Rolls-Royce Phantom – The No. 1 Luxury Car in the World

Happy New Year to my dedicated readers and newcomers. I hope you had a great holiday season and here’s to keeping New Year’s resolutions this year! Hopefully, this year brings you health, wealth, and everything you want. Here’s to another successful year for all. 

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Rolls-Royce actually started out as a mechanical and electrical business in 1884 run by Henry Royce, believe it or not. He went on to build his first motor car in 1904 and in May met a man by the name of Charles Rolls who sold quality cars at the company he worked at. The two came to an agreement later on that ‘Royce Limited’ would manufacture a range of cars to be sold by CS Rolls & Co – they were to bear the name Rolls-Royce.

The company didn’t have to wait long to see success in their cars, and in March 1906 the Rolls-Royce company was formed. That same year, the six-cylinder Silver Ghost was launched on the market, and a year later, it was hailed as the “best car of the year”. This was the start of a very long and very successful business venture and during the late 1920s saw more success for the company when the R engine was developed. It was used to power Britain’s entry in the International Schneider Trophy seaplane contest where it established a new world air speed record of over 400mph in 1931. 

This was the start of something bigger than the two imagined. It opened up more possibilities for both land and water. It also gave the technological base to develop the Merlin, a project Royce began to work on before his death in 1933. After its creation, the Merlin went on to power the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire in the Battle of Britain. Demand for Merlin became very popular during the 2nd World War which helped transform the company from a small contender into a major company in the aero-propulsion industry. 

History was made once again in 1950 when the company entered the civil aviation market with the Dart in the Vickers Viscount. It went on to become the cornerstone of universal acceptance of gas turbines by the airline industry. 51 years later, in 2004, the company celebrated its 100-year anniversary and still continues to be in operation today. 

Rolls-Royce Phantom – The No. 1 Luxury Car in the World

“Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it doesn’t exist, design it.” ~ Henry Royce

The Rolls-Royce Phantom has history that dates back all the way to 1925. Built between 1925 and 1931, the Phantom I only had 3,512 units produced – 2,269 built in Derby, England and 1,240 built in Massachusetts. It was originally created to replace the Silver Ghost (also known as 40/50) and was offered with varying specs depending on the place of origin. For example, some US models placed the fuel level gauge on the dash rather than on the fuel tank like with the UK models. 7 more generations were released after this with the 8th generation seeing production years between 2003 and 2017. 

Did you know: Between 2007 and 2016, Roll Royce released a series called Phantom Drophead Coupe

So how did this vehicle end up being known as the No. 1 Luxury Car in the world? I did a little research to try and help answer this question. First of all, it didn’t take long for the car to become a wealth symbol. Owners of this vehicle like the fact that this car gives them status in society and for this reason, seeing a Rolls-Royce Phantom on the streets is a very rare sight (any Rolls-Royce vehicle for that matter). 

Second, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is made for more than just the driver, back seat passengers get to experience the same comfort as well, and it is said that no other car will give you a feeling like this one. The engine is quiet and the ride is smooth with the car even coming equipped with run-flat tire technology. 

Third, the unique features of the car. The Rolls-Royce Phantom sports a pretty big steering wheel, which might be a little intimidating to some drivers. But despite this, it doesn’t interfere with the driving experience, rather it enhances it. A bigger steering wheel allows the driver to have more control of the vehicle (or just allow the mind to think this) and being paired with a V12 engine doesn’t hurt either. 

The vehicle weighs almost 3 tonnes but its weight does not come in the way of speed, rather in this case, it seems to help. The Rolls-Royce Phantom goes from 0-100mph and from 30-70mph quicker through the gears than Ford’s most recent release of the Focus RS.  

Why Are Rolls-Royce Cars So Expensive?

A sales representative working for Rolls-Royce will only ever be able to tell you a price range and not an exact cost for this vehicle. 

Rolls-Royce cars are known as one of the most comforting and luxurious cars in the world and this comes with a hefty price tag. Every car produced by Rolls-Royce is unique which is what determines the cost. Each Rolls-Royce is constructed to the needs of the customer and production starts only when a customer places an order, other than this, Rolls-Royce cars are not mass produced. 

I began doing some research to try and see what I could come up with as an answer to the title question. Here are some underlying factors that have to be considered when price is being determined. 

1. Colour 

The concept of colour being a factor in the price of a vehicle still stands true to even the most luxurious cars. Customers can choose from 44,000 colours and if that’s not enough, they can also ask for a custom paint job. However, depending on the colour, the price of the car can increase. 

Rolls-Royce has taken customization one step further, of course. Once the customer chooses their custom colour, Rolls-Royce patents the custom colour under the customer’s name so no one can use the colour without permission. This is also where the price of the car may go up, depending on a couple of things: 

• Exclusivity 
• Layers 
• Shade 

Rolls-Royce even pays someone to hand paint the coach lines. It takes up to 3 hours to carefully pinstripe each side of a Rolls-Royce.

2. The Cabin and Tires

Like the exterior, the cabin also allows for customizations. The customer can choose from a wide range of materials and textures for the inside, but again this comes with a cost. To add to this, customers can choose from options like picnic hampers, whiskey cabinets, hidden jewellery safes, refrigerators and so on. The cabin is well-insulated and this makes it extremely quiet, not to mention comfortable. Starlight headliners are also an option available to customers down to the finest of details. That’s right, customers can choose a specific constellation and get it added in the cabin. The starlight headliner is powered by thousands of individually woven fibre optics used to create the constellation. 

The tires used on Rolls-Royce cars are expensive too, surprise surprise. They are made exclusively for Rolls-Royce vehicles to reduce the road noise in the cabin while the car is in motion. 

Final Thoughts

So the next time you have $460,000 and don’t know how to spend it, why not buy a Rolls-Royce? All the rich people are doing it AND as an added bonus, you will have a car so rare that most likely no one in your neighbourhood will own one. How’s that for one-of-a-kind-without-having-to-modify-it? 

All jokes aside, this car was named No. 1 Luxury Car in the World for a reason and Henry Royce and Charles Rolls should be proud of the company they started. The success the company has seen over the years really speaks volumes to “have an idea and run with it”. And to think, this all started as a mechanical and electrical business 138 years ago.