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BMW acquired the Rolls-Royce name in 1998, but only in 2003 could it begin building cars due to the acrimonious way in which RR and Bentley were separated, with Volkswagen taking control of the latter.

The Phantom saloon came first, followed by a LWB version and then the Drophead Coupe last year. The Phantom Coupe you see on these pages has joined the saloon and Drophead Coupe to become the third, and final, body style in the Phantom line-up.

A smaller, sportier Rolls-Royce w...Read the full article

I may be in the minority who thinks this car is beautiful, although I cannot quite come to terms with the awful headlights.

What I must question is how a car this costly can afford to lose out by such a wide margin in the performance stakes when compared to the equivalent Bentley, or for that matter the 'lowly' Continental GT and Mercedes-Benz CL 600?

Surely after spending so much money (I wish I had this much money to spend on a car), I should also have the ability to blow the doors off everything else on the road short of outright supercars!

Somehow, and I don't know quite how, this car lacks class...   

W124:

Somehow, and I don't know quite how, this car lacks class...   

Agreed - so it'll be snapped up by premiership footballers and their wives then.

It just seems hugely out of step - I wonder if even the footballing classes have come round to the economic reality of Britain in 2008.  The (few) really wealthy people I know just wouldn't want to draw that much attention to themselves any more.  Not out of decency but mainly out of common sense.  I suppose BMW don't intend to sell that many here though so they probably don't care... 

a rolls royce but i expected more ....................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and it lacks class

This is not a Rolls-Royce, what it does need though is some oval opera windows in the rear panels, a spare wheel hump on the trunk lid, captain front seats, buttoned velour and you got a 21st century Lincoln Contintal, come on Ford, base it on the Mondeo, how about it?

Opera windows! I knew it needed something.... It's genuinely hideous and I can't work out why as I really love the Phantom.