Rolls-Royce News: Rolls-Royce Announces the End of the Current Phantom

[William Maley]

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Rolls-Royce has announced that 2016 will mark the end of the current Phantom lineup. The sedan will make a return in 2018, but the coupe and drophead coupe will not. To mark the end of the coupe and drophead, the British automaker has announced a new special edition.

 

The Phantom Zenith coupe and drophead coupe will come equipped with a Tailgate Hosting Area; laser-etched armrests featuring the locations of where the 100EX and 101EX concepts were revealed, unique instrument dials, a Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, and more.

 

“As the name promises, Zenith will be the pinnacle; the best of its kind; the highest standard achievable by which everything else is judged. Zenith will be the sum of all the best features of Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé, with a few surprises added," said Rolls' Director of Design, Giles Taylor.

 

Rolls will only be building 50 Zenith models before both models say good-bye later this year.

 

As for the next-generation Phantom sedan, it will utilize a new aluminum platform that will find its way underneath all of Rolls-Royce models. The Phantom will also use lightweight metal and carbon fiber to help reduce weight. Design is expected to be the same as the current Phantom.

 

Source: Rolls-Royce

 

Press Release is on Page 2

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ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS BRINGS SEVENTH GENERATION OF PHANTOM TO AN END

 

23.02.2016
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, has announced that the current Phantom will enter the last stages of its celebrated life in 2016. This announcement follows the recent news that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has begun testing its all-new aluminium architecture, which will underpin every future Rolls-Royce arriving in-market from early 2018.

 

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, has announced that the current Phantom will enter the last stages of its celebrated life in 2016. This announcement follows the recent news that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has begun testing its all-new aluminium architecture, which will underpin every future Rolls-Royce arriving in-market from early 2018. He also announced that Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé models will not be renewed in the future. These two magnificent Phantom models will end their lives with a special collection of only 50 highly desirable cars to be called Phantom Zenith.

 

The current seventh generation of Phantom started production in Goodwood over 13 years ago and quickly became the foundation upon which the renaissance of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was built. A magnificent, graceful and powerful statement of the marque’s claim to the very pinnacle of super luxury, Phantom VII is now approaching the end of its production.

 

During November this year, the build of the very last Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé at Goodwood will be completed. These models will not be replaced. Collectors around the world will be excited to learn that a spectacular collection of 50 unique Coupé’s and Drophead Coupés, called Phantom Zenith, will be built to celebrate the end of production of these truly exceptional cars.

 

Rolls-Royce will also build the last Phantom VII limousines this year.

 

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said, “I am proud and excited to announce that a new Phantom is on the way – a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies and design innovations. Any new Phantom is an historic and important moment in automotive history and we are working hard on perfecting the Phantom VIII.”

 

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reset the benchmark for luxury motor cars in 2003 when it launched Phantom VII, a motor car that has remained the pinnacle of pure luxury for the last 13 years. Over those years Rolls-Royce created many fantastic Phantoms that stunned the world with their beauty and redefined the notion of pure luxury motoring.

 

Now it is time to take the next step in the luxury journey.

 

Phantom VII – Continuing to set the luxury benchmark even as it prepares to leave the world stage

 

Even as it prepares to leave the world stage, Phantom VII will continue to set the benchmark for luxury motoring with a number of limited-run collector’s pieces, each of which will be the last of their line.

 

To mark their exit, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ Bespoke design department will create the most highly Bespoke examples of each Phantom model to date – Coupé, Drophead Coupé and Limousine. At the same time the craftspeople who build each Rolls-Royce motor car to roll down the line at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood are already preparing themselves for the painstaking work that will go into these very special final motor cars.

 

Zenith – The very pinnacle of automotive excellence

 

The first of these special collections will be named Zenith, and will be the last ever Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé models available to commission from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

 

“As the name promises, Zenith will be the pinnacle; the best of its kind; the highest standard achievable by which everything else is judged,” comments Director of Design, Giles Taylor. “Zenith will be the sum of all the best features of Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé, with a few surprises added. We expect huge demand for these 50 fine motor cars as we shall not look upon their like again.”

