MAGIC CARPET RIDE

The Rolls-Royce Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of not only automotive luxury, but the luxury sphere as a whole. François Oosthuizen jets offto the French Riviera for a rendezvous with the new, refined Series II.

- François Oosthuizen

With a proud legacy that dates back to 1925 when the very first Phantom I launched a new tradition in the upper echelon of the luxury automotive sector, the Phantom went on to become Rolls-Royce’s crowning glory, symbolising everything that bespoke excellence is about. Eight generations of the car and almost a century later – with several iterations over the years marking the Phantom’s remarkable evolution – the new Series II (Phantom VIII), with its light-touch visual and aesthetic enhancements, reinforces the model’s long-standing and deserved notoriety.

Says the debonair and eloquent CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, “As our pinnacle product, Phantom represents the very best of Rolls-Royce design, engineering, and craftsmanship – a perfect blend of vision, creativity, the finest materials, skill, patience and precision. With Phantom Series II, we have retained and carefully protected everything our clients love about this superlative and luxurious item; subtle, yet meaningful enhancements reflect their evolving tastes and requirements.”

He continues, “Phantom has always been viewed as the ‘best car in the world’: Our bespoke capabilities mean that, for our clients, it can be the best car for their world, too.”

And so, here I am, finding myself among journalists from the world’s leading luxury media to enjoy a rare encounter with the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II in the south of France. The setting on the glamorous Cote d’Azur couldn’t be more apt.