The new Phantom is ultra modern, since it borrows heavily, and rightly, from the new BMW 7 Series. The 6750cc twelve features direct-injection, 48 valves and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Ditto the 7 Series. Rolls-Royce never believed in revealing the power and torque figures in the days of the Phantom III (‘adequate’, it would say in paperwork), but the new Phantom, we are told, is good enough for 453 bhp at 5350 rpm, with almost all of its 72.4 kgm of torque pulling away from as low as 1000 revs. Unlike the older car, you thumb the twelve to life and I loved the idea. Inside the cabin, you cannot hear that hardworking valve-train as you accelerate to 100 kph in under six seconds. The view from the driving seat is commanding. It had better be, with a bonnet line resembling the bow of the Titanic with a small ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ doing a Kate Winslet way ahead. I did not drive the new car much, but I drove it enough to tell you it is an altogether different beast than the 7 Series. As your right foot sinks into the carpet, the bow of the car rises and then it majestically wafts you to blissful speeds. You can be reassured that every possible automotive technology prevailing today, including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), is there to assist your progress. But driving these machines back to back was also made special by some deja vu touches in the new machine. The thin steering wheel of the new car, which is not unlike the one in the Phantom III, and the thumb operated switches inspired by musical instruments are but a few examples.
What I do remember well is that the Phantom III rode as well as the new Phantom. The vintage car featured independent front suspension, which was new even for Rolls-Royce back then. The new Phantom gets a self leveling air suspension and adaptive dampers – but the ride, in both cars, is akin to being on a magic carpet (not that I’ve been on one, but you get the idea).
A total of 19 Phantom IIIs came to India, most of them bought by royalty. King Carol of Romania, King Farouk of Egypt, King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia and the Shah of Iran all owned Phantom IIIs. It was indeed the automobile meant for kings, queens and the occasional benevolent dictator. Of course, names such as DMX, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem and P Diddy do not quite belong in the same league, but times have changed, the motorcar has changed and so has the clientele for Rolls-Royce. There are times, the natives say, when the Phantom leaves the jungle and walks the streets of the town as an ordinary man.
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