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The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a full-sized luxury saloon manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. 

It is the eighth and current generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the second launched by Rolls-Royce under BMW ownership. It is offered in two wheelbase lengths.The Phantom VIII’s styling has been described as an evolution of the Phantom VII’s as it bears most of the design features of its predecessor.Like its predecessor, the Phantom VIII has a short front overhang and upright front end, a long bonnet and set-back passenger compartment as well as a long wheelbase and a flowing rear end.Rolls-Royce’s trademark “Parthenon” radiator grille is integrated into the surrounding bodywork. 

Platform

The Phantom uses an aluminium spaceframe chassis; this is a version of Rolls-Royce’s modular “Architecture of Luxury” platform. The Phantom is the first car to be based on this new platform, which is also used by the Cullinan SUV and will be used by other future Rolls-Royce models. 

Suspension and steering

The Phantom is fitted with self-levelling air springs and electronically controlled dampers front and rear. It uses a double wishbone front axle and a 5-link rear axle. It is also equipped with active anti-roll bars.The suspension system is linked to a stereo camera mounted behind the windscreen. This scans the road ahead and preconfigures the spring and damper rates, and the anti-roll bars, so as to improve ride quality. The system, dubbed the “Flagbearer” by Rolls-Royce, operates at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph). 

The Phantom is the first Rolls-Royce to be fitted with four-wheel steering. The system turns the rear wheels counter to the front wheels through a maximum of 3° at speeds lower than 60 km/h (37 mph) to improve maneuverability. Between 60 and 80 km/h (37 and 50 mph) the rear wheels do not steer at all. At speeds above 80 km/h the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels through a maximum of 1° to increase high-speed stability.The Phantom uses “Silent-Seal” tyres which Rolls-Royce co-developed with Continental. These use a layer of foam inside the tyre to reduce tyre cavity noise, lowering sound levels in the cabin by up to 9 decibels. 

Interior

The interior is fully bespoke and personalised to the clientele like previous and current Rolls-Royce models offer. It has the BMW iDrive infotainment system with 3D camera view. They also have “The Gallery”, a display section in the vehicle in the front seat veneer with experimentation of different materials and artwork to be integrated with the vehicle and all the options are limitless.

Powertrain

The Phantom is exclusively available with a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine. This is a variant of BMW’s N74 called the N74B68 which is unique to the Phantom. ZF’s 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission is the sole gearbox option. This is linked to a GPS receiver which analyses the car’s location and speed to optimise shift timing.

 

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