Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe (2008): first official pictures

By Mark Nichol

First Official Pictures

17 February 2008 00:01

BMW continues to stretch the Rolls-Royce range every which way (have they confused it with the 3-series famiy?) and today it unveils the new  Phantom Coupe. Think of it as a two-door gentleman’s express built for the mega-rich to waft unscathed through the credit crunch.

You won't confuse its lineage, that's for sure. The tin-top employs the same 6.8-litre V12 powerplant as the Drophead Coupe and Phantom limo, so it should excel at wafting with the best of them. The downside is an ozone-melting 377 g/km of CO2. Carbon offsetting? Pah. Rolls-Royce needs all the trees to make its dashboards with.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe: opulence
Forget the eco-chat, this shapely two-door is built solely to cosset the owner in sporting opulence. The Drophead impressed us so much we considered it for our 2007 Car of the Year award (CAR Magazine December 2007), and though it lost out to the Fiat 500 we couldn’t help but gush at its refinement, attention to detail and sheer presence.

Expect more of the same from the fixed-top version, although you’ll lose out on the Drophead’s teak panelling behind the rear seats. That doesn’t bother us too much though, because most of what we loved about the grand open-top remains, including the rear-hinged coach doors, LED sidelights and alluring brushed steel bonnet.

Click 'Next' to read more about Rolls' new Coupe

By Mark Nichol