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.
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.
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.