Gliding along a gently meandering stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway north of San Francisco, or 'Highway 1' as it is more properly referred to in Northern California, one is struck by the sheer and utter quiet experienced within the confines of the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.Traveling at speeds well in excess of 60 miles per hour, the tires literally whisper along the tarmac. The very epitome of smoothness and stability, only the most violent of pavement aberrations make their way up through the chassis to announce their presence to the comfortably firm, yet sumptuously padded and upholstered seats. Similarly, common sense tells you the engine is out there in front of you––after all, the car is moving. But the V12 emits no sound. Even the sonic signature of the wind, usually generously deposited as it rushes around the greenhouse of lesser automobiles, is absolutely blatant in its absence. Further, despite the acres of board feet of highly polished wood, reams of creamy, aromatic leather and hundreds of pounds of gleaming chrome adorning the Phantom Coupé, there is nary a squeak, creak, or rattle to be heard. The 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé behaves as one solid piece of some excruciatingly rare element, one capable of levitating slightly above the road. In steady state operation, there is a surreal stillness inside the car that must be experienced to be believed.Now before you decide this equates to a boring drive, please be informed that oh-so-quiet 6.75-liter V12 is capable of emitting a torrential 531 foot-pounds of torque, along with 453 horsepower. Hit the sport button on the steering wheel, introduce your a.Testoni driving loafer crisply to the throttle, floor it with serious intent, and the V12 emits a distant melodious growl as the stately Coupé gathers up its 5,798 pounds and whisks you to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds. Thanks to gargantuan brake rotors, sized nearly 15 inches all around, the Rolls-Royce will stop from 60 just as fast as it accelerated there. And, while 185 miles per hour is most certainly within its grasp, top speed is electronically limited to 155. Another part of Highway 1, the 10.3 miles that writhe between Mill Valley and Stinson Beach, is renowned as one of the most challenging sections of road anywhere on Earth. Religiously deferring to the topography of the coastal mountains along the western edge of the North American continent, this part of Highway 1 is adorned with practically every sort of curve ever created––with off camber undulations and severe elevation changes thrown in for good measure. The road is a chassis engineer’s S.A.T. If they nailed it, their car is a delight. If they flunked it, their car comes back twisted and beaten. Remarkably, even with its regal stateliness, the Phantom Coupé acquits itself admirably in what would seem to be a foreign environment. After all, the big Coupé will most often be seen depositing bejeweled occupants decked out in tuxedoes and evening gowns at glittering events, That said, sports cars needn’t fear being outrun between Mill Valley and Stinson Beach by a Phantom Coupé, but they will find that Rolls-Royce isn’t falling too far behind either. The ultra-rigid, hand welded, all-aluminum space frame provides a rock solid platform to which highly sophisticated aluminum suspension componentry is attached. The result? Remarkable agility lies at the disposal of a Phantom Coupé pilot.However, while this Rolls-Royce is a willing accomplice at GT follies, pampering four remarkably fortunate souls is what the Phantom Coupé is really all about. The striking rear-hinged doors make it easy for a lady to alight in a dress without drama or undue exposure. Closed electrically at the touch of a button, they don’t require a gentleman to overextend himself to close them once settled behind the wheel either. Meanwhile, umbrellas are thoughtfully stored in the doorframes for use in inclement weather.Inside, the overall ambiance is more old-world living room than motorcar. Entirely hand crafted of naturally occurring materials specifically selected for Rolls-Royce, the attention to detail is overwhelming. The leather for the seats, dash, headliner, armrests and door panels in each individual car is carefully matched and comes from cows raised in an area of central Europe where barbed wire isn’t used and mosquitoes and other biting insects are rare. This prevents the hides from displaying undue imperfections. Additionally, only bulls are used because they don’t get pregnant and suffer stretch marks. This results in a purity of finish unmatched by the leather in any other car. The rear seat looks like a sofa sourced from Roche-Bobois. The front seats compliment it perfectly, and are more reminiscent of overstuffed chairs in a drawing room than seats in a car. The carpets are wool of course, but specifically, they are wool with a cashmere blend.The Coupé’s occupants