Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB

The Rolls-Royce is one of a handful of legendary brands that has prided itself on the phenomenal extent of its universal appeal. The sleek models, all synonymous with elegance and super luxury, retain a status unequalled anywhere else in the automobile industry. You see, there are luxuries in the glorious life of monetary splendor... and then there is the pride of the Rolls-Royce line, the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB.

Although this market is normally dominated by owners who drive themselves, it has recently been uncovered that a number of existing customers want to keep a Phantom at home to drive themselves, but a longer wheel-based model for the city, to be chauffeured around while on business or entertaining. The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB sedan has an extra 10 inches in the wheelbase to create additional space for the rear occupants and for specialist items crafted by the company's Bespoke design and engineering team.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom was designed with an aluminum space frame chassis that lends itself to structural adaptations with relative ease. To extend the wheelbase, you simply use longer extrusions, resulting in virtually no loss of torsional rigidity. Conventional extended wheelbase cars are often built by cutting the entire body of the car itself in half and welding in more metal. All the chassis and body components are painstakingly hand-welded by a highly skilled team of specialists. Such a high level of craftsmanship is involved that every technician is required to complete a series of tests each and every day before starting work. Thanks to the fully flexible production processes at Goodwood, the longer Phantom can be built alongside the standard model without difficulty.

The Rolls-Royce is hand-built to specific customer order, but only in the Middle East and Asian Pacific regions where the demand for such multifaceted perfection is always at its greatest height. The EWB Phantom started life as a bespoke offering to these non-U.S. countries. Its initial production run was a mere 5, but when Rolls-Royce received customer orders for 29 EWBs (primarily in the China and Middle East markets), company brass decided to consider homologating the stretch version for the U.S. But unless your last name is Gates or Walton this decision will probably mean nothing. For the lucky "haves," however, an EWB easily takes the chauffeured RR experience to another level.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB is not exactly modest when it comes to its handling capacity. Manufactured for both sophisticated grace and contemporary speed by the company's 300 workers in their Goodwood factory in England, the Phantom's 6.75-litre V12 engine is capable of top speeds— zipping from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds— a breathtaking spurt that leaves many lesser sports models looking like nothing more than lowly little snails.

Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB owners can choose from a palette of 45,000 paint colors, special woods, refrigerators, wine cellars, safes, humidors and computer equipment. Regardless of Bespoke equipment, all the beautiful wood and leather fittings are created by Goodwood craftsmen and women. Rolls-Royce is the world's top selling super-luxury car, and just last year sold 796 Phantoms in more than 40 countries, including Nigeria, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan and Australia. The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB has successfully attracted a new type of owner, which has resulted in higher average mileages— as average mileage goes up, the average age of owners is coming down— it now stands at around 56 years old and many of these customers are new to the brand.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB is already the best-selling car in the world with a hefty yet worthy price tag of more than $224,500 pounds with a standard Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB will set you back a cool 219,300. But what will the customer get for his or her money? Well, apart from a full four-year warranty, it is not about gadgets. That's not to say that there aren't luxuries included. As befits a bespoke automobile manufacturer, a buyer can choose to have customized dashboards, read plates and headrests to go with the natural wood interior and the "softest leather in automobile applications. All these details make the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB a sight to behold.