2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

The Ghost with the Most

The expanding Rolls-Royce Phantom family is about to gain its sportiest member: the Phantom Coupe.

"Palisander straight grain." Those three words, from the mouth of Rolls-Royce's design director Ian Cameron, define how the new Phantom Coupe stands apart from most vehicles.

Palisander straight grain is a very hard and heavy wood, difficult to carve, and it's one of the most striking features of the Phantom Coupe's interior. It's also a symbol of the car that houses it — that is to say, even though it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to make something out of it, the result is worthwhile. Of course, it's just one of the veneers available to a discriminating Phantom Coupe owner: zebrano, elm, mahogany and walnut round out the menu.

The Phantom Coupe isn't just a rolling exotic-wood showcase, however. The two-door version of the Phantom sedan has performance credibility on account of its V12 engine, a powerplant that gets the massive car from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Rolls-Royce chief executive Ian Robertson said that the two-door exudes something called "waftability," meaning it effortlessly responds to a driver's whims.

The Phantom Coupe is a delight to the eyes as well, using styling touches employed on the Drophead Coupe, the convertible incarnation of the Phantom. Robertson is particularly proud of the starlight headliner that was first shown in the concept version of the Phantom Coupe a few years ago. With an overhead canopy that appears to be dotted by points of light, any buyer will feel like master of the universe.

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