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Well, this makes the one I had seem almost pedestrian. I'm talking about the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Tungsten, the latest limited-production saloon from RR's Bespoke Collection. The total number of cars being built is unclear, but it's confirmed that six of them are headed to the Middle East, where they'll be snapped up instantly. If the color scheme looks familiar, it's because it mimics that of the 101EX concept. The Darkest Tungsten paint makes its first appearance ever on a production Roller, and the big boy also wears the same seven-spoke wheels as the concept coupe. Other exterior cues appearing on the Tungsten are a brushed aluminum hood similar to the one available on the Drophead Coupe and cool-looking exposed chrome exhaust outlets.
Inside, you get Smoke Grey leather piped with navy accents, Rosewood veneers, and metallic trim accenting the top of the instrument panel and the thin-rimmed steering wheel. Even the engine gets a dress-up kit. The pièce de résistance is the starlight headliner, which uses hundreds of fiber-optic lights to create a virtual starfield above the backseat passengers. Limo companies already do this in prom night cheesemobiles, though, so maybe next time Rolls can up the ante by incorporating a full planetarium back there. You know, with the Pink Floyd laser light shows and everything. They can maybe call it the Nick Mason Edition. Anyway, I digress. Tungsten owners get a pair of silver keyfobs and a fountain pen in a spiffy matching Rosewood box, too. Cost is unknown, but if you can afford it, you're not even asking about the price, anyway. You're simply calling your man at the Rolls dealer and making it happen.
Thanks for the heads-up, JW!
[Source: Rolls-Royce via Sybarites]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2004m3driver @ Nov 23rd 2007 6:03PM
Meh, If they made it entirely out of light weight materials (besides from the leather and wood interior) I would be impressed. Otherwise its just the same dressed up Rolls.
All carbon body panels, all aluminum chassis and engine. That would be impressive.
lovice @ Nov 23rd 2007 6:38PM
If a Rolls made of carbon fibre, then it worth nothing! It's a Rolls! Not a Lotus! People pay for the steel making process! People appreciate the traditional way of metal working (like using the English wheel).
They are the kind of people Rolls wants to impress! They are the people who could afford, and would buy Rolls!
Why would you think Rolls should impress people like you?????? Wake up!!!!!
2004m3driver @ Nov 23rd 2007 7:21PM
I am wide awake. This thing isn't too much different than its predecessor. Yes I understand people pay for the tradition, but that is in what they can see like the interior. Everything else should be on the bleeding end of high tech for the price. It better be the safest sturdiest innovate car out there to be asking for a 400K plus price tag. At least they could have made the rest of the cars out of high tech material. I don't care about traditional steel unless its some kinda special light weight alloy that is sturdier then cast aluminum. Wouldn't it be better if their tradition was in making the most luxurious, safest, exotic, prestigious, and high end cars. Instead of gouging people because they made it out of traditional steel in England?
I guess they only way I could really enjoy this car is when I'm old, rich, and have a chaffeur.
O btw, they should impress me just like how a Veyron will impress everyone with all the development put into it. Not that I am saying I don't like the Phantom, I just wish it wasn't just a big, menacingly good looking, fat sedan dressed up with a 400k sticker.
James @ Nov 23rd 2007 8:01PM
2004m3driver: Have you seen a modern RR in person? They look portly in pictures, but are breathtaking in person.
2004m3driver @ Nov 26th 2007 12:41PM
@ james
yeah It looks fantastic, I work in LA so I see them often. I'm not ragging on the car, I am just ragging on why people think it so special.
lovice @ Nov 24th 2007 6:11AM
Again, you are talking about 'you don't care...unless...'. My question is why should Rolls care about what you care?
It's a Rolls. So it will always be made of STEEL! If you want something high tech at that price, then there is a car called Maybach, or shall I say a dated S-Class!
And you clearly don't understand the meaning of Veyron. It's not a car for Bugatti to impress world wide audience. Every single VW people buy now are for the lost of Veyron (coz every Veyron costs three time as much to build as its been selling for!). So it's a car for VW to show people who is the dady in Germany and the world! Its design, construction and sales philosophy has nothing to do with any other cars on the market today.
Whether you like it or not, people pay for the steels, not anything else on a Rolls! End of story.
Alex Nunez @ Nov 24th 2007 10:14AM
To 2004M3Driver and the rest of the people talking about steel. Time for a little refresher course re: the Phantom:
1. The Phantom's spaceframe is all aluminum
2. The hood, radiator grille, roof, doors, and rear quarter panels are all aluminum
3. The front quarter panels are composites -- they have to be to allow RF transparency, as all the antennae are hidden underneath them.
4. The trunk, yes, is steel, to help give the car 50/50 weight distribution. It is also the only body panel made of steel on the whole car.
aman @ Nov 23rd 2007 6:32PM
whats so fascinating about this car? its just another Rolls Royce with a different paint job. Big deal.
zamafir @ Nov 23rd 2007 8:37PM
Every time I sit in a Phantom I instantly understand why Bentley is so much more successful and why Rolls continues to use them as a benchmark in regards to profitability et-al. The Phantom simply pales in comparison, I don't care about the cost, and don't argue nostalgic certificates of origin given the heavy german influence in both brands - the Bentley cars simply feel much nicer inside. ie the much more reasonable flying spur.
vectorbug @ Nov 23rd 2007 8:52PM
you guys use "bespoke" more than Richard Hammond to describe nice things and cars.