The production version of Rolls-Royce’s four-seat Phantom Coupé will debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
photo courtesy Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce executives have chosen the 2008 Geneva Motor Show for debuting the production version of the four-seat Phantom Coupé, first previewed at the Geneva show two years ago as the 101EX. Riding on an aluminum chassis, the Phantom Coupé uses the family 453hp, 6.75-liter V-12 engine and sports the same rear-hinged doors and windshield frame treatment (optionally trimmed, like the hood, in brushed steel) as the lovely and exclusive Drophead Coupé convertible. Also borrowed from the Phantom convertible is the Coupé’s “picnic boot,” a trunk that opens in two parts and offers a seating platform for days when soiling one’s clothing on the ground is unthinkable.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, says, “Rolls-Royce has always been about pace, performance and style. For the Coupé design, we gave the quintessential Rolls-Royce design a dynamic twist. This adds a sense of drama to the outstanding engineering and driveability that are fundamentals of Rolls-Royce cars. The dynamic drive of the Phantom has always come as a surprise to customers, and the Coupé takes it one step further.”
Pricing is yet to be announced, and will likely follow the old adage: “If you have to ask…”
(This post originally appeared in the February 21, 2008, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)