face what is easily the broadest swath of wood deployed in any contemporary motorcar, save of course the Phantom Sedan and Phantom Drophead Coupé. Composed of woods chosen specifically for their depth of color and the complexity of their grain patterns, it is brilliantly polished and hand-laid so the grain matches perfectly all the way across. In addition to the dash, the same wood can be found on the center console, the window surrounds and nestled into the C-pillars in the rear part of the cabin where it frames the frosted glass covered boulevard lights.Opening the iDrive controller compartment hidden in the forward section of the center console swivels the brushed aluminum panel in the middle of the dash housing the clock. This reveals a monitor wherein the vast majority of the secondary comfort and convenience functions of the Phantom Coupé are accessed. Navigation, communication, entertainment and functional setup programs are all displayed there––as well as broadcast television. The audio system is Logic7 Surround by Lexicon. Delivering 420 watts, it feeds 15 speakers strategically deployed around the cabin for perfect imaging. Subwoofers reside beneath the seats. Full iPod control is available should you choose that option, otherwise you’ll get a six-disc CD changer.Hidden beneath the center armrest are controls for seat adjustment and the single most breathtaking feature of the Phantom Coupé’s interior–the starlight headliner. Several hundred tiny white LEDs embedded in the ceiling can be dimmed for mood or brightened to read by. Rolls will even custom configure the starlight headliner to depict the night sky on the date of your birth or any other pattern you desire. Absolutely timeless in approach and gorgeous in execution, the Phantom Coupé interior wins extremely high marks for quality and style––but low marks for how readily switches can be located and deciphered. Heavy reliance on chrome and discreet labeling makes most of the switches difficult to read. Because of that, very few secondary functions are intuitive. The operation of many will be determined only by reading the owner’s manual. Also, while we’re on the subject of things that could be better, thanks to the sloping roof and narrow rear window, rearward vision is somewhat obscured. Perhaps in the ultimate act of automotive snobbery, all you see in your rearview mirror are the grilles of the cars directly behind you, not their drivers, or even their roofs. (Makes it tough to keep an eye out for cops in a car that will do 100 miles per hour without making a sound.) Also, it is remarkable that in a model year 2009 car costing $400,000, several conveniences we’ve come to take for granted in contemporary luxury cars are conspicuously absent in the Phantom Coupé. Active cruise control, voice actuation of secondary functions, automatic climate control, and a one touch emergency assistance calling service are basic features in mainstream 21st century luxury cars––but absent in the Rolls Coupé. Seriously high-tech features such as hard disc digital media storage, night vision, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, and lane departure prevention systems are also now starting to show up in $50,000 mid-level luxury cars. Meanwhile Rolls-Royce still expects you to modulate the speed of the car yourself if you get stuck in traffic.Please understand, we fully acknowledge and deeply appreciate the history, tradition, craftsmanship, achievement, and greatness that are inherent to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé. But things have changed since the early 1900’s when the concept of Rolls-Royce was first established. While many are content with the opulence, performance, and presence of a Rolls-Royce, we are of a mind that if a car is to be the Rolls-Royce of personal coupés today, it should encompass absolutely every luxury feature known to humankind at the time of its build. In other words, the phrase “state-of-the-art” should be irreversibly intertwined with the phrase Rolls-Royce. Given that Rolls-Royce is now owned by BMW, and given that all of those features are available on a BMW 760 Li (which costs a fraction of what the Phantom Coupé does), it is somewhat perplexing that these technologies are not even offered with the Phantom Coupé. It can’t be about price, after all, a Rolls-Royce represents a money-is-no-object purchase. That said, it is undeniable that being in a Rolls makes you feel truly special. The Phantom Coupé’s irrefutable style, outstanding comfort, amazing build quality, abundant performance capability, and all-encompassing presence make it an experience absolutely unlike any other. And, uh, yes, we definitely want one––in white please.
2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé
Base Price: $400,000
Engine: 6.75-liter V12
Horsepower: 453 @ 5350 RPM
Torque: 531 @ 3500 RPM
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Front-engine/rear-drive
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