The new Rolls-Royce battery-powered “Spectre,” arriving in late 2023, provides a “magic carpet ride” of luxury. In fact, the Spectre’s suspension uses an array of cameras and sensors to “read” the road surface ahead and preemptively adjust the ride on the go. Pricing is expected to be over $400,000, and orders are already coming in.
The 2021 Wraith starts at about $330,000 before you put your stamp on it with options. At over $100,000 less than the Rolls, the Bentley coupe might be boisterous twice-removed cousin.
Certainly one of the most beautiful Brewster bodies on the Phantom I was the Ascot Tourer, of which 28 were made. This was a dashing five-passenger open car with flowing fenders more characteristic of the 1930s models to come.
It is entertaining to read Rolls-Royce marketing materials, but good-natured ribbing aside, it appears the crew in Goodwood has built something quite unique for the high-end SUV category. The Cullinan arrives next year, starting at around $325,000 before options, of which there will be plenty.
Rolls-Royce has been using the Phantom name since 1925, although not continuously. The name was in later years reserved for the factory limos, until the first new Rolls created under the BMW umbrella arrived in 2003 and took on the name. That car went through a Series 2 update, but again, we are now calling that car the Phantom VII.
Looking to start the year on the right foot, RM Sotheby’s 18th annual Arizona auction is bringing style and power in equal measure to Scottsdale.
If the sounds of the screaming engines and screeching tires from a vintage automobile rally are still echoing in your ears, it’s a safe bet you were not on the six-day Rolls-Royce Owners Club (RROC) Fall Tour through some of the most beautiful costal and inland areas near San Luis Obispo.
The Phantom II is the epitome of the Rolls-Royce marque; it’s stylish, noble, dignified, and was thoroughly bespoke. As the last model overseen from start to finish by co-founder Henry Royce, the Phantom II is a historic automobile for its provenance as well as its style.
Many auto aficionados no doubt resonate with the idea of a thread running through a carmaker’s timeline and model history, one that then defines the marque’s heritage. Marketing departments sometimes overplay heritage, of course. The best messengers for heritage should be cars that deftly blend a sense of history with their modernity. Call it retro done right.
