Three Decades Of Distinction

The Phantom does not represent the first time that a Rolls-Royce designer took a risk.

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Just over thirty years ago, the company introduced the Camargue as its premier owner-driven offering. Remarkably for the conservative manufacturer, the angular Pininfarina-designed coupe bore a stronger resemblance to the Italian carrozzeria’s Ferrari 412 than to its baroque stablemate, the Silver Shadow. The Camargue’s appearance was as novel as its automatic split-level air-conditioning system, a world-debut feature that soon would become ubiquitous throughout the Rolls-Royce range. The coupe cost almost twice as much like a Silver Shadow sedan, and Crewe built only around 525 examples during its eleven-