Rolls Royce unveils all-new ultimate luxury Phantom

new luxury sedan to start at $450,000

Luxury carmaker Rolls Royce unveiled its latest flagship sedan, the eight generation Phantom after a hiatus of 14 years. The Phantom VIII will be the company’s largest and grandest sedan to date has been described as the “world’s leading luxury item”, and the “most silent car in the world”.



The new Phantom will come with the all-new 563bhp 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine which will be capable of going from 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds. The new luxury sedan also features an all-aluminium spaceframe architecture which it lighter and 30% stiffer than the last generation.

PHOTO: ROLLS ROYCE

The new sedan follows Rolls Royce trademark design language with the front end of the car shorter and the back is longer than previous generation. The styling lines in the rear circle forward and lead the eye back through to the front wheel with a rear glass that is raked more aggressively giving a general idea of forward thrust.

PHOTO: ROLLS ROYCE

Inside, the most distinctive design feature is the “Gallery”, an area of hardened glass that covers the upper dashboard where patrons can place commissioned fine art.

Rolls says the car is 10% quieter at 60mph than the previous Phantom, thanks to sound-absorbing materials layered inside; massive cast aluminum joints in the body of the car, which cut noise and special “silent-seal” tires that have foam inside to minimise road noise.

PHOTO: ROLLS ROYCE

"Phantom is the epitome of effortless style, a historical nameplate that occupies a rarefied space in the luxury constellation and conjures a rare magic all of its own," says Giles Taylor, director of design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

"New Phantom raises a glass to an illustrious design legacy whilst forging a modern and revitalised presence for the next era of Rolls-Royce design."

PHOTO: ROLLS ROYCE

Rolls-Royce is expected to commence customer deliveries of the Phantom VIII in early 2018. The standard wheelbase Phantom starts at about $450,000.

Company data, however, shows Phantom VIII customers are adding more than $150,000 in bespoke options to their cars for an average order price of $600,000.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.