Rolls-Royce Phantom

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a saloon automobile made in England by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary. It was launched in 2003 and is the first model introduced during the BMW era. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, are both based on the 2003 Phantom. It also won the Top Gear Car of the Year Award for 2003.
The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.
Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is down the road from the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof.^[1] There are only two robots in the factory. The two robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coachlines, which are exactly 3mm wide, are done,^[2] as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.
It has a 6.75 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 bhp (338 kW; 459 PS) and 720 N·m (530 lb·ft) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's N73 V12 powerplant. The engine is assembled by BMW. The engine uses direct fuel injection, and is a drive by wire design, using valvetronic technology. The power output is regulated by infinitely varying valve lift by moving the rockers and rocker fulcrums via electric servos, rather than using the throttle body. The throttle body is maintained for fail-safe operation.
The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.^[3]
It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium space frame and the Phantom can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 s and to 300 km/h in 60 s. It has a six-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension. The transmission is sourced from ZF of Germany. The vehicle electronics are sourced from BMW. The car was originally designed for a V16 engine but at the very last moment they said it was a bit too much, so they instead used the engine mentioned above.
An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase^[4] (or EWB).

Novel features

• Customers can choose from 44,000 paint colours, and specify any leather colour.^[5]

• Car has a power reserve dial indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver. This is to provide a sense of tremendous power in reserve, and to hide "crude" underlying mechanicals from its owners. The instrument cluster is not shared with any other vehicle. Doors are remote operated.

• The rear doors are rear-hinged, a style commonly referred to as suicide doors, but called 'coach doors' by Rolls-Royce. Because of the rear-seating position in relation to the rear inner-door handles, buttons are mounted on both C-pillars which operate hydraulic motors in order to close the rear doors. An electronic lock prevents the doors from being accidentally opened when moving. The car will automatically brake to a walking speed if a coach door remains open when driving off.^[6] The rear doors also house umbrellas that are stored within the doors, and can only be accessed when the front or rear doors are open. The fabric of the umbrella is coated with Teflon to assist in shedding water when the wet umbrella is stored within the door.

• The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy ornament has an automatic electronic retraction mechanism to prevent theft and protect pedestrians in the event of an accident. It may also be retracted by the driver at the touch of a button, and retracted when the alarm is armed. The base contains a sensor which detects movement, and will retract if tampered with.

• The 'RR' logos on each of the wheel hubs are independent bezels in order to always remain upright while the wheel is rotating.Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 26-speaker premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close trunk lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are unlimited options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for.

  Safety recall

  In October 2010, the Phantom is included in a product recall campaign involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW for the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system.^[7]
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Drophead Coupé and Coupé

  Main article: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé
  Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on 7 January 2007. The platform is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom and has styling heavily derived from the 100EX concept car unveiled to celebrate the company's centennial in 2005.

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was the core model of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars range from April 1955 until March 1966. It replaced the Silver Dawn and was, in turn, replaced by the Silver Shadow.
The J. P. Blatchley design was a major change from the pre-war models and the highly derivative Silver Dawn.
As part of a range rationalisation the Bentley S1 is very similar, apart from its radiator.
The chassis was a simple steel box section, welded together and very rigid. Construction retained the traditional split between chassis and body, which facilitated the provision of special bodied versions though in practice the overwhelming majority of cars were delivered with the standard steel body shell, produced by Pressed Steel, and employing light weight aluminium based alloy for the doors, bonnet/hood and boot/trunk lid.^[2] The car was 5.38 m (212 in) long, 1.90 m (75 in) wide, and massed 1.95 tonnes. The engine was a 155 hp / 4000 rpm 4.9 L six-cylinder unit with inlet over exhaust valves: twin SU carburettors were added in September 1957.^[3] The standard transmission was a four-speed automatic.
Brakes were hydraulic and assisted by the Rolls-Royce mechanical servo with 11 in (279 mm) drums and suspension was independent coils at the front and semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Twin brake master cylinders were incorporated from April 1956.^[3]
Power steering became an option in 1956 along with air conditioning.
A long-wheelbase version, lengthened by 4 in (102 mm), was also made available in September 1957, outwardly very similar to the existing car, but offering improved leg space for rear-seat passengers.^[2]
The British Motor magazine tested a standard-wheelbase factory-bodied Series I in 1956 recording a top speed of 102.9 mph (165.6 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 13.5 seconds and a fuel consumption of 14.5 miles per imperial gallon (19.5 L/100 km; 12.1 mpg_-US). The test car cost £5078 including taxes..

