| New Model Confirmation | Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé |
Following BMW's announcement of a new Rolls-Royce model in a presentation held in Munich, the British firm has cemented further details on the upcoming Coupé.
It will be based on the 101EX concept shown at the
Geneva Motor Show last year, completing a trio of Phantom-derived models. To save weight, as with other Phantoms, the Coupé will use an all-aluminium construction and share the same powerplant.
Rolls Royce's Chief Designer, Ian Cameron explained: "With this car we wanted to emphasise the performance potential of the 6.75-litre V12 engine and the effortless experience that it delivers. Whilst never overtly sporty, Rolls-Royce is a brand that has always offered owners a powerful and refined drive combined with, as Sir Henry Royce described it, a bit of fizz."
And so the Coupé will feature a lightly modified suspension and chassis designed to place emphasis on the driver, coupled with a 453bhp engine also producing 530lb.ft of torque. Expect the Coupé to hit 60mph from standing in around 5.6 seconds as a result.
The Coupé was conceived to be 'the world's foremost transcontinental tourer.' The new Rolls has a lot to live up to then.
Prices for the car are expected to slide neatly between the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé - at £258,000 and £305,000 respectively. Production will begin in summer next year with customers receiving their cars later in the year.
Kyle Molyneux - 3 Oct 2007