2009 Rolls Royce Phantom. Diamond Black With Black. on 2040-cars

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This is the very last Rolls-Royce Phantom VII

Rolls-Royce built its very last Phantom VII today. The model was first introduced in 2003 and ends with this one-of-a-kind long-wheelbase model that will go to the unnamed Rolls-Royce collector who commissioned it. The car itself is themed around 1930s-era ships, which is in turn a nod to the era of the first Phantom I, launched in 1925. Immediately upon looking at the car's "Blue Velvet" paint scheme, you can see the oceanic influence. The color is accompanied by coach lines with a ship motif, and the tires have white lines to complement it. Inside, the car features the beautiful marquetry wood trim the brand has become known for. The dashboard shows a '30s-era ship with a map of North America and Europe in the background. Further maritime highlights include dash clocks modeled after ship radios, and embroidery on the "Powder Blue" leather that mimics the look of ocean waves. The front dash clock has a movable bezel for different time zones, and Rolls-Royce says the carpeting has been cut to look like a ship's wake. While this generation of the Phantom is at an end, it's by no means the end of the line for the name. We've seen prototypes of the Phantom VIII running around, and Rolls-Royce has openly said that a successor is coming. We expect the new generation will only be available in short- and long-wheelbase sedans to start, and will probably be revealed sometime this year, perhaps as soon as the Geneva Show in March, or as late as the Pebble Beach Concours in August. Related Video:

On this Rolls Ghost, diamonds are forever in the paint

Diamonds, the hardest rocks in the world, are found in everything from jewelry to tools – and now automotive paint. Rolls-Royce, a company happy to help paying customers indulge in one-of-a-kind, specially customized cars, has produced a long-wheelbase Ghost with a paint job featuring 1,000 crushed diamonds. It's called "Elegance," which seems like a pretty fitting name. One thing is for sure, the paint is dazzling in these photos. So the two months Rolls-Royce spent testing diamond paint finishes seem to have paid off. The rest of the car is a bit more run-of-the-mill Rolls-Royce, which is to say still pretty custom. It has hand-painted coachlines in red and black along the flanks, and the 21-inch wheels have matching red pinstripes. The color scheme is continued inside. Up front, everything is black, from the leather seats to the wool carpets. The sea of black is punctuated by red stitching and piping on the seats, as well as open-pore oak wood trim on the dash. In the back, the seats are a lighter gray leather with the same red stitching and piping. Our favorite part, though, is the plaid upholstery that lines the space in the front seats into which the rear tray tables fold. The car will be on display at the Geneva Motor Show alongside a few other older Rolls-Royce Bespoke models. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan revealed: Ultra-luxury SUV is so British, it curtsies

Why did we ever expect the Rolls-Royce Cullinan to look like anything other than a Phantom on a lift kit, minus the trunk? The Rolls-Royce of SUVs perfectly employs Phantom cues, from the raised hood to the strong shoulder line and coach doors. The English off-roader brings a bunch of brand-redefining firsts with it, including all-wheel drive, an off-road driving mode, and a suspension that actively extends the dampers to keep every wheel on the ground. All of the vehicle's innovations serve the tagline that will help sell the Cullinan to wealthy owners: "Effortless, Everywhere." View 30 Photos The Cullinan stretches 210 inches long on a 130-inch wheelbase, 17.2 inches shorter overall than a Phantom on a wheelbase 9.8 inches shorter. However, the SUV is 5.6 inches wider than the sedan and its roof stands 7.2 inches higher. Built around the same all-aluminum Architecture of Luxury as the Phantom, the extra bits that make the Cullinan ready for dirty work add just 200 pounds compared to the car, for a curb weight of 5,864 pounds. The 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 (Rolls-Royce still refers to it as a 6.75-liter) produces 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, matching the Phantom's horsepower but losing 37 lb-ft of torque. However, the remaining torque comes 100 rpm sooner in the Cullinan than in the Phantom. Rolls-Royce whipped up another narrative trick to keep the Cullinan from being associated with the two-box SUV herd, calling it "the first 'three-box' offer in the SUV sector." With only two boxes visible from outside, we assume Rolls-Royce refers to the available glass partition in the cabin separating the seating area from the cargo, for Cullinans equipped with individual second-row seats. That would make for three distinct areas, and serve as a "nod to the era when luggage was mounted on the exterior of the motor-car, so the occupants did not travel with their belongings." Speaking of which, the feature we normally call a "tailgate" is called "the Clasp" on the Cullinan, a reference to when drivers put luggage on the outside of the car. The electrically operated two-piece hatch has a narrow lower section that folds down to help support the electronic drawer in the Recreation Module. The module provides custom designed storage for tools suitable to an owner's hobbies, like hawking, hunting, or drone racing, or it can stow the seats and cocktail table for the Rolls-Royce Viewing Suite. The Cullinan earns its chops in the cabin and under the skin.