Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII teased ahead of July debut

Rolls-Royce has discreetly teased the eight generation Phantom in a new teaser video. The Phantom VIII is expected to make its debut on 27 July, alongside seven other historic Phantoms from Rolls-Royce's heritage at the ‘The Great Eight Phantoms’ exhibition in London.

The first generation Phantom, the 1927 Fred Astaire Phantom 1, will embark the proceeding, with each generation of Phantom leading up to the much-awaited eight generation flagship. We only get a fleeting glimpse of the new Phantom in the video, with its iconic grille adorned by the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’. Another preview shows an interior trim with an intricate pattern on dark wood, alongside the centrally-placed analogue clock. 

The motif of the new Phantom is expected to be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary as confirmed by earlier spy shots of the car. The current generation Phantom has been around for 14years now and has become a cult symbol for the Derby-based carmaker’s vehicles. However, the eighth-generation Phantom has to move the game forward once again.

The new Phantom will be based on a CLAR modular aluminium architecture to save weight and this platform will make its way to the expanding Rolls’ range. BMW’s expertise which includes CFRP (carbonfibre reinforced plastic) in the 7 Series will help the new Phantom lose a significant amount of weight over the outgoing car. The all-new Cullinan SUV will also share the same underpinning when it debuts next year followed by new Ghost. The camouflaged test mule gave us a glimpse of the majestic dimensions that will be retained in the new Phantom, even as there is a scope of more bespoke coachbuilding like the recently showcased Swept-tail in the years to follow.

As far as powertrain is concerned, the new Phantom will be powered by a 6.6-litre twin turbocharged V12 which currently does service in the new Ghost. There are no official words yet, but the new Phantom is expected to get an all-wheel-drive system, but that will be after it debuts in the Cullinan. All the other features, equipment and creature comfort will be taken up a notch as well.