Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II debuts in Geneva
The Rolls-Royce Phantom family of vehicles, which includes the Saloon, Coupe, and Drophead Coupe variants, have been updated for the 2012 model year, with the whole range now being christened as the Phantom Series II, unveiled at the recent Geneva International Motor Show.
Rolls-Royce Director of Design, Ian Cameron, likens the evolution of Phantom Series II design to a “familiar theme, lit in a different way”. The entire range now gets full LED headlamps as standard, complete with curve light functionality to better illuminate dark corners. Adaptive headlights adjusts the projection range based on driving speed.
Driver interface system has been updated with a new sat nav software that includes 3D maps with landscape topography, guided tours, enhanced points of interest (POI), and composite route planning. Presentation is via a larger 8.8″ centre display, which also shows, among others, images from the reverse camera complete with rear path prediction lines.
Under its hide of luxury, RR engineers have also been hard at work. The lightweight aluminium spaceframe that debuted in 2003 has been reinforced, with the addition of brace bars that enable users, for whatever reason, to pick a dynamic package option for the saloon model. Each Rolls-Royce Phantom chassis is built and welded entirely by hand.
No changes have been made to the BMW-sourced 6.75-litre V12 engine, which makes 453hp and 720Nm. There is however, a new partner for the motor, and it is a new 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, a move that has allowed Rolls-Royce to slash fuel consumption by a claimed 10% and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 385 to 347 g/km.
KON
Pictures: Official Rolls-Royce release.
