Rolls Royce finally release its Coupe version of the $450,000 Phantom. Its it wild. For roughly the past 20 years, the standards by which a Rolls-Royce has been judged have been very different from the standards applied nearly a hundred years ago when the brand was new. In the beginning, a Rolls-Royce was adventuresome in its mechanical excellence. The BMW home office expects to build just 100 of them annually. Price: $412,000. We have seen these on ebay selling right now for about $700,000. There were not many bids for it but its already out there.
The convertible’s overall length has shrunk by 10 inches as well, although this car still measures more than 15 inches longer than a Mercedes Benz sedan. Visually, the Drophead is distinguished by the teak deck covering the convertible roof and the stainless-steel-finished hood and windshield surround. It’s a $17,000 option in place of a painted finish. Phantom Drophead Coupé comes with nine exterior colors in its palette.
Suicide doors on a series-production two-door convertible is standard. They are opened with chromed handles and they allow for the most gracious of entries and exits. The doors are enormously heavy, though, which means the electric closing mechanism is a very welcome detail. Even better, the Rolls-Royce’s doors actually close at the speed you’d want them to if you were doing it manually.
Its all about the bling-bling on the new Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé. There’s a switch in the glove box that lowers the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot into the grille. Inside of the center console seats are covered in the finest butter-soft leather. There are chrome highlights just about everywhere.
Polished metal hood and teak tonneau cover made it to production as options. The hood is now brushed stainless steel instead of aluminum because stainless doesn’t stain or discolor as readily as aluminum.
Slim front LED side lights sit above larger round driving lamps. A discreet camera nestles underneath the numberplate to provide an excellent split-screen view of the road ahead, via the on-board monitor, to help when parking or when pulling out of a side road.
Under that vast metallic-finished hood, the Drophead employs the Phantom sedan’s 453-hp V-12 turning a six-speed automatic. BMW, Rolls-Royce’s parent, donated its 6.0-liter V-12 as a starting point. To provide the torque required of a proper Rolls and as a nod to heritage, BMW increased the engine’s displacement to 6.75 liters to match that of Rolls-Royce’s previous long-serving V-8.
This mighty V-12 really does suit the Rolls. Car’s throttle response is relaxed but potent–0 to 60 mph is achieved in just 5.7 seconds, according to the factory, and the top speed is limited to 149 mph. With a shorter wheelbase than its sedan sibling, the Drophead turns in with a bit more agility, but this car does not by any stretch provide a sporting experience.
Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe would be a nice addition to any limousine fleet. Imagine renting this car for a wedding where the bride can show off in style in a convertible. Its not just a convertible – its a Rolls Royce Phantom Convertible. I would not mind adding this car to our fleet but hey, who know, one of these day it may show up at the doorsteps of Royal Luxury Limousine. If you would like to see the fleet of the Royal Luxury Limousine, click on a limousine fleet.
ENGINE TYPE:
DOHC 48-valve V-12, aluminum block and heads, Displacement: 412 cu in
Power (SAE net): 453 bhp @ 5350 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 531 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
