The Rolls-Royce Phantom has been given a modest facelift with a few small changes made primarily to the exterior.
The main tweaks occur with the grille which, like on the Rolls-Royce Ghost, is now illuminated and, with a very slight alteration to the grille's shape, the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot is now more prominent. There's also a new polished horizontal line which visually (if not physically) connects the two daytime running lamps, also cutting across the top of the grille.
In response to customer requests, there's now the option of a darkened grille surround with the colour extending up along the bonnet to finish with a black windscreen frame.
New lights include laser-cut star-shaped motifs giving the Phantom some extra sparkle and presence at night while providing a visual reference to the starlight roof-lining inside which illuminates after dark with little strands of LED lights giving the effect of a twinkling night sky.
Disc-style wheels, reminiscent of Rolls-Royces from the 1910s and '20s are also available either in a polished stainless-steel finish or lacquered black. As an alternative, other stainless-steel wheels with triangular facets are also available.
The facelift, according to the company, gives the Phantom "a new and assertive modernity, reflecting its driver-focused character."
Beyond these few exterior upgrades, no changes have been made to either the Phantom's mechanicals or its interior, apart from a new, thicker steering wheel. That's not to say, however, that Rolls-Royce Bespoke, the company's personalisation division specialising in one-off and limited-run cars hasn't been at work on the Phantom Series II, creating the limited-edition Phantom Platino.
Phantom Platino
The Phantom Platino's front seats are finished in leather, but those in the back are clad in a combination of white silk and material made from bamboo fibres, the latter being a somewhat tougher fabric, meaning it's placed in the parts of the seats that are likely to see the most wear. Both fabrics are embroidered with an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy design which also appears on the rear arm-rests and, in the front, on the panel surrounding the car's clock.
Improving on perfection?
"We are acutely conscious of our clients' esteem for and love of their Phantoms," said Rolls-Royce boss, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, commenting on the relative subtlety of the Phantom's facelift.
"They felt it could not be improved; but while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of absolute perfection."
"The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: 'Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing'."