Is somebody put a gun to your head and said you have to drive a car but you can have any one you want, this might be a good choice:
Ask why the new Phantom Drophead Coupe uses a cloth rather than retractable metal roof, as is the modern custom, and design director Ian Cameron will give a typically Rolls-Royce answer. "There's something romantic about raindrops falling on a fabric roof."
Ah, the r word-romance. How often do you hear that in motoring these days? You hear plenty of the other r word-rational. But romance? Never.
Yet there's something intrinsically romantic about this big, graceful, bluff-nosed, long-hooded, majestic statue of a car, more of a 1920s or
1930s luxury roadster than a machine from this century.And although the people at Rolls-Royce hate the other r word-retro (how can it be retro when it's peppered with such high tech?)-they'll happily concede that the inspiration for this car came from the last century not from this one.
"It's like a car from the 1920s-long and graceful, big powerful engine, perfect for easily effortless drives in the sun in beautiful locations," says Cameron. "It's an indulgent car. It's all about enjoyment, of giving yourself a treat."
And what a treat: When it hits the showrooms this summer, after it made its debut at the Detroit auto show, it'll cost near enough to $400,000, the world's most expensive convertible. It's also the world's longest.
The first rear-hinged front doors in living history and another throwback to the 1920s and 1930s, they provide superb entry and exit to the front seats.It's rejuvenated BMW-owned Rolls-Royce's second model, following the Phantom sedan-now the world's best-selling super-luxury car (though annual volumes of under 800 hardly constitute volume production). While every panel is new, the Drophead Coupe has similarities with the sedan. The handmade aluminum spaceframe chassis is based closely on the Phantom's. It has beefier sills, and on the Drophead they're proper sills rather than the flat-floor of the Phantom. The Drophead's chassis also is just under 10 inches shorter, reflecting the reduced wheelbase.
Apart from that, they have much in common, not least that they're handbuilt on the same "production line" in Rolls's new home in Goodwood, England. Though Rolls would never refer to it as such, you can sense the beginning of a common platform strategy here, especially if the fixed-head-coupe model follows, as expected, in a couple years.
The engine, that big and silent-smooth direct-injection 6.7-liter,
453-horsepower V-12, is identical to the Phantom's and so is the six-speed ZF autobox. Of paddle shifts and sports modes, there's no sign. Instead, as in the Phantom, you get a delicate column-mounted wand, offering the refreshingly simple choice of forward, backward, or neutral. Just about the only manual adjustment to confuse the driver is the provision to raise the car's ride height, the better to clamber up uneven grassy mounds at a horse race or picnic.The hydropneumatic suspension also is Phantom-based, though there are geometry and tuning changes. The styling, of course, is new. The biggest departure from the Rolls-Royce norm is the vast Greek temple-style grille. It gives the Drophead Coupe a sportier mien, which is commensurate with the lower and more hunkered-down stance. The body is all aluminum, unlike the Phantom sedan that has composite front fenders. The optional brushed-stainless-steel hood and windscreen surround are borrowed from the 100EX convertible and 101EX coupe concept cars. Rolls expects a majority of buyers to opt for this, although a body-color aluminum hood and windscreen surround are standard.
Just as distinctive are those vast rear-hinged "coach" doors, opened by lovely chromed art-deco-like strakes (and closed, once seated, electronically by push buttons).
The roof is cloth, lined inside with a cashmere mix. Not only does it faithfully relay the romantic pat-ata-pat of raindrops, it rises and folds automatically and is stowed under the teak rear decking. The teak is an overt maritime touch. Oiling of the wood is part of the car's service routine. It reflects Cameron's desire to give the Drophead Coupe "a nautical theme." Early in the car's conception, Cameron and his design team went to the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth, England, where the wooden J-class boat, Shamrock V-built for tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton's fifth and last America's Cup challenge in 1930-was undergoing a refit.
"J-class boats are the most beautiful of all racing yachts," says Cameron. "This is an all-weather car, so we tried to replicate many of the features of the classic J-class." The teak is a feature of the yacht's decking and is sturdy and long-lasting.
Carpets aren't wool, which absorbs moisture and can smell like a wet dog after heavy rain. Instead, they're a soft, sumptuous type of nylon that's able to withstand a good soaking.
The cabin is another departure from the Phantom sedan. The shorter wheelbase reduces rear legroom, of course. Yet the twin rear seats have ample legroom for tall men, while the curved bench seat isn't as wide or as luxuriantly spacious as in the Phantom. It's more intimate, in keeping with this car's romantic character. Rear legroom is helped by the thinner and smaller front bucket seats, no longer the lounge chairs of the Phantom.
Instruments are Phantom carryover and minimalist and eccentric, including the tach-replacing "power reserve gauge" that indicates how much of the formidable V-12 isn't utilized. The upper part of the dash is aluminum, true to the car's sportier bent. Elsewhere beautifully crafted wood, mahogany on our photo car, trims the dashboard, center console, and doors.
The trunk, too, is pleasingly oddball. The lower part of the trunklid opens down, like a pickup's tailgate, to provide picnic seating or a step from which to watch one's horse race or the polo match.
The Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament sports more detail than ever, glows like flowing mercury, and recesses into the grill lest she be stolen by wanton passersby.But who exactly is going to spend the best part of $400,000 on a convertible? Rolls-Royce already knows. Though deliveries are still more than six months away, more than 300 cars already have been sold, almost a full year's production. And that's before the car has been shown publicly.
The worldwide traveling roadshows for the 100EX and 101EX concepts, where the cars were shown to prospective customers, are responsible. "Rolls-Royce is not your normal car company," says Cameron. "We know many of our customers personally." As with the Phantom, America will be the biggest market, and Beverly Hills the biggest single sales region.
While the Phantom sedan is a car for everyday use and more formal occasions, the Drophead Coupe is for leisure. It's a sociable vehicle, a car to enjoy with friends. A car for dreamers and romantics who admire the panache and glamour of the Gatsby years but are doing just fine in the 21st century, thank you very much.
..