THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

DESIGN

 

“Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble.”

Sir Henry Royce

 

Background

Authenticity is the key element behind the design process that has created the new Rolls-Royce Phantom. Although a genuinely ‘blank sheet’ design and built on its own unique platform, the Phantom is clearly a Rolls-Royce. But instant recognition goes far deeper than the famous radiator grille and the Spirit of Ecstasy.

 

Ian Cameron, Chief Designer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, explains: “Our absolute priority was to create a motor car that is clearly a Rolls-Royce even when the radiator grille is not in view. More than this, the new car has to stand apart from all others on the road.”

 

Authenticity

Among the features integral to Rolls-Royce design are a long bonnet with a short front overhang and, conversely, a long overhang at the rear. A long wheelbase is essential for excellent interior space and, when married to the proud, upright front formed around the vertical Rolls-Royce radiator and high mounted headlamps, helps create a car with genuine presence.

 

Another Rolls-Royce feature is the roofline which increases in depth as it nears the rear of the car where it blends into a strong C-post. The gentle downward curve of the roofline is mirrored by a subtle upward curve, running from back to front, along the bottom of the car. Others include the discreet rear window – which combines with the C-post to offer greater privacy for the rear passengers – and the ‘broad shouldered’ side profile.

 

But above all, every Rolls-Royce has to have the correct proportions: the required interior package determines the overall dimensions – height, width, wheelbase and length – and even influences decisions such as wheel size. The correct proportions bring that air of authority integral to the marque and means that, although many Rolls-Royce models of the past – and indeed, the new Phantom – are large cars, they have a sense of balance.

 

Undercover in London

Design work on what was originally known as ‘Project Rolls-Royce’ began in earnest in early 1999 and progressed in great secrecy, even though the initial designs were created at the heart of one of the busiest capital cities in the world: London.

 

In a design studio near Hyde Park and known internally as ‘The Bank’ – the offices were formerly used as a bank – three exterior and two interior teams of designers led by Ian Cameron started work on the new car. Although the front door of ‘The Bank’ opened onto the street, security was never a problem: drawings and sketches were locked away each night in the old bank vault.

 

Design influences were never far away. Hyde Park is close to the affluent Mayfair and Belgravia areas of the capital. Here the design team would regularly see the Spirit of Ecstasy in its natural environment.

 

As they started to shape the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the design team identified what they considered to be significant models from the past, quickly establishing that creating a Rolls-Royce is about finding the right balance of aesthetics and engineering.

 

For example, the 1930s Phantom II incorporated all the authentic Rolls-Royce design elements – large wheels, a short front overhang, long bonnet and a rising sill line. The latter gives the car a ‘take-off’ stance as if the nose of the car is rising as it accelerates away and is a visual reference to the effortless power encapsulated in the concept of waftability.

 

From an engineering standpoint the Silver Shadow, the first monocoque Rolls-Royce, bristled with advanced features which were combined with striking but simple styling. The result represented a bold modernism at launch in 1965, which was greatly admired by the team.

 

From a pure styling point of view, the Silver Cloud from the 1950s was deemed to be the quintessential post-war Rolls-Royce, combining presence with elegance and reserved lines with perfect proportions.

 

All three exemplify the air of authority expected from a Rolls-Royce and which has been perfectly captured in the Phantom.

 

Exterior

The new car has a long wheelbase and long bonnet with the front axle positioned forward of the engine for optimum weight distribution and resulting in a short front overhang. Its upright stance has been created around the traditional radiator grille.

 

Its roof line falls gently to the rear as the window drops away to accentuate the dramatic proportions which are balanced by the traditional rising sill.

 

A generous C-post gives a sense of strength and security while the profile is dominated by the Phantom’s huge wheels and tyres. Specially created for Rolls-Royce, the tyre rolling diameter is 790 mm (31 ins) making them the largest fitted to any production car, but by applying the correct proportions they are entirely in keeping with this substantial motor car.

 

The size of the motor car is a balance between design and engineering requirements. For example, a prominent seating position and the correct interior space determined the wheelbase, floor height, width and standing height, which in turn determined the axle position and wheel size. As a result, the new car’s wheelbase is 3570 mm (140.6 ins) while the overall length is 5834 mm (229.7 ins). It is 1632 mm (64.3 ins) tall and 1990 mm (78.3 ins) wide. The 460 litre/16.2 cu ft (DIN) boot is large enough to take four sets of golf clubs with ease.

 

From defining the architecture of the car to producing a final design, the process was remarkably short. In May 1999, the Bank studio was augmented by another secret facility, a modelling studio in nearby Holborn, which was given the internal codename ‘Bookshop’.

