Officially Official: 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

 

The Detroit Auto Show traditionally belongs to the domestic automakers, who pull out all the stops as they unveil some of their best and brightest new products and concepts. This year, however, the ultimate showstopper may well be located at the Rolls-Royce display. The fabled British marque (now owned by BMW, of course) has chosen Detroit to reveal the 2008 Phantom Drophead Coupe, a jaw-droppingly spectacular 4-seat convertible aimed squarely at Bentley's Azure.

The Drophead Coupe is, for all intents and purposes, a perfect production interpretation of RR's 100EX concept car, which made its debut at 2004's Geneva show. The key elements of the 100EX remain -- the thin LED headlamps, rear-opening "suicide" doors, brushed steel hood and A-pillar, and teak decking aft of the passenger compartment are all here. The V16 that powered the 100EX is replaced in the Drophead Coupe by the Phantom sedan's proven 6.75L V12., which generates 453 horsepower and 513 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm. That's enough to propel the 5775-pound droptop to 60 mph in approximately 5.7 seconds.

As one would (and should) expect, the cost of entry is substantial. Adding the Phantom Drophead Coupe to one's personal fleet will cost $407,000 plus any additional options. But what an addition it'll make. The car's hand-welded aluminum spaceframe is constructed at a BMW facility in Germany and is wrapped in all-new body panels -- nothing is shared with the big-brother sedan. The suicide doors allow the A-pillar to run uninterrupted to the floor, increasing the body's stiffness. Overall, the convertible's lines are more rounded and smooth, giving it a classically sporting look that still retains the Phantom sedan's imposing presence.

Nautical influences drove some of the decisions made with regard to the car's interior. During its development, the team headed to Southampton to inspect a J-class yacht undergoing restoration. Since the Drophead Coupe is an open-top car, it would need to be able to handle the elements, and a yacht, with its constant exposure to water, seemed like a good place to do some research.. As such, smooth, easily-wipeable seating surfaces are used (no perforated leather here), as well as carpet/floormat materials that are resistant to moisture. And let's not forget the teak decking on the hard tonneau -- that's the most obvious nautical influence of all.

Occupants sit in a sea of leather, wood and chrome, and when the weather's less than perfect, a cashmere-lined 5-layer roof protects them from the elements. Rolls-Royce says that this is the largest fabric roof used on a modern convertible -- a bragging right that could be challenged if Mercedes decides to bring out a production version of its Ocean Drive concept. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the car's trunk, or "picnic boot" as Rolls-Royce calls it, which has a split opening. In addition to the traditional trunklid, there's a folding tailgate which acts as a bench capable of supporting 330 lbs.

Big, bold, and sublime, the Phantom Drophead Coupe is Rolls-Royce's halo car. Yes, the company maintains that the Phantom sedan is the standard-bearer, but this is better -- much better, in our opinion -- appealing to the romantic in all of us in a way the sedan never will. The gauntlet has been thrown down in the ultraluxury segment. Jay Gatsby, your car is waiting...

We'll bring you more on the Drophead Coupe when We see it in person in a little over a week.

PRESS RELEASE / TECH SPECS:

ROLLS-ROYCE LAUNCHES PHANTOM DROPHEAD COUPÉ AT DETROIT

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will unveil its new Phantom Drophead Coupé at the Detroit Motor Show on Sunday 7 January. Production of the new car will start at Goodwood in the summer of 2007.

The two-door, four-seat convertible is a less formal interpretation of classic Rolls-Royce design. Using the lightweight rigidity of an all-aluminium spaceframe, it marries modern technology to a sleek, streamlined convertible body.

Its exterior lines echo the timeless styling of the great Rolls-Royce cars: a long bonnet, large-diameter wheels, short front and long rear overhangs and the quintessential dynamic line descending along its flanks. Inside, the design emphasises the airy openness of top-down motoring, embracing the elements and creating a stunning, social environment.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said, "This car gave us the chance to think about the very nature of convertible motoring and in particular what it means to Rolls-Royce. Above all we were determined to make this car a joy to live with and engineered it to give years of effortless service to its owner."

A number of features first seen on 100EX, the experimental convertible shown by Rolls-Royce in 2004, have been engineered into the new Phantom Drophead Coupé. Two of the most visually striking of these are the brushed steel bonnet and A-pillar and the teak decking for the rear hood cover. The brushed steel is machine finished to give a uniform grain before undergoing extensive hand polishing to achieve a perfect sheen. At the rear, the teak decking is treated with a carefully blended mix of oils to preserve a natural finish and a long lasting lustre that is as beautiful as it is hardy.

