29 Dec 06
It's been a long time - four years indeed - to wait for the next chapter in the story of Rolls-Royce under BMW's stewardship but at last it's here, I'm sitting in it and let me tell you, it feels pretty good.
What you can't tell from simply looking at these photographs is just how mean the new Phantom Drophead Coupe appears in real life. Earlier Ian Robertson, chairman and CEO of Rolls, had told me how his team had deliberately gone for something less formal than the Phantom saloon.
Believe me, as that nose with its integrated grille and spectacular headlamp treatment prowls towards you, you can picture Batman sitting in there. To me the Phantom was always a Thunderbirds Rolls, almost a pastiche of traditional Rolls-Royce design language; the Drophead Coupe is pure Gotham City - and all the better for it.
It comes as a surprise, even after the 100EX show car of 2004 which so clearly showcased the style you see before you now. It surprises because we're very used to the boldness of concept cars being so diluted by the time they reach production that there's no more than a passing resemblance to the original any more; and it surprises because it looks so different from - and better than - the Phantom.
