Mirage77

By Samuel Ee - May 26, 2007
The Business Times

IT wafted down the long avenue of alternating pine and cypress trees, its Metropolitan Blue paintwork glistening whenever it caught the afternoon sun. Its destination was an elegant palazzo, but as it turned out, the journey had proven to be equally exquisite.

The setting was a boutique hotel near the Maremma coast in Tuscany. Once the residence of Duke Leopold II, it has since been fashionably updated and now includes an Alain Ducasse restaurant.

With such trendy and aristocratic overtones, it was the ideal venue for the launch of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

This ultra-luxury convertible based on the Phantom limousine is imposing, both physically and stylistically. At 5.6 metres long, the generously proportioned soft-top model is only slightly shorter than the Phantom and carries over most of the design cues from the four-door version.

For example, the classic front grille is still there but angled for a more streamlined profile, while the rear-hinged coach doors - an integral part of the Phantom insignia - provide easy access to the rear bench.

The Phantom DNA is clearly manifested but apart from the Drophead's fabric roof and shorter wheelbase, two other exterior features also stand out on the convertible - the brushed steel bonnet and A-pillar, and the rear teak decking.

Like the Phantom, the Drophead has an aluminium spaceframe chassis but with 40 per cent new parts and much thicker extrusions for greater rigidity (due to the corrosive effects of aluminium on steel, Rolls-Royce engineers had to apply protective layers on the bonnet). As for the triangulated A-pillar, it is not merely a cosmetic feature but is also part of the rollover protection system.

Meanwhile, the teak decking was inspired by racing yachts from the 1920s. Its 30 strips of wood are painstakingly cut and matched to form the timber tonneau that conceals the hood when stowed away.

Exemplary insulation

The fabric roof is the largest for a contemporary convertible and has five layers of insulating material. Rolls-Royce adds that its acoustic insulation is exemplary and the carmaker might just be right. With the hood up, the interior of the Drophead seemed just as tranquil as in a fixed head coupe. At speeds in excess of 120 kmh, only some slight wind noise was heard from the area around the door mirrors.

But with the roof down, all that seems inconsequential. The Drophead Coupe with its top off has a certain presence and it influences the atmosphere in the cabin, where the raised seating position and large steering wheel give the driver and the occupants a sense of occasion.

Being 250 mm shorter than the standard Phantom's 3,570 mm wheelbase, the Drophead feels more agile and its turn-in is sharper. It helps, too, that the car has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and while the self-levelling air suspension is still overly cushioned, the Drophead refuses to drift in a fast corner. This is due to the superb suspension set-up with its huge 21-inch rubber, and the rapid intervention of the electronics.

Stately power

Even with the foot off the accelerator, the dynamic stability control system can cut in to brake the appropriate wheels. But the intervention is unobtrusive enough so that it remains unnoticeable if not for the flashing warning light on the display screen.

With a kerb weight of 2.6 tonnes, the Drophead is no waif. It has the same massive 6.75-litre V12 engine as the Phantom, and it does a good job of pulling the convertible along briskly. The prodigious power is delivered effortlessly and noiselessly; 200 kmh can be achieved quickly but the rough Italian asphalt was a major deterrent.

The ragged road surfaces were helpful, though, in determining that the Drophead has neither scuttle shake nor body flex. The spaceframe's rigidity is truly impressive, with the words 'vibration', 'squeak' and 'rattle' seemingly banished from its production vocabulary.

But engineering feats aside, the very image of a Drophead doesn't gel with driving at breakneck speeds with tyres screeching. This stately convertible is more suited for moving around at a leisurely pace. The luxurious cabin insists that its occupants immerse themselves in its sybaritic charms and enjoy the car as well as the surroundings. Someone aptly remarked that the purchase of a Drophead Coupe should include a villa somewhere in the Italian countryside. That is the sort of lifestyle connotation the car has.

Yet it is practical enough for modern-day living. The two passengers at the back have space to spare with theatre-seating for better visibility. The sublime 15-speaker sound system by Lexicon has been designed to take into account the acoustic properties of an open-top car, while the capacious boot can accommodate three full-sized golf bags. The Duke would certainly have approved.

Design cues of Drophead

IT MAY be as big as a battleship and almost as complicated to build. But size and engineering issues aside, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe also stands out in the design department.

Despite being such a large car, its styling has managed to stay relatively subtle, thanks to its pleasing proportions and attention to detail (consider that even the name Drophead Coupe is not to be found anywhere on the car itself).

One nice touch is the brushed steel bonnet. This optional feature is especially striking on darker paintwork and, depending on the colour combination, can produce an unusual two-toned effect.

Together with the teak decking at the rear, they allow for one of the best beauty shots of the car when photographed from above. Both the steel and the wood are given a natural finish so as to enhance their charm and tactility.

The Drophead's curvaceous rear end may be aesthetically pleasing but it also offers easy access to the boot with its split tailgate.

Called the picnic boot, the upper section flips upwards while the lower section opens downwards to become a bench seat that can support a load of up to 150 kg.

But that's not the nicest seat in the house. Open the vault-like coach doors (they can also be closed at the touch of a button) to enter the curved rear lounge seats. Besides being sumptuously comfortable, they also offer a good view out as well as excellent leg and elbow room for two people. And although there are only two seatbelts, a third person could easily fit in the middle if required.

Despite the Drophead's size, Rolls-Royce opted for a large cloth roof instead of a retractable hardtop. The ultra-luxury car maker says this was for aesthetic reasons because there is 'nothing more romantic than driving a convertible in the rain at night and hearing the drops hit the roof'.

More importantly, a tailored fabric hood also takes up less space when stowed away. but as chief executive Ian Robertson succinctly puts it, the Drophead is not like a 'reversible jacket' to be worn every day, rain or shine.

'The person who buys it has a car for every occasion.'

Drophead Coupe Engine: 6,749cc V12
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic transmission
Max power: 453 hp @ 5,350 rpm
Max torque: 720 Nm @ 3,500 rpm 0-100 kmh: 5.9 secs
Top speed: 240 kmh
Price: from $1.698 million
Distributor: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Singapore. Tel: 6475 311

Source: The Business Times

Curb Zone

 

Hypersonic

Cool, another good review.

It is a great car but I can't really imagine myself owning one. I am far too conservative for a car like this. This is a car for extroverts much like a Lamborghini or Pagani.

Mirage77

Me too. I'm far better off in a car with a roof that's more secure to the soul.

Centurion

Yeah the car is pretty much a display of extreme wealth, it's like a yatch with four wheels. Do you like any luxury crusiers at all?

Hypersonic

Oh yes, of course. I like this Rolls too. It's just me personally Luw, I am a naturally shy and reclusive person. I prefer not to be the center of attention.

Deutsch

I like this car, more than I like my girlfreind.

Well, no. Point is, it's one of those things that you like looking at but wouldn't dare touch, maybe even if you had the means... but ooooh it's so obnoxious to look at, but look at that shiny hood! Very pretentious car for pretentious people you might say, but no question an object of desire, and that's the sole reason these kinds of cars exist.

klier

....wouldn't dare touch???

Speak for yourself please I'd love to kick the pedal to the metal on some European boulevard this summer

Centurion

I feel you. Although have an appretiation for the finer things in life, I'm a pretty passive guy. A Jaguar XK cab or a Bentley GT convertible is sufficient, the Drophead is for those who want to do it big in places like Monaco, Central London and central Paris.

Deutsch

it's a figure of speech.

Curb Zone