Front opening coach doors have been homologated for the new car and add considerably to the ease of access to the rear seat, as well as to the overall aesthetics. Unique to Rolls-Royce, the doors dramatically transform the Phantom Drophead Coupé's looks, giving a side profile reminiscent of classic sports cars of the '60s. Crucially, they also aid the overall stiffness of the body as the rear hinged doors allow for an uninterrupted A-pillar. Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé

INTRODUCTION
In 2004, Rolls-Royce unveiled 100EX, a striking experimental drophead built to celebrate 100 years of arguably the most famous automotive brand in the world. Built without compromise, it encapsulated a century of elegance and engineering, and, in an instant, defined the future direction of the brand.

In its two world tours, 100EX garnered positive comments from customers and the media alike. Such was the strength of the reaction that, in the autumn of 2005, Rolls-Royce announced that a production version would be available by 2007. In the interim years, the team at Goodwood have worked tirelessly to turn the experimental car into a reality.

Launched at the Detroit Motor Show 2006, the Phantom Drophead Coupé is the second new model from Rolls-Royce since BMW Group became custodian of the marque in 1998. The two-door, four-seat convertible is a less formal interpretation of classic Rolls-Royce design. Using the lightweight rigidity of an all-aluminium spaceframe, it marries modern technology to a sleek, streamlined convertible body.

Its exterior lines echo the timeless styling of the great Rolls-Royce cars: a long bonnet, large-diameter wheels, short front and long rear overhangs and the quintessential dynamic line descending along its flanks. Inside, the design emphasises the airy openness of top-down motoring, embracing the elements and creating a stunning, social environment.

The Phantom Drophead Coupé has been carefully crafted to be aesthetically pleasing, yet practical too. Wood, leather, chrome and brushed steel have been used where most appropriate. Form and function have equal billing. The simplicity of the design belies a car built to provide years of effortless service.

The Phantom Drophead Coupé offers owners an unparalleled convertible experience, combining compelling driveability with exceptional engineering, technology and design – hand-crafted from the finest materials to an exceptional level of quality.

DESIGN
From the outset, the design team at Goodwood were adamant that the Phantom Drophead Coupé should be more than simply a convertible version of the Phantom. "Designing without compromise meant that, to a certain extent, we had to start again," says Rolls-Royce Chief Designer Ian Cameron. "Simply removing the Phantom's roof could have made a great convertible but it wouldn't have made a perfect one. With the Phantom Drophead Coupé we had the chance to think about the very nature of convertible motoring and, in particular, what it means to Rolls-Royce."

Every exterior panel on the Phantom Drophead Coupé is new, echoing the Phantom's style but with carefully considered proportions more suited to the shorter body. From the raked front end to the sweeping rear, every aspect was studied at length to ensure that the finished car looked purposeful and elegant both with the hood up and with it stowed. For the interior, the concept was simple: bring the outside in. Create a social space enabling occupants to embrace the elements using sumptuous, relevant materials.

As well as considering the finer details of the package – seating arrangements and dashboard layouts, for example – the designers also developed some fundamental beliefs about how the materials they were using should work. The entire team was keen to keep things as natural as possible and, as a result, there is an instant, raw beauty to the Phantom Drophead Coupé. Materials are used in a way that emphasises their natural charm and there is an immediacy to the exposed elements of brushed steel and solid teak. Bleaches, stains and lacquers were shunned as far as possible in favour of more natural finishes. Hands touch only chrome, leather or wood. Other materials, such as the brushed steel, are used as architectural detailing, giving the whole car a sense of visual tactility.

"The Phantom Drophead Coupé is about emphasising the essentials of pleasure," says Cameron. "Above all, we were determined to make this car a joy to live with. Rolls-Royce is the opposite of stiff formality. Why would you design and build a car like this and not make it fun to use?"

EXTERIOR
The profile of the Phantom Drophead Coupé is fundamentally transformed from that of a conventional four-seat convertible by the inclusion of front coach doors. Evocative of the classic sports car profile, they add considerably to the easy entry and exit of rear passengers. Perhaps just as importantly, they also add significantly to the overall strength and stiffness of the body as they allow the construction of an uninterrupted A-pillar. Newly homologated for the Phantom Drophead Coupé, these coach doors are unique to Rolls-Royce.

