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As you’d expect from the latest member of the Phantom family, the heart of the Phantom Drophead Coupé is its all-aluminium 6749cc V12 engine. Using the most sophisticated engine technology available, including direct petrol injection, variable valve control and variable camshaft timing, it produces impressive maximum power and torque figures – 453bhp at 5350rpm and 531lb ft at 3500rpm - with peerless refinement and unmatched drivability.

Tuned to deliver Rolls-Royce’s legendary ‘waftability’, it gives 75% of its maximum torque at just 1000rpm, the remaining 25% arriving in one, sustained, linear stream as the driver squeezes the throttle.

All this pulling power is delivered to the road through the rear wheels, via a six-speed automatic gearbox. Controlled by a column selector, the transmission uses shift-by-wire technology, which means there is no mechanical linkage between the selector and the transmission itself. With gearshift points optimised for comfort, and pulling away in 2nd gear, the Phantom Drophead Coupé is engineered to make silky smooth progress. Though effortless in delivery, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s performance is truly spirited, with a 0-60mph time of just 5.7sec and an electronically governed top speed of 149mph.

Power of different kind is supplied by the Phantom’s electrical system. With a two liquid-cooled alternators and automatic charge management of the main battery and dedicated starter battery (both located beneath the boot floor for optimum weight distribution), you can use the Phantom’s entertainment systems without fear of draining the starter battery and compromising vehicle reliability.

Sleek and rakish, yet instantly recognizable, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s new face embodies its modern, dynamic spirit while retaining the confidence and grandeur that has characterized Rolls-Royce for more than a century.

Smaller and reclined at a more streamlined angle than that of the Phantom, the Drophead Coupé’s grille is made entirely from stainless steel: the central element of which is polished, while the outer shell is brushed to match that of the bonnet, windscreen surround and other exterior brightwork.

The new grille design also conceals an ingenious hinged mount, which allows the base of the grille to move in the event of a low speed impact, absorbing parking knocks that would otherwise result in damage.

Another striking feature of the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s face are its headlights. Incorporating LED technology, these headlights add drama and expression to the Drophead Coupé’s face.

A unique feature pioneered in the Phantom, the Phantom Drophead Coupé develops Rolls-Royce’s coach door theme, with a pair of spectacular rear-hinged doors.

While creating an unmatched sense of drama and occasion, the unconventional nature of the coach doors posed our engineers some serious legislative challenges. These were overcome with the use of sophisticated electronically controlled door latches, which work in conjunction with a series of sensors to ensure that the coach door cannot be opened while the car is travelling at more than walking pace.

With four full seats, it was essential that the coach doors afford both front and rear passengers with unimpeded access. We have also incorporated a closing assistance system, which can pull the door shut from any opening angle, allowing occupants to close the door from within the passenger cabin at the touch of a button. There is also a soft-close mechanism that pulls the doors closed through the final 6mm of travel, minimising effort and noise.

Inspired by the ‘bare metal’ theme pioneered in the 100EX experimental car, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s beautiful brushed stainless steel bonnet is a unique and spectacular feature. It’s also the largest panel made from anti-corrosion steel in the car industry.

With a perfectly applied brushed finish, the soft sheen of the bonnet accentuates the Drophead Coupé’s rakish lines, creating an unbroken flow of shimmering steel that runs from the streamlined radiator grille, around the A-frame windscreen surround and along the waistline that encircles the passenger compartment and teak rear deck

Putting this natural steel into production was a major technical challenge, and it took us six-months to perfect our finishing techniques and treatment processes. Only through such exacting development have we ensured that the unpainted metal is durable enough to withstand the elements. We’ve also conquered the age-old problem of steel and aluminium reacting against one another and causing corrosion.

Technology has been at the core of Rolls-Royce’s engineering philosophy for more than a century. It’s appropriate, therefore, that the Phantom is built around a highly advanced aluminium spaceframe - the largest of its kind ever made in the automotive sector.

Though hidden from view, it is one of the undoubted engineering highlights of the car, comprising some 200 extruded aluminium sections and more than 300 parts made of sheet alloy. Highly-skilled craftsmen weld the structure together by hand, completing some 150-metres of weld in 2,000 separate locations.

Designed to be immensely strong, for safety, and rigid, to provide a solid platform around which the rest of the car can be built, the spaceframe weighs just 550kgs - considerably less than if it were made from steel.

Clever design means the spaceframe is adaptable, making it possible to build new Rolls-Royce models without the need for a radical re-design. It’s an extremely advanced and efficient piece of engineering. A good example of this is the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, which gains an extra 250mm of rear legroom without compromising the styling or engineering integrity of the standard car.