 

Here each of the three exterior design teams created two design proposals as 40 per cent scale models – large enough for valid decisions to be made, but small enough to be quickly modified. From those six design themes, three were chosen to be modelled at full scale before, in December 1999, the final design was chosen.

 

Interior

The interior design, meanwhile, was formed following the same design principles which helped shape the exterior. Principal demands included a feeling of authority over the motor car, which places minimum demands on the driver who remains comfortably in command at all times.

 

A natural and relaxed driving environment is created by the precise alignment of the driving position which ensures the driver sits perfectly in front of the steering wheel and pedals rather than with one or the other being unnaturally offset.

 

As well as a commanding view down the long bonnet and wings to the radiator shell and Spirit of Ecstasy, a Rolls-Royce driver and passengers also enjoy a prominent position thanks to the elevated seats which raises them above most other road users and adds to a sense of security. The driver’s eyeline is mid-way between that of a conventional saloon and of a large 4x4.

 

Initially, the interior package was created exclusively in a virtual world using the most sophisticated CAD software and simulation tools available, allowing swift convergence between interior and exterior packages.

 

Front interior compartment

The primary objective was to make the Rolls-Royce Phantom incredibly easy to drive with intuitive major controls displayed in an uncomplicated setting. To give the driver of the Rolls-Royce Phantom the desired sense of relaxed control over the motor car the electrically operated front seats enjoy an elevated position. Both are fully adjustable with a multi-contour backrest, memory function and three stage heating.

Switchgear follows traditional

Rolls-Royce principles of simplicity and clarity offering a modern interpretation of traditional values. Great care has been taken to balance the need to access a large number of functions without increasing complexity.

 

As a result, the major controls will be recognisable to long-standing Rolls-Royce owners with iconic ‘organ stops’ still used to control the flow of air to the face level vents and which have been joined by ‘violin keys’, similar in shape to the tuning heads on a violin, for minor switchgear. Everyday audio and climate control functions are accessed conventionally.

 

A column-mounted electronically-controlled gear selection lever is retained, offering the choice of PRND (park, reverse, neutral and drive). A slim, leather covered three-spoke steering wheel incorporates controls for the telephone, audio and navigation systems and has an elliptical cross-sectioned rim especially designed to allow a comfortable driving position with the hands at ‘twenty past eight’. The wheel also has a button which allows the driver to access a Low mode setting for the gearbox.

 

Ahead of the driver is an instrument cluster comprising three black-faced circular dials. A central speedometer is flanked on one side by a split gauge for fuel and for water temperature and a unique power reserve gauge which communicates the ‘adequacy’ of available power (see Driving for more details).

 

A notable innovation appears in the centre of the dashboard. A veneered panel housing the analogue clock swivels to reveal a monitor for vehicle settings, satellite navigation, on-board television and telephone system. A controller, discreetly stowed in the centre console when not required, allows the driver to access these various specialist functions.

 

Starting point for the sophisticated ventilation system was to minimise the intrusive effect of direct forceful airflow, by providing indirect airflow for greater comfort. The circular air conditioning and heating controls are familiar items, controlling the six temperature zone interior with individual fan control for all four quarters of the cabin.

 

Horizontal vents hidden in the instrument panel send a curtain of cooling air downwards to fall gently in the laps of the driver and passenger. Complementing a conventional heated rear window, the front side windows of the Phantom are heated for effective, noiseless demisting.

 

Rear interior compartment

An early target was to develop a rear compartment unique in every respect. This saw the design team take a fundamental step back and turn conventional thinking on its head. The starting point was to ask a simple question: “What is the best way to get into and out of the rear of a motor car?”

 

The answer was coach doors, hinged at the rear, which offer many elegant advantages. An ordinary saloon with conventional front-hinged doors forces passengers to clamber out of the rear, but they exit far more gracefully from a Rolls-Royce Phantom with coach doors.

 

With conventional doors, entry to the rear compartment is normally made backside first: getting in or out is a matter of twisting, turning and ducking. In a Rolls-Royce Phantom, thanks to the coach doors and architecturally rectangular door frame – where the roof is naturally at its highest point – all but the tallest simply walk into the car, turn once inside and then sit.

 

Once seated, the door can be closed automatically simply by pressing a small button on the C-post. All in all, it’s a profoundly different experience. Because they allow the passengers to sit further back in the body of the car, coach doors also provide improved side impact protection – so much so that the Phantom has no need for rear side airbags.

 

Another benefit is that rear passengers are afforded a degree of privacy without having to resort to darkened windows or curtains. Each C-post contains a panelled quarter mirror, which from within appears to be a continuation of the side window. And when both front and rear doors are open they form a protective barrier around a passenger entering or leaving the car.

