End of the line for seventh-gen Rolls-Royce Phantom

ROLLS-ROYCE has announced it will end production of its 13-year-old Phantom flagship late this year as it ramps up development of the eight-generation version that will roll out of its Goodwood factory in 2018.

The BMW-owned ultra-luxury brand also confirming that the Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe will not be renewed when the new model arrives in two years.

To celebrate the end of the Phantom VII's life-cycle, Rolls announced it would offer a special-edition version of the Coupe and Drophead Coupe, dubbed Zenith, that will be limited to 50 worldwide.

Rolls-Royce will also produce a number of other special versions of the car, adding that they will be the “most highly Bespoke examples of the Phantom to date”.

The Zenith will be the final Coupe and Drophead Coupes to be produced at the Goodwood, United Kingdom, facility and will include extra luxury touches such as bespoke instrument dials, a special version of the Spirit of Ecstasy, a Tailgate Hosting Area, laser-etched armrests depicting the launch locations of the 100EX at Villa D'Este and the 101EX at the Geneva show – they previewed the production two-door.

They will also be offered with “a palate of memorable colour combinations from Rolls-Royce's history”, and cashed-up buyers will receive an undisclosed “money cannot buy” memento of their purchase.

It is unclear if any of the Zeniths will be offered to wealthy Australian customers and if so, what price tag they will carry. The regular Phantom Coupe and Drophead are sold in Australia from $995,000 and $1,075,000 driveaway respectively.

“As the name promises, Zenith will be the pinnacle the best of its kind the highest standard achievable by which everything else is judged,” said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars director of design Giles Taylor.

“Zenith will be the sum of all the best features of Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé, with a few surprises added. We expect huge demand for these 50 fine motor cars as we shall not look upon their like again.” The announcement came as a camouflaged production mule of the 2018 Phantom was caught undergoing cold-weather testing in Europe, partly revealing an evolutionary design with a similar shape and front-end styling to the existing model.

The next-gen flagship limo will be built on a new all-aluminium architecture that is being developed in-house and will be shared with the upcoming crossover/SUV model, dubbed Cullinan, that is also due in about 2018.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Torsten Mueller-Otvos said the car-maker was deep into development of the new Phantom.

“I am proud and excited to announce that a new Phantom is on the way – a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies and design innovations,” he said. “Any new Phantom is an historic and important moment in automotive history and we are working hard on perfecting the Phantom VIII.” The seventh-generation Phantom launched globally in January 2003, arriving in Australia a year later, before the Series II lobbed in April 2012.