Rolls-Royce is in an outstanding position when it comes to imagining the future of land vehicles. The 112-year-old motor company is the very definition of a luxury car, but much of its auspicious reputation is based on its incarnation of classical luxury, in the tradition of Beethoven, foie gras, and delectable suicide doors.
But Rolls-Royce customers expect the best, and as the brand focuses on wooing a younger customer base, tasteful, top-of-the-line technology is becoming paramount to those expectations. The look, tactile feel, and the user experience of that technology fall on its design department to imagine. Giles Taylor is charged with striking that careful balance as design director of Rolls-Royce. This Rolls-Royce Phantom is the eighth Phantom model to be produced in the history of the company and its anything but unemotional. Sweeping curves disguise a myriad of sensors, including a touch-sensitive one on the door for valets to use at great affect. A new feature the brand calls "The Gallery" toys with the screen art of the car, featuring the work of commissioned artists as a backdrop option that spans across the dash. The instrument panel is digitized against a 12.3-inch TFT display. Rolls-Royce markets it as "the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce ever." The clock, however, is analogue.
And about that Rolls-Royce Phantom frequent classical look, Taylor said in a statement "I would never want to lose touch with that classical appreciation. There’s no way we should disrespect that tradition. I love the mission to embrace the classical nature and presence of the Phantom."
Phantom, is also the most expensive vehicle in the lineup. The current Phantom starts at SR1.5M so the Rolls-Royce flagship literally needs to look like money. The most obvious aspects of this luxuriant design are its grand proportions that taper neatly into sculptural form. It’s a massive vehicle, lighter than its predecessor, but it still weighs in at 5,862 pounds, due to the use of lighter-weight materials like li aluminum. But it’s far from stodgy.