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About Phantom

The Phantom has been the top of the Rolls-Royce range, and arguably of the entire car world, since the first one appeared in 1925. Over eight generations it has carried monarchs, presidents, rock stars and film moguls, its name becoming shorthand for the absolute peak of motoring luxury. The current car is enormous, silent and powered by a twin-turbocharged V12, and it moves with the measured authority of an ocean liner leaving port.

Its modern story begins in 2003, when the Phantom VII became the first car built by Rolls-Royce under BMW ownership at the new Goodwood plant, reviving the brand after its awkward years. The Phantom VIII of 2017 introduced an all-aluminum architecture that now underpins the whole range, along with the Gallery, a glass-covered panel across the dashboard in which owners can display commissioned art, sculpture or even rare natural objects. The Series II update of 2022 refined the face and the details.

The Phantom is offered in standard and extended-wheelbase forms and is almost always ordered with bespoke details, from starlight headliners to inlaid marquetry. It has no direct rival, though the most opulent Mercedes-Maybach S-Class models and Bentley's top sedans are often mentioned in the same breath. Its main competitor, frankly, may be a private jet, and its buyers usually own one of those as well. Production is limited, waiting lists are normal and nobody asks about fuel economy.

The Phantom also serves as the canvas for Rolls-Royce's most extravagant one-off commissions, such as cars inspired by hummingbirds or by English sailing heritage, with interiors decorated in abalone shell or hand embroidery. The coverage here follows those creations, along with reviews, special editions, auction results for historic Phantoms, and news about the car's future in an increasingly electric Rolls-Royce lineup. Whatever comes next, the Phantom's job will remain the same: to be the car against which every other luxury car is measured.