As the flagship model of the world's most famous luxury carmaker, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is a rolling throwback to an age when the super-wealthy lived in 100-room estates and employed dozens of staff, a few of them chauffeurs.
The debut of the modern Rolls-Royce Phantom, in 2003, ushered the company into a new era under BMW ownership. Ever since the German automaker acquired the British one in 1998, the company has grown considerably with annual global sales reaching 4,000 cars in 2014.
In 2013, Rolls-Royce introduced an updated Series II Phantom, but by 2016 the company announced that the Phantom as we know it will cease production after next year and be replaced by a brand-new car. But before the Phantom fades into history, we had to drive one.
Rolls-Royce recently dropped off a 2016 model in regal black paint. The Phantom starts at $417,825, but our options-heavy test car left the factory with a price of $506,900, making it the most expensive vehicle we've ever tested.
Photos by Hollis Johnson unless otherwise credited.
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For Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the Phantom name dates to the 1920s, but the modern Phantom that we know today didn't arrive until 2003. It was the first Rolls-Royce developed under BMW ownership.
The black Phantom Rolls dropped off at our New York office is a 2016 Series II.
Our test car came in at a substantial 19.1 feet in length, but there is an extended-wheel-base version that is nearly a foot longer.
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