 

Despite the obvious safety benefits, before the coach doors could be adopted many legislative obstacles had to be overcome. Rolls-Royce is the only motor manufacturer in the world to be allowed to build a car with independently opening coach doors. (See Engineering to discover how this was achieved.)

 

The coach doors house another surprise feature. Within each rear door is an umbrella which is released at the touch of a button. After use, it can be stored even when wet since special drainage channels are incorporated in the coach door. The umbrella canopy material has been coated with Teflon to ensure it will not rot even if stowed when wet.

 

Once inside, the design called for an open, almost flat, rear floor to allow passengers to move easily from one side of the car to the other – to exit the car at the kerb side, for example – and to create an inviting ambience. Maximum rear headroom was also a priority, with a figure of 979 mm (38.5 ins) achieved.

 

Raised ‘stadium’ seating in the rear allows passengers to sit 18 mm (0.7 ins) higher than those in the front affording an excellent forward view. The long wheelbase helps to create more legroom. Seating arrangements are available in two different configurations: lounge and theatre.

Lounge seats have room for three passengers and are distinctly curved at their outer sides. With no lateral separation, this seating arrangement allows rear passengers to turn easily towards each other on a journey making it easier to converse and enjoy an intimate environment.

 

Available as an option is the theatre seating concept which provides twin individual seats separated by a centre console that can house personal entertainment equipment, a drinks cabinet or other items.

 

Materials

As expected from a Rolls-Royce, the interior features the finest materials found in any car. The leather – as many as 16 hides are used to trim each Phantom – is the softest used in the automobile industry. In texture and feel it is close to anilin leather, such as that used in the apparel industry, yet is just as durable as traditional automobile leather.

 

The softness comes from a new drum pigmentation process which permeates the colour throughout the hide. Because the colour is in the grain, the leather retains its natural look and feel and, as a secondary benefit, the process banishes the ‘creaking’ prevalent in conventional leather seating.

 

In the past, automotive hides have been stretched and then painted to the required shade. The new process is, therefore, a significant improvement over traditional practice.

 

Two types of hide finishes are used in the Phantom – a natural grain leather for seating and a textured ‘tipped’ leather for door paniers and centre consoles. All the leather-covered features are created using a combination of modern techniques and traditional skills – all 450 leather pieces in the car are cut using a laser guide to guarantee accuracy but hand finishing ensures that ultimate quality levels are reached.

 

No fewer than six different veneers are available for the woodwork: Figured Mahogany from West Africa; Burr Walnut, Birdseye Maple and Black Tulip from North America; and Oak Burr and Elm Cluster from Europe. While the shades and ambience differ greatly depending the wood used, the quality of the craftsmanship remains second to none. The wood is used architecturally, like three dimensional fitted cabinetry with veneers placed on wooden substrates.

 

As a result, passengers in the Rolls-Royce Phantom enjoy the tangible experience of touching real wood. Exquisite craftsmanship means that straight grain veneer is featured on all horizontal surfaces while vertical surfaces have feature grain with a ‘bookmatched’ mirror finish within each panel and across the cabin. Cabinetry featuring marquetry with boxwood inlays and crown cut veneers is available as an option.

 

All veneers used come from fully sustainable managed forests. Importantly, aside from Black Tulip, the veneers are neither bleached nor stained allowing natural properties and grains to shine through.

 

The quality of materials is also reflected in the other fixtures and fittings: every surface is covered with the genuine article, a case of what you see is what you feel.

 

Deep pile carpets are covered with sumptuous lambswool rugs – foot rests are optionally available – while metal surfaces have either a high polish Sterling finish, such as the air vents, organ stops and lighting consoles, or a satin finish, which is used on the door handle surrounds and steering column stalks. The headlining is of a cashmere blend providing a light and airy contrast to the leather surface of the central roof console.

 

Light fittings, which can be found in the front and centre roof consoles and in the C-posts, are art-deco inspired and provide two reading lights in the front and twin reading lights for each side in the rear. Ambient interior lighting for night time driving is provided by LEDs in the roof while a brighter ‘boulevard’ setting allows rear seat passengers to see each other – or be seen – without distracting the driver.

 

The final aspect of the design concerns choice. As well as the six different veneers available, there are no fewer than 18 exterior colours available either on their own or with a dual-tone colour for the lower body area.

 

In addition, two two-tone paint schemes are available. One version has the flanks of the car in a second tone to the other panels, while the other scheme features the contrast tone on the bonnet, roof and boot lid.

 

Add two different styles of coach lines and there are 68 basic exterior themes from which to choose. Choice continues on the inside where there are 15 different interior colours creating a total of 19 standard interior combinations.

