This Rolls-Royce Phantom VII is a fitting tribute to the seventh generation Phantom

The time has finally come for Rolls-Royce’ seventh-generation Phantom and it’s finally retired. The car that defined luxury is finally getting laid to rest after 13 years of service. Rolls Royce doesn’t intend to let it go without a fitting farewell, however, and a special edition of the car will soon be rolling out of Rolls Royce’ factories. Turns out, the last seventh-generation Phantom has rolled out of the Goodwood facility and it does pack in something special after all. While Rolls-Royce is already testing the next-generation Phantom, the last seventh-generation model takes inspiration from luxurious ocean liners from the 1930’s, making it a grand affair.  The Phantom VII gets a coating of Blue Velvet paint that comes with a twin coachline with an ocean liner motif to the shoulder.  While changes to the exterior of this special Phantom are few and far between, there’s plenty that’s new (or old) on the inside. The nautical theme carries into the cabin with the application of tone-on-tone embroidery mimicking the ripples of the ocean. There are Powder Blue leather touches everywhere with the upholstery finished in white.   The devil is in the details and the nautical theme brings clocks (both in the front cabin and the partition) designed to look like the old radio clocks of the ocean liners. There’s even more detail in there, with the bezel expressing 24 time zones which can be rotated to select the timezone of choice. The maritime theme even extends to the Phantom’s lambswool carpets that feature a hand-cut wake effect elegantly created by master craftspeople.  The vehicle is built using an aluminium spaceframe and this helps it shed some weight, while making the entire structure rigid, adding to better ride quality. Under the long hood you get the 6.75-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine. “As Phantom VII gracefully leaves the stage, having defined the first chapter in the renaissance of Rolls-Royce, we look forward to building on its remarkable success with the imminent arrival of its successor. A bold, new statement built on an all-new architecture promises to light the future of the world’s most celebrated name in luxury.”  said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Phantom has been one of the most important models for the Rolls-Royce automotive brand. The Phantom became the bread and butter of Rolls-Royce after it was purchased by BMW in 1998. It was a fine example of what heights the brand could achieve with precise German engineering and British craftsmanship. The British brand will continue to sell its variants, but as spy shots have already revealed, the brand is working on a Phantom VIII model, which has been undergoing testing for quite some time now. The next generation of the Phantom is expected to make its public appearance in 2018.