Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe

And then there were two.

A few weeks ago we brought you news of the Bentley Brooklands. A full-size, ultra luxury, four-seat coupe. It had the market place to itself, as big coupes of this ilk have disappeared from the market in the last decade. But we did say to look out for the Rolls Royce answer. And here it is.

The Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe is a dead-ringer for the 101EX concept Rolls Royce showed at Geneva in 2006, even down to the brushed steel bonnet and slitty headlights. And it’s at Geneva, in March, that Rolls Royce will be officially unveiling the Coupe.

The Phantom has taken it’s section of the market as its own. It is so on the money in every way it makes the Maybach look pointless. The Coupe, stunning and special though it seems, may have more of a fight on its hands with the Bentley Brooklands. We’ll see.

Based pretty much on the gorgeous Drophead, the Coupe keeps the same split tailgate arrangement at the back. Somewhere to sit at the Polo Match. Inside it’s much the same as the Drophead- and it doesn’t get much better than that - plus a roof lining that thinks it’s a Planetarium! Power, as always, comes from the faithful 6.75 V12, in this guise chucking out 450bhp and the usual buckets full of torque.

But there are some significant changes over the Drophead. The whole car is, according to Rolls Royce, the stiffest they’ve ever built, and the suspension has been tweaked to give a much more dynamic response. That, together with liberal use of aluminium in the construction, should make the Coupe shake its skirts in a way Rolls Royces just don’t. It could actually be great fun to drive. Oh, and you’ll get further on a tank. But not because it’s more frugal, but because Rolls Royce have put in a bigger tank!

I do like the Drophead a lot, and the Coupe promises to be great fun to drive as well. Production is due to start at Goodwood in the summer, so you should see the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe for sale later this year. Can’t wait.