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Bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantom Hyperion Can't Find a Home, New Price Tag Won't Help Either

The fine art of coach-built models dates back to the early days of motoring, and it may have lost its flair over the years, but it has managed to regain it. Some of the world’s most exclusive car makers have dipped their fingers into this niche a few times, and whenever such a creation hits the second-hand market, it sells almost immediately. Unless we’re talking about the Rolls-Royce Phantom Hyperion by Pininfarina.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Hyperion by Pininfarina 16 photos
Photo: AL Ain Class Motors | Mobile
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Surely you remember the one-off creation that originally premiered at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, don’t you? Why, of course you do, as we dedicated quite a few stories to it. Last time we wrote about it, it was spring in the northern hemisphere, and we were baffled that it still hadn’t changed hands. But here we are again, still amazed by the fact that nobody wants it.

We found the ad on Mobile, and this coach-built model, which looks like a Chinese knockoff, is in the possession of the same used car dealer based in Dubai. More than half a year ago, it had an asking price of almost €3 million or a little over $3 million at today’s exchange rates. So, how much do you think it costs now? It should obviously be cheaper, because if it didn’t attract a collector at $3-mil, then it would fail to sell if it becomes pricier, right?

As a matter of fact, you might be surprised to learn that it now costs more money. You are looking at €4,265,000 (~$4,275,000) in order to park it in your garage. As we already told you, it is being advertised by the same vendor that has failed to find a home for it for quite some time now. They claim that it still has the delivery miles on the clock, and they even took new pictures of it, hoping to attract someone to take it off their hands. We reckon it will still be for sale next year too, probably with revised pricing.

Rolls\-Royce Phantom Hyperion by Pininfarina
Photo: AL Ain Class Motors | Mobile
Back in the day, when Roland Hall, the guy who commissioned it from Pininfarina, sold it in 2009, he got the equivalent of more than $4.6-million for it. The car truly is a bespoke creation, as it features a custom body that has nothing in common with the model on which it was built, the era’s Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The driving position was moved further back, the back end was shortened, and the roof extended. Also, it has a new deck, a dark blue soft top, light blue bodywork, and tan leather interior, with seating only for two.

One thing that they did well was to preserve the engine, a 6.75-liter V12. It was originally rated at 453 hp and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque, which doesn’t sound much by today’s standards, but it did enable a 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) in a very decent time for something that weighs as much as a small shed. The official spec sheet revealed that the acceleration took just under 6 seconds. No one knows for sure how many ponies still run under the hood, but most of them should still be there, considering that it hasn’t seen much action over the years.

But what else could you get for over $4 million in today’s market? That would be a barely-driven Bugatti Chiron Sport, a Ferrari LaFerrari, or an Aston Martin Valkyrie. The Pagani Huayra Roadster is valued at a bit less than that, and the same goes for the Ferrari Monza SP2, Koenigsegg Regera, and McLaren Speedtail. You could also land a ‘normal’ Chiron for a little over $3.5 million. And that alone answers the question of why no one wants to buy the Hyperion.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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