Rolls wheels out Phantom Drophead Coupé

Newswheel staff :: 04 January 2007 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Rolls Royce, Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, Europe & UK, US

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This Rolls definitely ain’t for proles

Are you seriously well heeled? In search of an honest, no-nonsense land yacht with nary a hint of sports car pretension? Well, give it up for the new Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, a car so opulently well bred, we’re even willing to put aside our usual aversion to typographical minutiae and bequeath it with its rightful acute accent…



Stylistically, the Drophead is obviously closely based on the Rolls 100EX concept, produced in 2004 to celebrate the marque’s 100 year anniversary. Impressively, it seems Rolls has been able to productionise most of that show car’s gorgeous detailing. Both the brushed steel treatment for the bonnet, A-pillars and windscreen surround and the teak wood construction of the hood cover have survived the transition to series production. The latter is apparently hand finished and is eminently suitable for a cruising vessel of such enormous, dare we say nautical, proportions.


Rolls reckons the Drophead’s suicide doors ease access to the rear seats and improve structural integrity courtesy of allowing uninterrupted A-pillars

Slightly iffy two colour scheme aside (we fancy paler main body tones will be the way forward), the Drophead is ineffably classy - upstart rivals such as Bentley’s Continental GTC hardly bear comparison, especially when you factor in the car’s underlying architecture. Based on the same aluminium space frame as the full-sized Phantom limo, the Drophead also carries over its siblings turbine smooth BMW-derived 6.75-litre, 453bhp V12. Enough, should you care, to push this most stately of cabrios to 60mph in just 5.7 seconds, though it should be emphasised that there’s a refreshing absence of sporting pretence about both the car’s deportment and Rolls’ marketing bumpf. The Drophead is an out and out cruiser, plain and simple.


The Phantom Drophead packs 315 litres of boot space regardless of the position of the enormous canvas roof

As for the sordid matter of money, the Phantom Drophead Coupé is yours for a piffling £260,000 ($407,000 Stateside). That’s fully £40k more than a boggo Phantom limo. Bargain. The wraps officially come off on Sunday the 7th at the Detroit motor shindig with production kicking off in the summer. Oh, and no word as yet whether the coupe version of the 100EX concept, known as the 101EX, is also destined for production…

Those official Drophead snaps in full: