Phantom Takes To The World Stage
Published: 17th September 2003
As promised, the first owner of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom took delivery of his motor car just after midnight on 1 January 2003. The enthusiastic owner decided to immediately take his new motor car on a marathon journey. His Phantom was flown to Australia and then driven from Perth to Sydney - a total journey of 4,564 miles across the continent. The trip was completed using some of the most remote roads in the world - without a single hitch and, at one stage, returned a remarkable 23.7 miles per gallon over 580 miles at an average speed of 75mph.
At the same time the Phantom has been appearing at the world's leading motoring and social events. For example it was present at Concours d' Elegance events at Villa d' Este in Italy, and Greenwich, Cranbrook, Amelia Island and Pebble Beach, all in the USA. It also appeared on the exclusive Cartier Lawn at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and at Royal Ascot this summer.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' dealer network is almost complete in locations around the world. Special opening and launch events have been held across the USA, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region, most recently in China where there are four dealerships, including Hong Kong.
For transportation to the dealers, rather than use a conventional
wax coating, Rolls-Royce has developed a special system. Before
dispatch each Phantom is encased in a specially designed, shrink-wrapped
protective cover known as a 'transpack'. Zipped openings allow the
car to be driven so that it can be loaded onto a specifically designed
transporter, for delivery to the nearby seaports to be dispatched
worldwide. Phantoms destined for Europe are transported by road
using the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone.
