Dream Cruising a Rolls-Royce Phantom

Say Rolls Royce offers you a weekend loan of a $350K Phantom, one of the most rare and exclusive new cars on the planet. What would you do?


Same thing we did, of course—take it to Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise to mix with thousands of weird and wonderful rods, customs and rolling collectibles of all descriptions. See how the folks who line the famous boulevard through Detroit's northwestern suburbs react. Will they accept, respect, reject, resent or simply ignore it as a bona fide Dream Cruiser worthy of prime Woodward Ave. real estate?

The Car
The 2006 Rolls Royce Phantom, designed and built by Germany's BMW since it purchased the rights to the storied brand in 1998, is the nuclear aircraft carrier of luxury cars. It's seven inches longer on a wheelbase 10.6 inches longer than the monster truck-based Cadillac Escalade ESV. And, despite its high-tech aluminum space frame and lightweight body panels, it's nearly as heavy at 5,577 lbs. Yet it's burly BMW-based 453-hp direct-injected DOHC 48-valve 6.75-liter V-12 can launch it from rest to 60 mph in just 5.7-seconds, and through the quarter-mile in a stunning 14.3 seconds.


Its massive classic Rolls Royce Parthenon grille proclaims to all exactly what it is. Its wide rear doors open to the front and whisper shut electrically. Its sumptuous full-leather interior consumes an average of 17 quality hides, its rich wood veneers are "book matched" with alternating feature and straight grains, and its carpeted floor mats are plusher than the wall-to-walls in most folks' homes.


The traditional round analog clock at dashtop center flips over to reveal a 6.5-inch screen for navigation, (BMW iDrive-type) central control functions and live local TV. The pie-plate-size center wheel caps are weighted so their big RR logos are always right side up. The legendary Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, once a collectors' item for unscrupulous non-owners, retracts out of sight at the push of a button and when the car is locked.