Autoblog

Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

We were lucky enough to ride in the concept car two years ago, when the now Phantom Coupe was called the 101EX. Our words that day were "You have to build this car." And we've been waiting ever since the end of that sentence for this day to come. It was evident even as a concept that no other coupé -- with two syllables, please -- promised such a return to Jazz Age glamor, when a gentleman motored from Antibbes to Monaco in a Hooper bodied Phantom II to visit that Polish countess he'd had his eye on. So, when Rolls-Royce called with the invite to Goodwood to drive the new Phantom Coupe from England to Crozet, in the South of France, it would be our chance to see if the promise was delivered. Follow the jump to find out.




All photos copyright Jonathan Ramsey / Weblogs Inc.

Click for more high-res images of the Phantom Coupe

Rolls Royce has been on a roll of late, with a 25-percent increase in global production in 2007, and the gorgeous new Phantom Coupe ready to add to last year's record totals. Since the official announcement of the ultra-luxury two-door, 200 orders have already been taken, which represents all production for 2008. Even more impressive is the fact that two-thirds of the orders come from customers who have never before owned a Rolls. It doesn't hurt that the Phantom Coupe's Drophead sibling is sold out through summer 2009, which means the fixed-top Phantom has little short-term competition on the show floor.

It's hard to blame the filthy rich for sopping up Phantom Coupes so quickly. The luxury-liner's incredible contours, stunning materials, and mind-blowing suicide doors make us lie awake at night thinking of ways to become wealthy enough to one day own one. So far all we've thought of is more blogging, which means we'll have to settle for something a bit less well-heeled.

[Source: Auto News (subs. req'd)]

Click image above for high-res live gallery of the new RR Coupe from Geneva

Perhaps calling it a true GT might have been a bit of a stretch, but with changes to the chassis, steering, brakes and suspension, Rolls Royce promised that this new Phantom Coupe would take Rolls into a new market. Appearing very similar to the concept 101EX that debuted in 2006, the Coupe and its Drophead brother are also expanding the bottom line for RR. Sales for RR were a huge 1010 for 2007. This new model and the Drophead that it follows are taking on the Bentley Continental GT and GTC challenge with more of a focus on the driver. With help from parent BMW, it's understandable that these cars might be a little better on winding roads than one might suspect. We'll have to wait until we get one in the AB garage to make our final judgment. What isn't being debated here is the fact that the coupe is a gorgeous car. Perhaps even nicer looking than its convertible sibling. While the car itself is a beautiful piece of rolling sculpture, the gray color and standard wheels shown on the first production model today didn't do much to show it off. When they opened the suicide doors, however, it really didn't matter anymore. This thing has Style with a capital "S" and that's what it takes to succeed in this niche.

Full press release after the jump and full high-res gallery available by clicking any one of these images.

click above for high-res gallery of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

Rolls-Royce has released pics of the Phantom Coupé, and if any one from Rolls is reading this, you can sign us up for one in every color. And we don't mean the standard colors -- we mean every single color. Sure, the car only has two doors, but even we still experience a bit of a catch when calling this car -- all eighteen-and-a-half feet of it -- a coupe. Which is why we don't: we call it a "coupé." That final accent, like the Alpine summits in the above picture, puts the car in its proper perspective: that of the Jazz Age gentleman racer hopping from Antibes to Nice for dinner with the Polish Countess and a moonlight sail.

Descended from the 101EX concept, the Coupé is nearly all-aluminum on an aluminum spaceframe, with steel apparent in only the A-pillar surround, the hood, and the picnic boot. Behind the raked grill of the Coupé resides the by now well known 6.75-liter V12 with 453-HP and 530 lb-ft to pull its 5,798 pounds. The back end of the car comes up 250mm short of the Phantom's length and manages to pull out a BMW-like 49:51 weight distribution. To keep up those kinds of driver's car credentials, the rear dampers are stiffer, there's a thicker anti-roll bar, and the steering has been given some additional feel. A Sport button on the new, thicker steering wheel enacts a new shift program that holds gears longer, the autobox kicks down faster, and the pedal response is quicker. With the changes, sixty comes up in a rather sporting 5.6 seconds. Three choices of 21-inch wheels will be offered, two of them forged alloy numbers.

Inside are all of the usual Rolls-Royce accoutrements, but the only two words you need to remember are: "starlight headliner." You might not want to have it on all the time, but as a showstopper it will certainly do the trick. But don't take our word for it: the full press release is after the jump, and check out the gallery of hi-res images below.


[Source: Rolls-Royce]

Click image for a photo gallery of the Rolls-Royce 101EX

In his speech on BMW's future plans, CEO Norbert Reithofer mentioned that a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe is on the way. Today, Rolls-Royce made its official announcement confirming this new addition to the Phantom lineup. If the eye-popping Phantom Drophead Coupe is any indication, the new, enclosed Phantom Coupe should be a dead ringer for the 101EX concept car that previewed it back during the 2006 Geneva show. Power will be identical to the other Phantom models, with 450 horses and 531 lb-ft of torque coming from the car's 6.75L V12. According to Rolls-Royce, the Phantom Coupe will be more driver-oriented than the sedan, with a shorter body and suspension/power tuning that places a slight emphasis on sport compared to its siblings. The Phantom Coupe will complete the Phantom lineup for Rolls-Royce, giving its customers a car for every occasion. It will be priced somewhere between the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupe.

This also seems like as good a time as any to inform you that we recently had the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom in the Autoblog Garage (that's it at right). Check back on Monday for the full review and photo gallery, and if you need to catch up on the recent vehicles we've had come through, click here to see what you might have missed.

[Source: Rolls-Royce]

Just announced earlier this morning by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer, this mule for the upcoming Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe was spotted wearing the disguise of a drop top. We're told not to let the convertible looks fool us, as this is not the already available Phantom Drophead Coupe. It is, however, remarkably similar to the 101EX Concept unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. The production version should feature the Phantom's massive 6.75L V12 engine producing prodigious amounts of power in the neighborhood of 450 to 500 HP. Whereas the Drophead Coupe is a cruiser, expect the Phantom Coupe to be a driver's car unlike anything we've seen from Rolls-Royce in recent memory. That is, until a new line of smaller, less expensive Rolls-Royce models begin rolling out of Goodwood to take on the Bentley Continentals of the world.

[Source: World Car Fans]