http://www.boatinternational.com | January 2018

Top marque

RollsRoyce’seighthgenerationPhantom

is a very real marvel, saysSimon de Burton

T

hefactthatRolls-RoycesetsupasummerstudioatPortoCervoshowsthatthecelebrated

marque’smanagementhasitsfingerwellandtrulyontheboatingpulse.Morethanafew

superyachtownerswillalreadyhavewrittenchequesforRolls-Royce’snewflagship,

production of which is now under way in the UK in advance of first deliveries this January.

ThelatestPhantomistheeighthiterationofthecelebratedmodelthatfirstappearedin1925,

makingitthelongestrunningnameplateinautomotivehistory.Thepreviousversion,now

knownasthePhantomVII,waslaunchedinJanuary2003and,whilestilltheleaderinaclassof

one, was showing its age with its BMW-based

underpinnings and overly old-school interior.

TheP7’sreplacement,however,isthemostup-

to-date “premium luxury” car on the market with

its aluminium space frame chassis, four-wheel

steering, 6mm double-glazed windows and

doorsthatcloseatthetouchofabutton.

Underitsenormousbonnet(thecaritself

measures a tender-like 5.9 metres in length)

whispers6.6litresoftwin-turbochargedV12

thatputsout563hpandastaggering900Nm

oftorque,makingforprogressthatisn’tjust

effortless, it’s downright insouciant.

Throw in 130kg of sound-deadening

material, specially made Continental tyres

filled with foam to neutralise road noise,

and an interior that almost entirely insulates

occupants from the outside world and you

have, quite simply, a limo that lives up to Rolls-Royce’s

long-standing claim to make “the best cars in the world ”.

The new Phantom has a base price of £360,000, although the

marque’s sky’s-the-limit personalisation service (that the large majority of buyers take advantage

of ) means most cars will leave the factory in Goodwood, West Sussex, at around £1 million.

Part of that will be accounted for by the unique feature of the Phantom’s sleek new interior

called the Gallery, a length of toughened glass that houses the instruments and extends across

the dashboard to create a showcase for a bespoke work of art. Examples already commissioned

feature oil paintings, a gold-plated DNA map and stems of porcelain roses, but “patrons” may

have virtually anything they desire. You could even ask for a 3D model of your superyacht resting

peacefully at anchor in Porto Cervo. From £360,000, rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Each V12, 563hp,

155mph Phantom is

hand built at the

Rolls-Royce factory

in Goodwood,

West Sussex

Metallicaccentsanddetailsare

adding an edge to new interiors

Armani/Casa’s beautiful new

collection for Rubelli takes

inspirationfromArmaniPrivé’s

couturefabrics.Contemporary

geometric prints are woven with

metallic yarns to give a sophisticated

sheen to the textile. Take Moscow

(£224 per metre), a geometric grid

drawnonsilksatin,withcontrasting

wefts, such as linen and lurex.

Dedar’s new collection includes

Cosmic Confetti, a one-of-a-kind

ombré linen covered in metallic

spots, like paint splatters, applied by

3D printing (£176 per metre). Its new

Silkbird wallcovering also has a subtle

metallic sheen that adds a luxurious

elementtothealreadyexoticprint.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary,

Studio Art has collaborated with

threeyoungdesignerstoreinterpret

itssignatureleatherwallpanels.The

newcollectionincludesthreebold

metallic panels that would make a

striking feature wall (from €1,000).

At Porta Romana’s painting studio,

its craftsmen transform simple wood

and metal composites into exquisite

works of art, with specialised finishes

that include 16 shades of gold. The

Mushroom mirror (£3,336) is crafted

from steel before a three-day

process of layering gold leaf and

textured paints gives it its striking

final Mayan Gold finish.

The Phantom’s unique

Gallery, across the

dashboard, can contain

bespoke artwork

ALL THAT

GLITTERS

speed

INTERIORS

FOR MORE

INTERIORS

INSPIRATION

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