The Phantom goes topless for 2007
By Phil Lienert Email


Date posted: 12-15-2005

Official confirmation that a Rolls-Royce drop top was in the works came months ago, and now we have the first shots of a prototype in action. The Phantom-based convertible is expected to join the company's lineup in 2007, with the upcoming Bentley Continental GT convertible as the next closest competition, give or take a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Since BMW took over the company nearly three years ago, sales of Rolls' single Phantom model haven't quite met with the parent company's expectations. The recent stretched version of the Phantom has increased the brand's appeal in the Middle East, but the company needs a slightly more dynamic product — along the lines of this Phantom-based convertible — in order to broaden its American consumer base and further pin Maybach into the corner.

Rolls-Royce's spin-off of its primary model will draw a great deal of its inspiration from the 100EX concept which appeared at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Rolls-Royce partnership. The Rolls-Royce convertible, as well as the 100EX, were both created by the company's former head of exterior design, Marek Djordjevic, at BMW's Design Works studio in California.

This two-door, four-seat vehicle will eschew the concept's jaw-dropping 9.0-liter V16 in favor of the standard Phantom's more manageable 6.75-liter V12. The convertible will also share its aluminum spaceframe chassis with the Phantom. The bold reverse-opening suicide doors, clear in these photos, will migrate from the 100EX concept to the production convertible.

The Rolls-Royce convertible will be hand-built at the company's Goodwood factory in the U.K. starting in 2007.

Hm... the windshield and reverse-opening doors look interesting. Wonder if that top has been finalized yet.

That windshield design looks odd, but overall this should be a very good Rolls.

I'm not digging the front (cheap looking) or the windshield (looks like a boat with the tonneau top).

One hopes a Rolls-Royce out of everything would spare no expense to make that windshield a full-wraparound instead of something incredibly geeky like thick, double frames, especially since GM's old H/C-bodies carried out a similar effect with far more grace.

Wow. I think it looks just awful. The windshield and vent windows look like something from a van conversion and the roofline and trunk is incredibly awkward.

It's sad and pathetic what Rolls-Royce has become.

As always, the real car will probably be much nicer...but that windshield treatment doesn't seem to suit RR.

I'm sure the look of the windshield has something to do with structural rigidity, due to the vehicle being a convertible. That's a heavy car, and probably needs reinforcement just to handle it's own weight in case of a roll over.

I have never liked the headlights on the new rolls. They look cheap, like a guy had an accident and just bought some auto-parts store driving lights and trailer lights and screwed them on. They need to put much nicer jeweled HID lenses in.

I love the Phantom's style-it looks like if scaled down and Lincolnized, it would make a nice Town Car. But we all know how apt Ford's management is and how Lincoln has an actual future. Phantom Convertible...that's interesting...

If I had that kind of money I'd buy a late 30s V16 Cadillac instead. Now that's STYLE and exclusivity.

Bentley himself said the word "automobile" falls short of describing the Cadillac V16.

I like the split A-pillar. Kinda reminds me of this