The Silver Cloud II was introduced in 1959. Little changed externally but it now had a 6.2 L V8 engine, which pushed the weight to 2.11 tonnes. Performance was greatly improved and top speed was raised to 183 km/h (114 mph), but the main improvements were in acceleration and torque. Power steering became standard. Electrically operated windows were now available as an option.
Although the improved performance of the new car was welcomed, commentators of the time noted that the V8-engined Silver Cloud II was neither as quiet nor as smooth as the straight-six-cylinder-engined Silver Cloud I, despite the new engine's hydraulic tappet operation.^[3] The new wet-linered V8 was also a little cramped in an engine bay intended originally for a narrower unit: in order to change the sparking plugs it was necessary to remove the front wheel on the car's right side.^[3] There seems to have been a problem with crankshaft breakages in the earlier V8s: this was blamed on lack of lubrication to the bearings.^[3]

The basic architecture of the Silver Cloud II did not change between 1959 and 1963, but there were numerous minor changes implemented, notable among them a succession of improvements to the ventilation system.^[3] Interior changes in 1961 included the adoption of blue instrument lighting, the introduction of a combined indicator / headlamp flasher switch and of a handbrake warning light. A remodelled rear light assembly was introduced in May 1962 and a change to single sealed-beam headlamps was made in August 1962.^[3]
The Motor magazine tested a Series II in 1960. They recorded a top speed of 104.7 mph (168.5 km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.9 seconds and a fuel consumption of 13 miles per imperial gallon (22 L/100 km; 11 mpg_-US). The test car cost £6092 including taxes.The Silver Cloud III arrived in 1963. External dimensions were slightly tweaked, the interior remodelled, the weight reduced by a little over 100 kg (220 lb) and improvements made to the engine which included fitting 2 inch SU carburettors in place of the 1¾ inch units used on the Series II Silver Cloud.^[2] The compression ratio was increased to 9:1, reflecting the higher octane levels of premium fuel in major markets,^[2] although the option of a lower 8:1 compression ratio was still offered in markets were non-availability of higher octane fuels might be an issue.^[3] Rolls-Royce, as before, refused to disclose overall engine power output, but indicated that there had been an improvement of "perhaps 7%".^[2] Increased power and weight reduction boosted speed and performance slightly. The engine now included a nitride hardened crankshaft to reflect the extra power being generated and in response to reports of broken crankshafts in the earlier V8 Silver Clouds.^[3]
The headlights were grouped in a four-headlamp layout subsequently continued in the later Silver Shadow. Other external changes included a slightly increased slope of the hood / bonnet to correspond with a 1½ inch (4 cm) reduction in the height of the radiator-grill.^[3]
Between 1963 and 1966 there were no major changes. Stainless steel wheels replaced chrome-plated ones in April 1963, and an improved rear window demister was introduced in November of the same year.^[3] Wider front seats were fitted in January 1964, and five months later a revised headlamp surround now incorporated a very small RR monogram.^[3]

As with earlier models, Rolls-Royce continued to make the Silver Cloud chassis available to traditional coach-builders. A notable version is the so-called "Chinese Eye" design, offered in Fixed Head and Drop Head Coupe style by Mulliner Park Ward. It was derived from the earlier H. J. Mulliner & Co. design for the Bentley S1 and S2 Continentals.^[5] To widen production in a diminishing market, this adaption was made available for the Bentley S3 Continental as well as for the Silver Cloud III. So, of the 328 coach-built Silver Cloud III, about 100 were of this style.