Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
Despite being launched back in 2017, the eighth generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom is not exactly getting long in the tooth, especially since the nameplate has always been at the forefront of old luxury.
In fact, everything about the Phantom is sumptuous and classy, which is why it still looks unlike any other luxury car on the road, and its sheers presence commands respect wherever it is seen.
Even the aluminum platform it is based on is called the ‘Architecture of Luxury,’ so even the engineers that developed the car were well aware of what they were working on from the beginning.
That said, the automotive world has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and the market for old-school luxury cars with giant internal combustion engines is slowly shrinking, mostly thanks to the advent of powerful, and most of all, silent, electric cars.
As most of you are aware, one of the main pre-requisites of a hyper-luxury car is its lack of vibrations and engine sounds, which can perturb an otherwise serene driving atmosphere.
One of the reasons that the Phantom is the epitome of hyper-luxury is the model’s ability to create a shield between its occupants and the outside world, and Rolls-Royce has achieved that partly through the use of a V12 as its means of propulsion, a type of engine that is naturally balanced.
With that in mind, even the naturally balanced V12 is going the way of the dodo with how things are evolving, and the upcoming mid-cycle facelift of the Phantom will be the last time such an engine is used in a Rolls-Royce.
Coincidentally, the facelift should be unveiled at about the same time that the Spectre makes its debut as the first-ever production Rolls-Royce to be powered exclusively by electricity.
Since the Phantom will still be around for at least four more years, it too might get some electron help, this time via a 48-volt mild-hybrid system augmenting the 6.75-liter, twin-turbo V12.
Don’t expect a huge visual refresh, even though the 2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom should get a new pair of headlights, and some small nips and tucks will be operated on both the front and the rear of the car.
Inside it should get the RR version of BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system, which might come accompanied by a larger touchscreen and a redesigned center console.
Just like the electric-only Spectre, the facelifted Phantom is expected to go official either at the end of this year or in the first half of 2023, both launched partly depending on the international chip shortage.
Even the aluminum platform it is based on is called the ‘Architecture of Luxury,’ so even the engineers that developed the car were well aware of what they were working on from the beginning.
That said, the automotive world has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and the market for old-school luxury cars with giant internal combustion engines is slowly shrinking, mostly thanks to the advent of powerful, and most of all, silent, electric cars.
As most of you are aware, one of the main pre-requisites of a hyper-luxury car is its lack of vibrations and engine sounds, which can perturb an otherwise serene driving atmosphere.
One of the reasons that the Phantom is the epitome of hyper-luxury is the model’s ability to create a shield between its occupants and the outside world, and Rolls-Royce has achieved that partly through the use of a V12 as its means of propulsion, a type of engine that is naturally balanced.
With that in mind, even the naturally balanced V12 is going the way of the dodo with how things are evolving, and the upcoming mid-cycle facelift of the Phantom will be the last time such an engine is used in a Rolls-Royce.
Coincidentally, the facelift should be unveiled at about the same time that the Spectre makes its debut as the first-ever production Rolls-Royce to be powered exclusively by electricity.
Since the Phantom will still be around for at least four more years, it too might get some electron help, this time via a 48-volt mild-hybrid system augmenting the 6.75-liter, twin-turbo V12.
Don’t expect a huge visual refresh, even though the 2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom should get a new pair of headlights, and some small nips and tucks will be operated on both the front and the rear of the car.
Inside it should get the RR version of BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system, which might come accompanied by a larger touchscreen and a redesigned center console.
Just like the electric-only Spectre, the facelifted Phantom is expected to go official either at the end of this year or in the first half of 2023, both launched partly depending on the international chip shortage.
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