Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Rolls Royce Phantom
When the nation is in troubling economic times, car manufacturers are filing for Chapter 11 and talk about expensive cars means you might spend $30K on a sedan, the name “Rolls-Royce” is the last thing you’ll hear in the news. Well, the only reason I’m mentioning it now is because at Cars.com, we never get our hands on one. So when Rolls-Royce asked if we would like to test-drive and photograph the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé and the Extended Wheelbase Phantom, we jumped at the chance.
As a historical design icon, Rolls-Royce keeps up its legacy while adding cutting-edge technology that puts a modern twist on a classic look. As new screens, buttons and creatively lit headliners are added, the wood, fine leather, lamb’s wool carpet and plush interior quality reinforce the fact that the current Phantom is still, above all else, a Rolls-Royce: Decadent, over-the-top and way too comfortable — three things my car will never be. But I can envy them, right? And how can you not adore that hood ornament? On these models, you can even electronically retract it before it ends up on a chain around some suburban kid’s neck.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
If only for a day...
But how come no one gets riled up when a ~$400k car has panel gaps the size of a creek?
If only for a day...
Ok where is the navigation system hiding?
Nic,
The navigation screen actually flips out from behind the analog clock as the whole panel rotates. It's pretty slick in theory but the graphics were less than desired. They were not as bad as Bentley or Jaguar but no where near as classy as Ford and BMW.
-Ian
Haa cool. Hope the gears never wear out.
Too chunky, too Teutonic; not the classic lines you expect on a Rolls. The original Silver Shadow, the Corniche, those were elegant and bespoke. I'm just not impressed with these new heavy-handed designs.