Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Phantom Gaines Wood: Better than the original?
Reader Mark Stewart tipped us off to this custom Phantom dubbed the "Gaines Wood" currently offered at P&A Wood, a UK Rolls-Royce and Bentley retailer. As you can see, the Phantom's hard-edged face has been replaced by a much softer and traditional-looking fascia that eliminates the stock lights in favor of a simpler set of double lamps. The front bumper is replaced as well.
It's certainly an interesting, attractive and well-executed alternative to the Phantom's imposing factory visage. Truth be told, it really fits in very well with the rest of the car, which remains untouched. Based on comments we've had on past Phantom-related posts, we think this car will connect with many of the RR aficionados who are unhappy with the Phantom's starkly Teutonic frontal design. No price is given, but we'll rest easy in the knowledge that whatever it is, we're not in a position to bust out the checkbook, anyway.
UPDATE: Former Autoblogger and current Winding Road scribe Chris Paukert sends this link to an interview WR conducted with Paul Wood of P&A Wood about this very automobile. It was created in-house for a customer who would not have purchased the car at all if the modifications weren't made. The headlamps are sourced from a Bentley Continental R, and the entire conversion cost a whopping £26,000 or so (approx. $51,000 USD). The same customer has ordered a Phantom long-wheelbase, which will also receive the Gaines Wood conversion. Head over to Winding Road to read the full interview and see some additional shots of the car.
[Source: P & A Wood]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Max 8:37PM (3/28/2007)
NO WAY! the current phantom kicks that phantoms ass! i like the phantom and i like the arnage, but put it together and wat do u have: CRAP! YAY!!!!
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Atomicbri 8:41PM (3/28/2007)
Nah I am more into the look of the factory Phantom. It is modern and simple...this look is rather Bentley-esque and kind of boring. Makes it from the front look like an old Roller.
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KazO 8:52PM (3/28/2007)
I guess it depends on your perspective. From the traditional Rolls customers' perspective, this is probably a HUGE improvement (and I think so too, though this thing cost as much as my house). But I the 'ballers' that the car is now starting to attract would probably be turned off by the 'traditional' look.
Maybe RR can license this or offer it as a 'bespoke ' or an 'authorized coachbuilder' option somehow, they can offer both.
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DPC car videos 9:02PM (3/28/2007)
The factory current Phantom looks much better, this one looks like an older model with the round head lights. If you have to mod a factory phantom you got some issues.
http://www.dpccars.com
DPCcars
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chad.dawkins 9:41PM (3/28/2007)
The regular Phantom looks much better.
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Andy S 9:55PM (3/28/2007)
Bravo, that's a huge improvement on the stock Phantom which doesn't look Teutonic so much as trucklike, it closely resembles a Kenworth IMO.
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BOB 10:02PM (3/28/2007)
SORRY -- if you think that the old headlights, making it look like the old car are pretty, then OK. If you think that they would have been a good marketing decision for the regular Phantom, step to the back of the class. The Phantom HAD to be unique, and flout respect for Heritage, push to the edge of Vulgarity, or it would not have caught on so well with the new money set.
That English Country Manor Gentry thing is pretty darn dead, and has been for decades. The previous models were for Zsa Zsa Gabor (I read she is 90)
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Tsunami Racer 10:32PM (3/28/2007)
looks like the front end of the rolls camargue coupe. i like it better than the factory transformers look. but it's still just an overpriced underwhelming BMW. long live the crewe built cars!!!
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John 10:55PM (3/28/2007)
I love it! More Rolls-Roycey...
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jg3 11:40PM (3/28/2007)
Less cartoonish than the German's RR. And after all, a RR is about the individual customer, not the designer, and certainly not maintaining a "factory" look.
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John P. 1:34AM (3/29/2007)
I think it's a step in the right direction though the regular phantom isn't bad looking. It's the Drophead thing that looks terrible, like an old washed-up baggy-eyed barfly.
Rolls shouldn't really be about winning any design contests anyway, that's not what it's about, or they'd actually be building pretty cars.
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Ralph 2:45AM (3/29/2007)
MUCH better than stock. This one actually has CLASS.
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John P. 9:48AM (3/29/2007)
I wonder what they photoshopped out in the bottom of the picture? I guess they couldn't find a nice patch of grass to photograph this thing.
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josh 10:59AM (3/29/2007)
Derivative and boring, the factory lighting set-up has modern panache.
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Anis 12:09PM (3/29/2007)
Is it just me...or does no one else see the horrible pun in the name of this Rolls? "Gaines Wood"??
I'd piss myself laughing if I heard it in person.
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Robert O 12:56PM (3/29/2007)
Much better than the factory look. It doesn't matter, though. This thing is way, way, way out of my price range in either style.
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Namir 2:22PM (3/29/2007)
This looks better if you are going for a traditional RR classic look... but then again you could just buy a classic old RR at a premier auto auction if you are such a fan of the old look. The new one brought so much attention and publicity through media, specifically the 'baller' nature of todays music videos.
So my opinion ----> downgrade
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Alex 8:58PM (4/01/2007)
Nice, but I'd much rather have a Maybach 62S. 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds, baby!!!
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W.Huizenga 9:34PM (7/02/2007)
The Gaineswood looks much nicer than the stock Rolls. The current Phantom has too much of a ghetto- poor people- muscle car look. The rappers and young kids sure seem to like it, but I don't want to be noticed everywhere I go. This is why the Maybach is one of my favorites. It is understated but with equal luxury.
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John 8:15PM (7/22/2007)
I would add a smaller round "light" lower and to the center of the outside headlight to look more like the RR Silver Cloud III, which I think is the most beautiful 4 door sedan ever produced.
John Livesay
Houston. Tx
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