Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII Is Pure Automotive Luxury

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII remains true to the flagship car with a few new tricks up its sleeve.

When the new Rolls Royce Phantom VIII debuted in July, it received the treatment it deserved – red carpet party and all! The British automaker claims this car has the “most silent” interior of anything else you will see on the road. Dating back to its original launch in 1925, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is arguably one of the most recognizable and longest-running nameplates on Earth.

When he first introduced the Phantom VIII, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Torsten Müller-Otvos said called the eighth-generation vehicle an icon and piece of artwork. He said, “[It’s] a dominant symbol of wealth and human achievement [a car fit for] a connoisseur of luxury in the extreme.”

There is no doubt that luxury items, such as watches, take a long time to produce. The same can be said just of the interior of the new Phantom VIII.

Rolls-Royce designers and engineers spent nearly three years constructing the unique glass-covered dash that they call The Gallery. It can be said that this is the centerpiece of the intricately-designed interior of this iconic vehicle. The glass allows the owner to put decorative artwork in the void behind it and customize the Phantom to their taste and liking. Müller-Ötvös commented on the glass saying, “All our customers are collectors. Many asked if there was any way they could bring their favorite artist into the commissioning process.” 

Going back to the previous comment about its “silent” interior, the Phantom VIII has almost 300 pounds of sound insulation to keep its occupants shielded from the unwanted outside noises. Double skin alloy on areas like the floor and space frames allow for great acoustic insulation. This feature is actually unique to the British automaker. Furthermore, felt layers and dense foam come together between the alloy skins to provide noise insulation that you cannot find anywhere else in the industry. In addition to the highly absorbable layers in the headliner, the doors and cavities within the interior have reduced reverberation. All in all, the car is approximately 10 percent quieter than its predecessor when evaluated at 100km/h.

Rolls-Royce has a lot to say about the insulated interior in their official press release:

"Incalculable effort was expended to create ‘the most silent motor car in the world’ including 6mm two-layer glazing all around the car, more than 130kg of sound insulation, the largest ever cast aluminium joints in a body-in-white for better sound insulation, and use of high absorption materials.Rolls-Royce also worked closely with its tyre supplier to invent ‘Silent-Seal’ tires – which feature a specific foam layer placed inside the tyre to wipe out tyre cavity noise and reduce overall tyre noise by 9db, meaning that conversation within the car is completely effortless.Indeed, when Rolls-Royce’s acoustic test engineer first reviewed results road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so low they had to check their instruments were calibrated correctly."

The beloved Rolls-Royce V12 engine has been reinvented for the eight-generation Phantom.

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At the heart of this icon is a 6.75-liter V12 power train that takes the place of the previous naturally-aspirated V12. With their focus being on a “silent motor car”, Rolls-Royce knew that they needed a completely silent engine. This in turn meant more low-end outputs and lower rev lines to make sure it was consistent with the rest of the vehicle.

The completely new engine employs two turbo chargers that make 563 hp at 5,000 rpm and 664 lb-ft of torque at 1,900 rpm. All this power reaches the rear wheels through the addition of a ZF eight-speed transmission. To put it into perspective, this upgraded engine produces the same amount of torque at idle as the previous Phantom VII’s V12 did with 50 percent more torque below 2,500 rpm. In addition to that, for the first time ever, the Phantom features four-wheel steering and a new double-wishbone front axle and 5-link rear axle. Together, drivers will now feel more control with better handling than they had in previous generation Phantoms.

Next: Rolls-Royce: Most Preferred Brand Name In Pop Song Lyrics

Check out the video below to see the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII: a luxury super icon clearly built for billionaires.

Source: MotorTrend