Rolls-Royce launches $1 million Phantom

Rolls-Royce has laid out the red carpet for its newest Australian arrival.

The Phantom limousine was previewed in Sydney this week ahead of its official debut in showrooms in the second quarter of 2018. The two-tier line-up starts at a hefty $950,000 (plus on-road costs) for the regular short wheelbase version, topping out at $1.1 million for the extended wheelbase model, Australian stakeholders confirmed.

Powered by a reworked 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine, the Phantom boasts a credible 420kW and 900Nm, the latter figure peaking from 1700rpm. Despite its 2650kg kerb weight, the big Roller needs as little as 5.4 seconds to notch triple figures, while fuel consumption is down to 13.9L/100km.

The eighth-generation Phantom, the latest in a 92-year lifespan for the nameplate, continues with the latest evolution of the company’s magic carpet ride technology, which uses map data and forward facing radars and sensors to ready the suspension for upcoming obstacles (i.e. softening dampers for bumpy surfaces).

New 22-inch wheels and bespoke paint finishings are accompanied by an impressive creature comforts including on-board WiFi, massaging seats and 6mm double-glazed windows. Laser lights are also equipped, casting light for up to 600 metres ahead.

To give you an idea of the Roller’s on-road luxury, stakeholders say the Phantom features about 130kg worth of sound insulation. Opulent stuff.

The Phantom also offers buyers the option of a bespoke gallery: hand-painted artwork inside the cabin.

“Accompanying the increased stiffness of the spaceframe is a best-in-class high comfort chassis with air suspension and state-of-the-art chassis control systems, delivering 'effortless' ride and handling,” Rolls-Royce says in a release.

“When Rolls-Royce’s acoustic test engineers reviewed the results of road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so low they had to check their instruments were calibrated correctly.”

Rolls-Royce wouldn’t divulge on Australian order numbers, only saying that feedback of the pre-production model had been extremely positive.

“We’ve had our highest level of interest in this car and the highest pre-ordering of this car,” said Paul Harris, Asia Pacific regional director for Rolls-Royce.

“We’re getting a lot of younger people and lot of people from different backgrounds as well – quite a lot of pop stars, for example. We anticipate that we will get into double digits for orders before the car arrives in the second quarter of 2018.”