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Rolls-Royce farewells the Phantom

Rolls-Royce is set to discontinue the current generation Phantom in 2016, after a long 13 year production run. While the Phantom sedan will eventually return, Rolls-Royce is planning to permanently axe the Phantom Coupe and Drophead Coupe in November – but they’ll be farewelling the pair in style with special edition models.

Rolls-Royce will build 50 ‘Zenith’ versions of the Drophead and Coupe, which will incorporate an usual sounding ‘Tailgate Hosting Area’ – a feature Rolls says will allow owners to ‘party with class’. The Zenith will also feature laser-etched armrests that show the launch sites for the 100EX and 101EX concepts, custom instrument dials, a special version of the Spirit of Ecstasy, among other features. “Zenith will be the sum of all the best features of Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé, with a few surprises added,” Giles Taylor, the company’s director of design, said.

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The Phantom sedan will return at a yet to be announced date, built on Rolls’ new aluminium platform which will underpin all of the company’s new models. The overall size and styling won’t be a radical departure from the current Phantom, but the new platform should see weight drop dramatically, helped along by liberal use of lightweight metal and carbon fibre. Rumours suggest it would still use a V12 for propulsion, although the idea of a smaller displacement turbo-charged engine or a plug-in hybrid variant later could also be a possibility.

“I am proud and excited to announce that a new Phantom is on the way – a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies and design innovations.” Rolls CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said.

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