2007
Automatic
Tax: n/a
Mileage: 19,000
Petrol
2012
17.8 mpg
Tax: £695
Mileage: 37,000
2021
18.0 mpg
Tax: £180
Mileage: 8,454
Engineer Charles Stewart Rolls and car dealer Henry Royce joined forces back in 1904 with the aim of producing the very best automobiles in the world. Film stars, statesmen and dignitaries the world over testify that they still do. These people care little that today, the company is no longer British-owned, nor do its products now hail from the traditional Pyms Lane factory in Crewe. Excellence is all that matters and since the turn of the century, this classic brand has begun afresh in a new quest to achieve it, the first design of its new era launched in 2003 - the seventh generation Phantom saloon. This eighth generation model (first launched in 2017 then updated five years on to create the 'Series II' version we'll be looking at in this Review) is still built here - at a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Goodwood - though with bodywork fabricated and engines provided by BMW. It still blends advanced technology with traditional hand-craftsmanship with extraordinary results. And it still represents the world's ultimate automotive status symbol. All this is not in question. But whether that makes it one of the world's great cars is a very different issue. And that's exactly what we're here to find out.
So, is this a glorious irrelevance or the world's finest motorcar? Or maybe, just maybe, a bit of both. It's certainly hard to think of another means of transport that offers luxury, elegance and style on this level. In one of these, a journey isn't something you undertake merely to get somewhere you'd rather be: getting there becomes part of the pleasure. The way the designers of this car have tapped into such a deep vein of tradition and history is as impressive as the care taken in its construction. It takes at least 460 hours to hand-build one of these before the five layers of paint and clear lacquer are hand-polished for five hours. The result is a cut above the rest - a car that Charles Rolls and Henry Royce would be proud of.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.
