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2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom Spied Having Fun at the Arctic

Two years before its planned release, our spy photographers caught the 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom kicking up snow in the northernmost part of Sweden. And yes, the all-new Phantom does slip & slide if you give it some welly in subzero conditions.
2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
As you can see in the following spy video, the second-generation Phantom has a side profile that echoes the Phantom V and Phantom VI, especially if you focus on the tall yet sloping roofline. The front fascia of the gentle giant, on the other hand, is a more aggressive take on the one adorning the current Phantom.

There’s a scene where the test mule drives behind a Volvo V60 and, from the looks of it, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has grown taller. The thing is, the architecture on which the second-generation Phantom is built is modular, meaning that it will underpin every future model with a Spirit of Ecstasy statue towering above the radiator grille, including the Cullinan SUV. The latter is also expected to debut in 2018.

Another thing that should be mentioned about the platform is that it will be a lighter affair than the one underpinning the current Phantom. In the case of the Cullinan, engineers will enhance it with an all-wheel-drive system that won’t be too different from the xDrive used by BMW in the 7 Series. And yes, the test mules in the clip appear to be Extended Wheelbase models, the cream of the Phantom crop.

Under the hood you’ll find a twelve cylinder powerhouse aided by force induction to develop mammoth amounts of torque. The same V12 tower-of-power will be carried over by the second-generation Phantom Coupe and Phantom Drophead Coupe. In terms of retail price, the 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom is expected to start in the mid-$400,000 region and go as far as the customer’s account balance allows it to.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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