After spending one week with the Rolls-Royce Phantom here is what I made of the iconic car.
Day 1 – Rolls-Royce Phantom 2015 First Impressions
I was so excited to get my hands on this super premium motor. Two weeks prior I had had the £350,000 Phantom Drophead Coupe, so I was lucky enough to be able to compare the two cars against each other.
Once the Phantom came off the truck I was overwhelmed with just how good the car looked in person. Standing back looking at the car, it was enormous. I felt myself smirking looking at the car because of how overwhelmingly impressive it was.
Once the handover was complete and I had a bit of time to myself to look around at all the different options in the car; the materials, the finishing touches, the technology, I just was blown away. The most impressive thing I found on the car was the crystal drinks set in the back between the rear passenger seats, car extras don’t come much better than that!
Day 2 – Getting Used to the Humongous Phantom in Real Life
After driving the Rolls-Royce for 24 hours I got used to the size of the car, and although it looks physically daunting, it wasn’t too bad. After completing my first day behind the wheel the big thing that shocked me the most was just how much attention the car gets. Consistently there were people pointing, staring and taking pictures of the car, everywhere I went. The Rolls-Royce Phantom literally stopped people in their tracks.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is as refined as cars come, everything about the way the car moved shows you how well the car has been developed. For example the throttle inputs are delicately smoothed out, the steering inputs are beautifully soft and all in all the controls of the car work in an effortless manner. The way the car moves is so unique, it feels as if you are floating on water.
Day 3 – Rolls-Royce Phantom – Evo Triangle
With only a limited time with the Rolls-Royce Phantom we wanted to be sure that we captured the very best photography we could of the car. So with that in mind we planned to take the Rolls-Royce Phantom from Birmingham over to Wales, to the Evo Triangle. The Evo Triangle is a group of roads, about 30 miles in length, which have some of the greatest scenery and driving roads available in the United Kingdom. The perfect place to shoot the perfect car, some might say. Just to get there in the first place it took us around three hours. Unfortunately 10 miles out from arriving at the Evo Triangle it started to rain, not ideal for the look we were after and it was unfortunate for Ross Jukes who had to stand out in the rain whilst I drove the comfy Roller around. Here are some of the pictures we captured from the shoot.
After travelling all the way to the Evo Triangle, driving around for three hours and driving back I had probably been driving the car for around 10 hours. But I still felt fresh and relaxed, I didn’t feel physically drained in any way.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is actually pretty manageable, however we did go down the odd super-tight country road, it wasn’t the best of feelings not knowing what was coming around the corner in the other direction.
Day 4 – Bespoke Industrial Photoshoot
With this rare chance of shooting the Rolls-Royce Phantom we had arranged for some private time on a Sunday evening at an industrial container distribution unit to really capture the Rolls-Royce Phantom out of its comfort zone. Often you will see pictures of the Phantom in St Tropez shot against a marina, it is rare that you’d see such a premium car in such an industrial environment. Here is one of my favourite pictures from the shoot. I love the look, I love the contrast, I love the fact that it really shouldn’t be in this environment but most of all I love the fact you’ll probably never see it again.
We spent around four hours positioning the car in the distribution centre looking for the perfect shot. We tried a selection of rolling shots, panning shots and various static shots, just looking for the magic one that works. After a while I think we captured some great pictures. Here are a few of my favourites.
The distribution centre was also the primary location used to shoot the highlights video for the car. We used a selection of DSLR, GoPro and drone footage to show the car from every angle. From the video you should be able to get a good taste of just how impressive the Rolls-Royce Phantom is and how cool it looks in this container filled distribution unit.
Day 5 – What Do Others Think About the Car
Throughout my time with the car I made a surprising amount of new “friends”; people were interested to see the car, talk with me about the car and hear what it is like to drive.
This meant that I was able to ask many different people what they thought of the car. Most people were really shocked by it, it was as if the whole concept of Rolls-Royces were alien to them, completely unfamiliar. One thing they were familiar with was how expensive the cars were and were scared to come too near the car in case they scratched it.
Pretty much everyone I spoke to mentioned how much of an iconic status symbol the Rolls-Royce Phantom was and that it was the pinnacle of quality and luxury.
People enjoyed looking at the car and for me it was great that other people could enjoy the car just as well as I could.
Taking a couple of friends out for a spin in this very rare exclusive car was a good opportunity to get an external, trusted, point of view on the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The car creates tremendous first impressions. My passengers were blown away and overwhelmed with the specification of this car. The softness of the materials, the innovation of the design, and the strong presence of quality inside the car were all things that stood out.
Day 6 – Daily Driver
Using the Rolls-Royce Phantom as my daily driver for the entire week, travelling back and forth through the busy city of Birmingham in gridlock traffic, has probably been the easiest commute I’ve ever made. From a driver’s perspective the car is blissfully gentle carrying you through traffic. The environment inside is the most isolated from the outside that I’ve ever experienced in a car. You could have a hurricane outside yet you can relax in great comfort in this car with no idea what is going on around you – OK maybe that’s a bit of an extreme example, but you get the idea. This surreal experience is what makes the Rolls-Royce Phantom a great passenger car.
Day 7 – Looking Back on my Phantom Experience
Looking back on my week with the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The car literally shut down the streets of Birmingham on many occasions. This car is capable of stopping people in their tracks. People from all backgrounds recognise and admire the Phantom and go to great extremes to see who’s behind the wheel and more importantly who’s in the backseat of this car.
I have had some great experiences with the car from a lengthy journey out into the depths of Wales; to assisting on a photo shoot in a location you are unlikely to see the car in again. Without a doubt the car had been a blessing to drive and was just such a calm drive.
It was very painful to see the Rolls-Royce Phantom returned to the Rolls-Royce press garage, but I was exceptionally happy to have my seven days with the car and give you a taste of what it would be like owning such a premium model.
