10 Features That Make The Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII The Most Luxurious Car Ever Built

It would be hard to argue there’s another more recognizable or revered luxury brand in the world than Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The auto maker bestows both the pinnacle in achievement and status upon its owners. As such it’s no surprise the words of Sir Henry Royce still prominently guide everything the company does, “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it doesn’t exist, design it.” The all-new, eighth generation Phantom confirms it. At a $530,000 base price ($643,360 as tested), we spent the day driving the Extended Wheelbase Phantom from LA to Palm Springs getting to know the car intimately. Here are ten things about the new Phantom that will amaze you should you ever have the privilege of driving or riding in it.

Phantom

By Harvey Briggs

1. “At 60 miles per hour, the loudest sound you can hear in a Rolls-Royce is the clock.” These famous words, penned by legendary adman David Ogilvy are even more true today. Not content with conventional construction, Rolls-Royce have developed a entire new aluminum platform for Phantom called the “Architecture of Luxury.” Lighter and stronger, this new architecture – with additional sound insulation, double-layer acoustic glass, and exclusive foam-lined tires – makes Phantom quieter than ever before and the most serene place to spend time on the road.
   

   2018 Phantom

2. Rolls-Royce is famous for its Magic Carpet ride and Phantom VIII does not disappoint. We love the way the fully-independent air suspension ensures your comfort whether you’re flying down a uncrowded freeway or negotiating a potholed urban avenue. The addition of four-wheel steering ensures smooth cornering for the driver and an unruffled experience for passengers.
3. Your art collection shouldn’t be limited to the walls of your house in the Hamptons, Miami Beach mansion, or Condo in Cortina. The Gallery is an area on the passenger side of the dashboard that allows owners to display custom artwork created specifically for their Phantom. Placed behind crash resistant glass, it’s just one more way to customize a car that’s infinitely customizable.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII
4. If you’re riding in the back and not driving, you might want a refreshment or two. The new Phantom rear center console come discretely hides a cooler along with a crystal whiskey decanter, two matching tumblers, and two bespoke champagne flutes. The day gets further and further behind you with every mile and sip.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

5. After a long day of meetings, you have an important dinner to attend a few hours away. No worries if you have the new Sleeper Seats you can recline and relax in a level of comfort that makes a first class cabin feel like steerage. Fully reclining with extending footrests, the seats are not only heated and cooled, but massaging so you will arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to rock.
6. There’s magic in the night sky, especially when that starry display is embedded into the headliner of your Phantom. Rolls-Royce pioneered the Starlight Headliner and in Phantom up to 1,600 fiber optic points of light can be arranged in any pattern you want. The night sky on the day you were born? Done. Your company’s logo? Why not. Bask in the glow of any pattern your heart desires. You’ve earned it.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

7. There are times when you do have to dine in your car, for those times Rolls-Royce have been thoughtful enough to provide each rear seat passenger with a picnic table that folds out from the seat back in front of them. Paneled in gorgeous hand-finished wood, the tables also hide high definition theater monitors that display navigation, audio, video, and the Rolls-Royce Connect app suite, so you can watch a movie, select your favorite music, or check on the progress of your portfolio while sipping champagne and enjoying a tasty repast.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

8. It seems power is the ultimate luxury and in the new Phantom, Rolls-Royce makes sure there’s plenty of it. It is powered by a legendary Rolls-Royce 6.75-liter, V12 engine. But this one is all new and for the first time in history sports two turbochargers increasing thrust and decreasing the noise. As a result Phantom pulls away from stoplights and glides through traffic more effortlessly and quietly than ever.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

9. The imposing parthenon grille is still there, but it’s also new, modern, and more contemporary. It rides higher than the previous generation and is now integrated into the body work instead of jutting out as before. With the Spirit of Ecstasy riding atop, Phantom both literally and figuratively announces your arrival to the world.
   

   Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII

10. Of all the ways to customize your Phantom, one of the most impressive is the bespoke woodwork Rolls-Royce craftspeople can create. Yes, you can just go with standard woods which look amazing. But why stop there when you can commission a perspective of the New York skyline or other artwork inlayed into the panels?

Phantom has always been the most customizable vehicle on the planet. From paint to leather to wood, seating, ceiling, stitching, and so many other elements there are more ways to make this car your own. Brands in other categories aspire to be the Rolls-Royce of their realm, but there’s only one Rolls-Royce of motor cars, and Phantom is the ultimate Rolls-Royce.

Harvey Briggs is the editor and publisher of the automotive travel site Rides & Drives and is our luxury automobile correspondent for Global Glam Magazine.