Rolls-Royce Phantom VII
The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998.
It is credited with successfully reviving the Rolls-Royce brand and restoring Rolls-Royce's credibility as a maker of luxury cars.
The Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé are two-door derivatives of the Phantom launched in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
From 2003 until the launch of the smaller Ghost in 2009, the Phantom was the only car produced by Rolls-Royce. The Phantom acted as the company's flagship model, but was less exclusive than previous Phantoms.
Construction
The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.
Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is close to the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.
The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof. There are only three robots in the factory. The robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coachlines, which are exactly 3 mm (0.1 in) wide, are done, as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.
The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.
The Phantom is 1.63 m (64.2 in) tall, 1.99 m (78.3 in) wide, 5.83 m (229.5 in) long, weighs 2,485 kg (5,478 lb) and can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds.
Novel feature
- Customers can choose from 44,000 paint colours, and specify any leather colour.
- The vehicle's unique instrument panel has no tachometer. Instead it has a power reserve dial that indicates how much of the engine's power is not being used and available to the driver.
- The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving.
- The car will automatically brake to a walking speed if a coach door remains open when driving off.
- When front or rear doors are opened, umbrella compartments built into the rear doors are accessible. The factory-supplied umbrellas are Teflon coated so they, and the compartment in which they are stored, dry out faster.
- The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an automatic electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button, or when the alarm is armed. The ornament base contains a sensor that detects movement, and will retract it if someone tampers with it.
- The "RR" logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.
Luxury amenities
Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 15-speaker Lexicon Logic7 premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are extensive options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for.
Safety recall
In October 2010, the Phantom was included in a recall involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW, because of the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system.
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