Phantom Coupe Effortless Power, Exceptional Style

In 2006, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 101EX, an experimental car hand-built to explore an exciting new design direction for a modern coupé. Wrapped in a sleek, rakish body, 101EX was an engineering-led study, showcasing the technical and architectural innovation inherent in the quintessential modern Rolls-Royce car. Both handsome and elegant, it encapsulated the essence of contemporary coupé style.

So positive was the worldwide reaction to 101EX that, in autumn 2007, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that a series model would go into production in the summer of 2008. This most recent unveiling is the Coupé, a two-door, four-seat hard top built to revive the tradition of the great grand tourers. Moving away from the perception that a Rolls can only be enjoyed from the back seat, the Coupé’s engineering team set out to create a driving experience that was entirely true to Rolls-Royce, yet noticeably more dynamic. This car has been designed for the driver. “It is not a sports car,” says Chairman Ian Robertson, “but with its balance of agility and refinement it has been engineered to suit a more enthusiastic driving style”.

A number of subtle but significant changes were made that gave it its character. It is noticeably more dynamic than the other Phantom models, whilst still offering incredible levels of comfort. Designed to cover great distances with the minimum of fuss, the Coupé is a sublime choice for a transcontinental trip. “Rolls-Royce has always been about pace, performance and style,” says Ian Cameron, who led the design team. “For the Coupé design we emphasized the dynamism.”

In classic Rolls-Royce style, the Phantom Coupé has a dynamic, rising profile, its high waistline tapering back to a contemporary take on a boat-tail. Sleek body panels create an uninterrupted visual flow, complemented by accents of stainless steel and aluminum. An exquisite interior, hand-built using the finest materials, supremely comfortable and equipped with a studio-quality sound system, makes the Phantom Coupé the perfect car for all-day driving. 

The rear of the Coupé houses an inviting lounge seat, a curved sofa that interior designer Alan Sheppard describes as, “intimate for two yet superbly comfortable on long journeys”. Boulevard lighting creates a gentle luminescence, an effect that can be heightened by the optional, full-length starlight headlining, which incorporates hundreds of tiny fiber optics to give the impression of a star-filled night sky.

For the driver, the Coupé offers something more intense; the exceptionally smooth, magic carpet ride is still there, yet has been made firmer by the introduction of stiffer rear dampers and modified spring rates. Body roll has been reduced by the fitting of a thicker rear anti-roll bar and the steering has been tuned to offer more feel – a sensation enhanced by a slightly thicker, hand-stitched leather steering wheel.

Powering the Coupé is the same 6.75-litre V12 engine used by the Phantom. Offering the perfect combination of power and efficiency the powertrain develops 453 bhp of power, ample for even the most enthusiastic of drivers. A new sport button on the steering wheel activates a new gearbox program, holding each gear for longer and increasing the rate of acceleration.

With the launch of the Coupé, the fourth new car in as many years, one might question whether Rolls-Royce is turning into a volume manufacturer. Not a bit of it, although the brand has undergone something of a renaissance in the last five years. Since the brand re-launched in 2003 it has gone from strength to strength. Rolls-Royce now boasts a multiple model line-up among the world’s most desirable cars – all cars that currently own the super luxury segment, outselling the competition by at least three to one.