 

But whatever unique combination of colours and textures is chosen, every Phantom exudes sophistication and discretion. The comfort, atmosphere and character unique to a Rolls-Royce is as much down to the simple, understated and timeless architecture as it is to the quality of materials and workmanship.

 

In every sense, the Phantom perpetuates the Rolls-Royce tradition.

 

DRIVING

 

“There is no evidence of an engine power ... until that power is required. Then it comes in a volume and with a fluency that is almost incredible, having regard to any sign of sensible effort in its delivery.”

Rolls-Royce Phantom II brochure, 1929

 

A Rolls-Royce is often perceived as the perfect chauffeur-driven car where the primary concern is for the comfort of the rear seat passengers. But Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has a fundamental understanding of how the Phantom will be used, and the truth is rather different. While there will be occasions when an owner would prefer to enjoy his or her Phantom from the rear compartment, many owners will spend considerable time driving themselves.

 

From the outset, therefore, the search was for a perfect balance between front and rear, to make the motor car a pleasure to drive or to be driven in. As a result, the Phantom has been designed to be driven by its owner, and enjoyed by all. The choice of engine, the layout of the chassis and suspension, the ergonomics of the cabin and the exalted driving position have all been determined to satisfy the needs of both the person behind the wheel as well as the passengers.

 

Central to the design of the Phantom is the view from the driver’s seat. This position gives the driver a feeling of relaxed mastery, of being in control but using the minimum of effort. The view from behind the wheel, with the bonnet stretching out ahead, accentuates that feeling.

 

The driving position is integral to the Phantom’s authority packaging concept, placing the driver in total control by offering a precise alignment between steering wheel, pedals and seat. A naturally comfortable feeling behind the wheel is the result.

 

Ergonomic features include a large diameter steering wheel combining traditional Rolls-Royce cues with modern technology: in use it has the lightness and tactility of a precision instrument. The thin-rimmed wheel is wrapped in leather with a hidden joint to make it more comfortable to the touch and automatically tilts away when the electronic ignition key is removed to ease entry and exit. The engine is started and stopped via a push button mounted within the ignition panel.

 

Primary instrumentation is simple, clear and easy to use while more advanced features appear on demand via an ingenious rotary controller operating specialist functions including the standard satellite navigation system. Each control is perfectly weighted to give the quality feel demanded by Rolls-Royce. Just three black dials face the driver, comprising speedometer, combined fuel level/engine temperature gauge and power reserve gauge.

 

A tachometer has long been considered unnecessary in a Rolls-Royce – instead, today’s Phantom driver is kept aware of how much power is in reserve. For example, at 100 mph the engine has 75 per cent of its total power capability left.

 

In the past, power was always deemed to be ‘sufficient’. Today, exact power and torque outputs are no longer a well-kept secret and these key figures developed by the normally aspirated 6.75-litre V12 engine – described in greater detail in the Engineering section – are vital to the driving experience of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

 

Principal among them is the plateau of torque available from a walking pace. The engine, developed exclusively for use in the Phantom, has a peak torque figure of 720 Nm (531 lb ft) but 75 per cent of that is available from just 1,000 rpm.

 

The result is the guarantee of instant ‘wafting’ power regardless of road or engine speed. Effortlessly, seamlessly and almost silently the Phantom rides on a tremendous wave of instantly accessible torque, whisking driver and passengers at considerable pace but with the minimum of fuss.

 

In-gear acceleration times give a clear indication of the elasticity of the drivetrain, the Phantom taking just 2.2 seconds to accelerate from 25 to 40 mph (40 to 65 km/h).

 

Outright performance, too, is exceptional. The Phantom accelerates from a standing start to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds (0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds). Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the Rolls-Royce Phantom can cover 44 metres (144 ft) in just 4 seconds from a standing start. It’s a figure many sports cars would be hard pressed to match. Top speed has been limited to 149 mph (240 km/h). In North America, the use of all-season tyres limits maximum speed to 130 mph (208 km/h).

 

Double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension combine to give the driver stress-free access to the Phantom’s full performance potential without compromising exceptional ride comfort. The rack and pinion steering gives delightful feel through the wheel and the perfectly balanced chassis, with 50/50 weight distribution, ensure precise handling with an excellent feedback of road and driving behaviour.

 

Naturally, for a Rolls-Royce motor car such performance is matched by an uncanny tranquillity. Even at speed, the V12 engine emits no more than a subdued, distant hum. At idle, it is virtually silent. Engineered into the motor car is a dual note exhaust: at low engine speeds, a valve in the system closes to increase back pressure and reduces the exhaust note to a mere whisper for understated arrivals and departures.

 

When combined with the synchronised wheel centres, the silence makes the Rolls-Royce Phantom appear to be gliding rather than driving away.