29 Dec 06
Although the Drophead Coupe is a very much shorter car than the Phantom, because of all the extra strengthening that's been required to combat the inherent structural weakness in any convertible's shape it's actually 70kg heavier.
But while this means it's no faster in a straight line, Cameron assures me that its shorter wheelbase and different suspension set-up means it's a wieldy and fun car to drive. I venture that this could be the first Rolls-Royce sports car but he's not prepared to go quite that far.
'I wouldn't call it a sports car, but it is a performance car as you'll see when you drive it.' Sadly that won't be for a while yet. Rolls-Royce is not letting anyone near the right-hand seat until May, but I was lucky enough to sit in its sumptuous passenger seat and go for a ride around the roads near the Goodwood factory and onto the Goodwood estate.
So far 29 convertibles have been built, but almost all are either hard-worked, battle-scarred engineering prototypes or have been smashed to bits in crash testing. Just two are in what you might call viewable condition, the one that's about to take centre stage at the Detroit Motor Show and this one, chassis 15. So it is perhaps understandable that we set off not only at a very gentle pace, but also that we're followed at a discreet distance by a Phantom saloon - 'Just to watch our back,' says my driver.
