as "utterly exemplary", "wonderful" and "spectacular".
In light of its weight and size, magazines considered the Phantom's driving dynamics to be impressive: reviewers praised the car's surprising dynamism and agility, light and precise steering,
and excellent brake pedal feel.
The Phantom was named Top Gear
It has received the UK Car of the Year Awards’ prestigious ‘Best Luxury Car’ honour. Drawing on votes from a jury of 27 leading motoring journalists, the awards highlight the best new cars on the market for UK customers.
Autocar gave the 2018 Phantom a "Five Star Car" award at the 2018 Autocar Awards.
Production and sales
The Phantom is assembled by hand at Rolls-Royce's plant in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.Customer deliveries commenced in January 2018.