AutoWeek - First Drive: 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

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By DUTCH MANDEL

AutoWeek | Published 05/17/07, 4:46 pm et
A glorious, winding strip of asphalt stretches ahead of the Lady of Ecstasy ornament on the nose of the 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. Ecstasy’s wings spread and point the way, not unlike the figurehead of a seagoing vessel as she almost tugs. She is anxious for the car to lurch forward; its massive presence is poised to jump.

That anticipation is echoed by the driver who sits behind the long, stainless-steel hood.

More than any other Rolls you’ve known for a while, this convertible is prepared to be driven with gusto. Its wheelbase is shorter than that of the Phantom sedan, and its quick reaction on these valley roads belies its heft. The best analogy might be that if it were an athlete, it would be a basketball power forward: oversized in comparison with other, lesser humans yet able to perform feats of strength and speed that seem impossible. Is it fair to call the Drophead Coupe agile? No. It is better to say it has power with a dynamic sensibility. Few Rollers have ever been agile.

The massive horsepower and torque that come from the whisper-quiet V12 are available with the throttle’s slightest tickle. Indeed, you must check to make sure the car is running; watch the tachometer to see the needle’s gentle bob. You won’t hear the purr for a calculated reason: Engineers have built in whisper valves, baffles and sound-deadening chambers, an elaborate mechanical marvel, to give this Rolls (as well as its sister sedan) the quietest voice possible.

It is, after all, a Rolls-Royce. And 800 worldwide Rolls buyers a year expect that this car should be seen and not heard.

That makes the notion of a driver’s Roller an anomaly. Rolls-Royce owners, more than those of any other marque, are passive participants in the act of driving. Rolls owners pay people to drive for them. Now, before the wails come from the owner-operators, can you think of any other brand bred for a chauffeur? No, I didn’t think so. And yes, plenty of owners do gladly take the wheels of their Phantom sedans.

That number will increase to almost 100 percent in the Phantom Drophead Coupe. Its purpose is to be a fun cruiser that will fit four adults—no basketball players, though—in four seats. And if challenged, it is up to the task of spirited driving. It will go from a standstill to 60 mph in a scant 5.6 seconds, and 75 percent of its power is available at 1000 rpm.

Let’s put this into perspective: Rolls-Royce will build a four-seat, 2.5-ton, open-top coupe for $412,000. That’s the entry price, minus the teak decking ($7,000), the stainless-steel hood ($8,000), 21-inch chrome wheels ($6,250 per set) or any other options you can heap on it. So say you’re into it for $500,000, with destination, tax, license, gas-guzzler and title . . . something royal, perhaps. Roughly 200 Drophead Coupes per year will be built, 40 percent of them coming to the United States. You have to make cubic dollars and have a specific taste to want to own this car. And they are sold out through 2008.

Who would own one? Longtime Rolls-Royce aficionados; those who want to have a full-sized convertible for the beach home; an athlete, to go with the fleet; a hip-hop star whose bling needs L.A. sunshine. There is not a specific group, just lovers of the marque and what it says about their station in life. One certainly arrives in this car.

The interior is as you would expect. Some 15 cow hides go into making each car; 450 separate pieces are handsewn for the tailored look that is demanded. Tooled aluminum sheets are pressed with a handsome pattern for the instrument panel; should you choose, wood veneer can take its place ($1,000). Sisal rugs give the car an outdoorsy feel. And that optional teak works its way through the doorsills and through the back. It is a special place, this compartment, that few will have the pleasure of enjoying.

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