PHOTOGRAPH BY YANN GROSS FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK
To appreciate the $450,000 vehicle’s full glory, start with
its outside and admire the sheer wall of the grille, from which
designer Giles Taylor has made all the other elements flow.
Each steel prong has been hand- polished to mirrored deco
glory; the rectangular headlights are the only ones in the
world frosted in Lalique glass.
Climb in the back. With a gentle pull, the rear-hinged door
closes toward the front of the car. The interior is specifically
designed to dazzle with its inch-thick dyed lambswool carpet-
ing; high-gloss polished wood paneling; drinks cabinet with
whiskey glasses, decanter, Champagne flutes, and chilled com-
partment; and a ceiling glittering with tiny lights.
Rolls-Royce says the new Phantom is the quietest car on
Earth. After three days spent winding through mountain
passes and visiting rural retreats near Zurich, I believe it.
Engineers tested 180 prototypes of the tires alone—they’re
filled with noise- canceling foam—and inserted thick layers
of felt between alloy skins inside the cabin floor and along
the bulkhead. The result is a suite that’s officially 10 percent
quieter than its predecessor when moving at high speeds.
Today’s wealthy, many of whom are relatively young and
newly affluent, expect these comforts. The average age of
the Rolls-Royce buyer is 44, down from 56 seven years agoand younger than the average age of 50 among all luxury
car buyers, according to Kelley Blue Book. (In Rolls-Royce’s
second-biggest market, China, 38 percent of all new luxury
car buyers are under the age of 40.)
A foot on the pedal reveals that BMW’s full engineering
resources have made the car lighter, stiffer, and more techno-
logically advanced than anything that’s come before.
Rolls-Royce is very proud of a new double-wishbone sus-
pension coupled with an air ride system that makes the car as
smooth as a magic carpet, as executives will say to you often.
Excuse the cliché this time—they’re right. Push the gas pedal,
and the Phantom uses its massive power to surge effortlessly
forward with authority and elegance.
Most impressive is the car’s novel four-wheel drive. It
allows each wheel autonomy to choose traction and vector
over any change in direction. This was the secret to breaking
the Furka: Even as the Phantom thrust forward like a bullet
train, it danced across the pass like a much smaller car, sur-
prising at every turn.
This bodes well for the Project Cullinan, the much
antic ipated first-ever SUV from Rolls-Royce, which arrives
late next year. It had better be good. That is, if you need
another Rolls. CARS Bloomberg Pursuits October 30, 2017