 

Such surprise features will include a Tailgate Hosting Area; laser etched armrests depicting the original launch locations of 100EX in Villa D’Este and 101EX in Geneva; Bespoke instrument dials and a special treatment of the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. Each customer will also receive a ‘money cannot buy’ portable memento of his or her purchase, whilst the motor cars will be offered to clients in a palate of memorable colour combinations from Rolls-Royce’s history.

 

Phantom VII – The return of the pinnacle of automotive excellence

 

The launch of the seventh generation Rolls-Royce Phantom, on 1 January 2003, was much more than the reveal of a new super-luxury car; it signalled the 21st Century renaissance of the world’s most famous luxury automobile brand and the first glimpse of a masterpiece that quickly established itself at the pinnacle of automotive excellence, leading where others could only try to follow.

 

For the preceding five years, and in the absence of publicity, designers, engineers and craftspeople had overseen the birth of a flagship Rolls-Royce motor car and state-of-the-art production facility on the Goodwood Estate in Southern England. Without parallel in the car industry, the achievement was all the more astonishing for a brand which shouldered the weight of automotive history and for which expectations for the future were rightly very high.

 

From launch, the Rolls-Royce Phantom proved itself a worthy recipient of the famous Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. From its Pantheon grille to long rear overhang, the design was clearly a Rolls-Royce. Every angle revealed a bold yet elegant car with road presence that was second to none.

 

From 2005, new variants of Phantom VII were added. First was the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, followed by the ultimate in luxurious open-top motoring, the Phantom Drophead Coupé in 2007 and, in 2008, the Phantom Coupé, Rolls-Royce’s sophisticated grand tourer.

 

All these beautiful cars are timeless in their appeal, and have been the cornerstone of Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke offering to its clients’ sophisticated requirements, allowing them to create individual works of art with their superlative cars. Today, every Phantom that leaves the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood has Bespoke features. ‘Waterspeed’, ‘Aviator’, ‘Metropolitan’, ‘Maharajah’ and ‘Serenity’ are a few of the names of Iconic Bespoke Phantoms which have entered private collections around the world and will live down the years as some of the most beloved Rolls-Royces ever.

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[G. David Felt]

Good Riddance, these have been some of the uglies auto ever made.

 

It will be interesting to see if they actually bring back the rich heritage of luxury these auto's used to have or what.

 

Will be waiting to see what they decide to do.

 

Wonder what the dealers will do as they will have no 2017 models to sell. Hmmmmmmm

[Guest Howie]

Well, they still have the Ghost, the Wraith and the Dawn. And it will leave all spotlights on the me-too-SUV Cullivan coming launch. A successor to the Phantom is already planned for 2018.

[oldshurst442]

Good Riddance, these have been some of the uglies auto ever made.

 

It will be interesting to see if they actually bring back the rich heritage of luxury these auto's used to have or what.

 

Will be waiting to see what they decide to do.

 

Wonder what the dealers will do as they will have no 2017 models to sell. Hmmmmmmm

 

I share your sentiment.

Modern Rolls Royces and Bentleys dont do much for me...

 

The Mulsanne is pretty, but I would not buy one had I money.

 

I hope the new Phantom keeps the Rolls Royce cachet of it being  a huge vehicle with a huge grille and stuff, but I hope its much much more prettier.

 

One thing I cant deny the Phantom, it has presence...but none that ever impressed me with.

[smk4565]

I like the Phantom, it has the old school size and huge grille and doesn't look like every other jelly bean shaped car.  I wish other luxo car makers would make a 1930s inspired design, that era had great over the top designs.

[Robert Hall]

The Phantom really stands out amidst luxury cars..I saw a black & silver one at my bank last week, with the custom front plate 'A$$HOLE'... no doubt suited it's owner's personality quite well.

[Robert Hall]

I like the Phantom, it has the old school size and huge grille and doesn't look like every other jelly bean shaped car.  I wish other luxo car makers would make a 1930s inspired design, that era had great over the top designs.

A modern luxury car w/ a modern interpretation of the style of the Auburn Boattail Speedster or some of the aerodynamic French luxury cars of that era like Talbot-Lago, Delage, etc would be very cool..the 30s had some very artfully designed cars...

Edited February 24, 2016 by Cubical-aka-Moltar