At the front sits a new, more rakish grille, giving the car a more casual air while retaining its classic looks. Finished in steel, the centre fins are polished while the surround is brushed to match the optional brushed steel bonnet and A-pillar. The grille is hinged at the top in order to give way in the event of a low-speed impact. On top sits the Spirit of Ecstasy, remodelled using advanced computer software. These days she has a more lifelike appearance, with clear definition of her features. Finished in stainless steel, the Spirit of Ecstasy is also available in silver or gold via the Bespoke programme at Goodwood.

The front end of the Phantom Drophead Coupé is more streamlined than that of previous Rolls-Royce cars. Slim front LED side lights sit above larger round driving lamps. The front bumper is integrated into the design, further softening the look. A discreet camera nestles underneath the numberplate to provide an excellent split-screen view of the road ahead, via the on-board monitor, to help when parking or when pulling out of a side road.

One of the best visual clues to the Phantom Drophead Coupé's character can be found at the rear. The picnic boot is the very essence of automotive affability. The only type of its kind on any convertible, it offers easy access to the luggage compartment as well as providing comfortable outdoor seating for two adults. The substantial hinges are able to accommodate a weight of 150 kg / 330 lb. Inside the boot, 315 litres / 11.1 cu ft of space is enough to house three sets of golf clubs. Importantly, this space remains intact whether the hood is raised or lowered.

An entirely new palette of nine exterior colours has been developed for the Phantom Drophead Coupé: Metropolitan Blue, Admiral Blue, Jubilee Silver, Diamond Black, Duck Egg Blue, Semaphore Yellow, English White, Woodland Green and Ensign Red. These are complimented with hood colours in Silver, Black, Beige, Navy Blue, Deep Red and Deep Green.

Two of the most visually stunning options are the teak decking for the rear hood cover and the brushed steel bonnet and A-pillar. First seen on the 100EX experimental car in 2004, these are signature elements of the Phantom Drophead Coupé look. The brushed finish of the bonnet and A-pillar apes the classic Phantoms of the '20s and '30s but with a delightful 21st century twist.

The rear teak decking epitomises the careful design and attention to detail seen throughout the Phantom Drophead Coupé. It is as functional as it is beautiful. Teak was used because of its inherently hardy properties and its resistance to moisture and decay. Special techniques were developed in the Rolls-Royce wood shop to preserve the appearance of a fresh, unprocessed finish, the aim being to have a final deck that was as close to natural timber as possible. "We wanted it to look as if it had been cut and hand-finished 10 minutes ago," said Alan Sheppard, Chief Interior Designer. More than 30 individual pieces of teak go into each deck, protected by a specially formulated blend of oils. As with all the woods and veneers used by Rolls-Royce, it is sourced from sustainable forests by a team of specialists.

The hood is the largest of any modern convertible. Its acoustic insulation is exemplary, with five layers of insulation material between occupants and the outside world. Lined with a cashmere blend, the structure is more like a bespoke suit than a traditional fabric roof. Rolls-Royce was keen to use a fabric roof rather than a folding hard-top for many reasons, not least aesthetics. As Ian Cameron describes, "There is nothing more romantic than driving a convertible in the rain at night and hearing the drops hit the roof. In conversation with our customers we realised that they felt the same way." A further benefit of the tailored, soft-top roof is the relatively small space required to stow it.

INTERIOR
The interior concept revolves around the idea of an indoor/outdoor space: an all-weather passenger compartment that combines the practicality required for convertible motoring with the sumptuous elegance expected of Rolls-Royce. Rather than take inspiration solely from the automotive world, Chief Interior Designer Alan Shepherd looked elsewhere. "In 2004, when we were designing 100EX, we visited a boatyard in Southampton where one of the famous 1930s America's Cup J-class yachts was being restored. We were struck by the variety and uses of different materials throughout. All of the J-class yachts have a tremendous sense of purposeful elegance about them, and this was something that we were keen to emulate."

The Phantom Drophead Coupé has been designed as a car in which to enjoy the elements. The all-weather surfaces of the interior have been designed to take what nature can throw at them. "We didn't want owners to feel as if they had to pull over at the first spot of rain," says Cameron. To this end, a number of notable features can be seen throughout the interior. Firstly, the seats have no ridges in them, giving a smooth surface so that moisture can be wiped straight off. In place of traditional floor mats, wholly more practical sisal mats are used. Even the carpet itself employs 21st century materials designed to deal with the moisture and humidity encountered in many areas of the world.

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