There is little that demands as much attention as the upright grille of a Rolls-Royce. That’s true in China, where the rich and powerful prefer to be driven around, making it the perfect place for Rolls to debut its latest lengthened Phantom. The Phantom Series II Extended Wheelbase follows the regular Phantom Series II, which was shown in Geneva last month.
Changes from the Series I car to Series II are minor and include a face lift with all-LED headlights—the Series II is the first car to include them as standard equipment, according to Rolls—replace the previous generation’s fog-lamp-like units. As before, the main difference between the regular and Extended Wheelbase Phantoms is length, specifically a 9.8-inch stretch.
This Phantom Extended Wheelbase will feature all the upgrades of the Phantom Series II. The 6.7-liter V-12 remains, but gone is the six-speed automatic, replaced with a new eight-speed transmission. While that’s less of a concern for people being driven around all of the time, they will be glad to note that the new transmission helps reduce fuel consumption by about 10 percent compared to the Series I car. Every penny counts.