A full four-seater, the Phantom Drophead Coupé offers unsurpassed comfort for you and up to three friends.

Though upholstered in the same, supple, squeak-free leather as the Phantom, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s seats are all-new. Up front, the driver and front passenger seats incorporate the seatbelt system, as the two-door configuration and soft-top means there is no B-pillar on which to mount the belts. Powered to enable effortless adjustment, the seats also power forward and back to allow unimpeded ingress and egress for rear seat passengers.

Those in the rear will enjoy Rolls-Royce’s delightfully informal ‘lounge’ seat configuration, which seats two passengers in uniquely sociable style, while generous legroom further enhances comfort levels and a total sense of relaxation.

The Phantom Drophead Coupé’s interior was conceived around a concept of ‘Functionality upon request’. This has resulted in some delightful touches, such as the clock, which rotates at the flick of a switch to reveal an LCD screen, and the Multi-Task Controller (MTC), which gives the driver complete control of the Phantom’s sophisticated navigation, entertainment, communication and vehicle settings systems, which are displayed on the LCD screen. Another example is the location of the front seat adjustment controls, which are hidden within the centre armrest.

In keeping with our philosophy of uncompromising design and engineering, we were determined to give the Phantom Drophead Coupé exceptional roll-over protection.

In order to achieve this, the Phantom Drophead Coupé features a sophisticated and immensely strong pair of ‘pop-up’ roll-over protection devices, which are concealed within the rear seat headrests. In the event of an accident that threatens to invert the car, sensors linked to the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s Intelligent Safety and Information System (ISIS) trigger the roll-over devices, which deploy within a fraction of a second (0.3 sec) to support the car and protect rear seat occupants.

Up front, the equally robust windscreen structure, complete with tremendously strong triangulated A-pillars, has been engineered to support the weight of the car, thereby protecting front seat occupants. The Phantom Drophead Coupé’s aluminium spaceframe structure also performs a significant safety function, thanks to impact-absorbing crumple zones and a double front bulkhead, which further isolates occupants from a frontal impact.

ISIS also controls the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s many other vital safety features, including the integrated front seat airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners, via a host of intelligent sensors. Ever vigilant, these sensors almost instantaneously transmit and receive all crash-relevant information, which ISIS then uses to activate individual safety features in such a way as to provide the most effective protection. For increased safety, ISIS also automatically disconnects the battery, retaining just enough energy within the system to activate the airbags if required.

Of course, while ensuring that you are safe in the event of an accident, we would prefer you to avoid having an accident in the first place, and have incorporated a number of electronic systems designed to maximise the braking performance and stability of the Phantom Drophead Coupé.

In addition to the Drophead Coupé’s four-channel ABS anti-lock system, Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) helps drivers reduce stopping distance in an emergency situation when the driver applies the brakes suddenly. DBC ensures that maximum deceleration is achieved by increasing the brake pressure independently of how hard the pedal is pressed, until the car has come to a halt or the driver releases the brake pedal. Cornering Brake Control (CBC) provides assistance in stabilising the car when braking while mid-corner.

Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) manages the amount of power that is fed to the rear wheels to minimise slip and maximise drive, which is especially useful in snow or sleet. Finally, Dynamic Stability Control recognises when the front or rear of the car begins to slide (under- or oversteering) and applies a braking force to individual wheels to bring the car back under control.

As you’d expect from the latest member of the Phantom family, the heart of the Phantom Drophead Coupé is its all-aluminium 6749cc V12 engine. Using the most sophisticated engine technology available, including direct petrol injection, variable valve control and variable camshaft timing, it produces impressive maximum power and torque figures – 453bhp at 5350rpm and 531lb ft at 3500rpm - with peerless refinement and unmatched drivability.

Tuned to deliver Rolls-Royce’s legendary ‘waftability’, it gives 75% of its maximum torque at just 1000rpm, the remaining 25% arriving in one, sustained, linear stream as the driver squeezes the throttle.

All this pulling power is delivered to the road through the rear wheels, via a six-speed automatic gearbox. Controlled by a column selector, the transmission uses shift-by-wire technology, which means there is no mechanical linkage between the selector and the transmission itself. With gearshift points optimised for comfort, and pulling away in 2nd gear, the Phantom Drophead Coupé is engineered to make silky smooth progress. Though effortless in delivery, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s performance is truly spirited, with a 0-60mph time of just 5.7sec and an electronically governed top speed of 149mph.

Power of different kind is supplied by the Phantom’s electrical system. With a two liquid-cooled alternators and automatic charge management of the main battery and dedicated starter battery (both located beneath the boot floor for optimum weight distribution), you can use the Phantom’s entertainment systems without fear of draining the starter battery and compromising vehicle reliability.

Click here to view specifications.