Rolls-Royce teases Phantom VIII ahead of reveal
BY ROBBIE WALLIS | 20th Jul 2017
The look of the Phantom VIII’s lights seem to have not strayed far from the current model’s design, with a square, boxy LED strip nestled next to the car’s signature Parthenon grille.
However not all of the front lighting is shown in the teaser, and previous reports have suggested that the new Phantom will borrow the lighting signature design from the Ghost and Wraith, which use a ‘comma’ style headlight with a step along the lower outline.
Rolls has also previously shown the front view of the new Phantom, with the trademark Spirit of Ecstasy emblem and Parthenon grille taking up the majority of the car’s front fascia.
The Rolls-Royce badge takes pride of place between the emblem and grille, embedded into a thick, chrome bezel.
As previously reported by GoAuto, the new Phantom will use an all-aluminium architecture and will turbocharge its new V12 engine for the first time.
The all-aluminium architecture will also be used to build Rolls’ first SUV, the Cullinan, which is due to arrive next year.
As part of the lead-up to the reveal of the Phantom, Rolls-Royce is holding an exhibit in Mayfair, London called ‘The Great Eight Phantoms’, which brings together eight Phantoms with historical significance for the brand.
The final three Phantoms for the exhibit have been revealed, including the first example of the reborn Phantom VII from 2003, which was owned by a Perth businessman.
After taking delivery of his Phantom, the owner then drove from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne, providing daily updates to the team back in Goodwood, UK.
During the more-than-7000km journey, the only fault on the inaugural Phantom VII was sand entering the Spirit of Ecstasy retraction mechanism during a desert dust storm.
Another featured Phantom is a Phantom VI state limousine owned by the Queen of England, which was gifted to her in 1977 by the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to mark her Silver Jubilee.
The Phantom VI, which features a large expanse of panoramic glass in the rear, was used in 2011 to transport Kate Middleton to Westminster Abbey for her marriage to Prince William.
The final model for the exhibition is a 1952 Phantom IV owned by the Aga Khan III, leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslim community and president of the League of Nations from 1937 to 1938.
Joining the historical Phantoms are examples such as John Lennon’s psychedelic 1965 Phantom V and a bespoke Phantom III owned by British field marshal Bernard Montgomery.
The start of the Great Eight exhibition and the unveiling of the Phantom VIII will take place in London on July 27.
