#luxury #RollsRoyce #PhantomII
“The Phantom II has lots of styling updates for 2023, from a lit grille and stars in the headlights to new wheel designs and trim options“–Paul Ebeling
Rolls-Royce describes its flagship Phantom sedan as the best car in the world, and now it is getting even better with a bunch of small but noticeable updates for the 8th-generation Phantom’s 6th model yr.
Called the Phantom Series II, Rolls’ typical name for facelifted models, the 2023 Phantom’s new styling features were apparently directly influenced by customer desires.
The Phantom Series II has the best factory wheels of any car on sale, and maybe even the best wheels of any car in decades. The 22in disc-style wheels are inspired by the amazing wheels of 1920s-era Rolls-Royces, and they are available in polished stainless steel or gloss black.
Wheels like this have become increasingly popular, but the Phantom’s discs are by far the Tops. The flat face subtly dishes inward at the center cap, and the rim features slotted vents for brake cooling.
The Phantom’s Pantheon grille is now illuminated from the Top and the grille has been subtly reshaped with a new horizontal chrome line at the top. Customers can now spec the grille surround, hood trim, windshield surround and side window trim in darkened chrome, a response to the popularity of the ‘murdered-out’ look and Rolls’ Black Badge models. The Top of the grille has also been reshaped to make the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament look more prominent from the front. Another update is to the headlights, which get dozens of tiny laser-cut starlights that echo the interior’s starlight headliner.
When it comes to the interior almost nothing has changed, as the Phantom’s cabin is nicer than most. The steering wheel has a thicker rim, there are some new color and trim options, and that’s about it. But the Phantom Series II does get a new Rolls-Royce Connected service that lets owners view the car’s location and status, schedule a service appointment or send a navigation route to the vehicle from the Whispers smartphone app.
The Phantom Series II will go on sale later this year, and while pricing hasn’t been announced yet it should stick close to the current model’s near-$500,000 starting price. Alongside the ‘standard’ production Phantom Series IIs, Rolls-Royce also unveiled its latest bespoke creation: the Phantom Platino, which has interior materials derived from bamboo.
Have a happy, prosperous weekend, Keep the Faith!
