Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bugatti Chiron draw applause at auto show

The eighth-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom was one of the iconic vehicles that attracted a huge crowd on the first day of the ongoing Detroit auto show in the United States.

About 33 high-end luxury sedans, coupes, sport utility vehicles were on display on the gallery floor, which auto analysts who attended the show described as an outing for the supercars and ultra-value brands.

Bugatti’s $3.4m Chiron, considered the most expensive vehicle on the floor also received high level of attention, a report by Automotive News, said.

Other vehicles on display are Porsche models: 911 Turbo S Executive Series, Panamera 4, Panamera Turbo, Cayenne Turbo; Range Rover models: Autobiography and RR SVR; Ferrari models: Lusso T 488, GTB Ferrari, 812 Superfast; Jaguar models: the F-Type SVR Coupe and F-Type Convertible, Lamborghini models: Aventador S coupe and Huracan LP580 coupe, Lincoln Navigator and Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

RR Phantom 2018

Many auto reviewers consider the Rolls-Royce the brand for the super rich and monarchs. The first Rolls-Royce Phantom was unveiled in 1925, making it the longest continuously used model name in automotive history.

Entry into the new RR Phantom comes through the massive doors, the rear of which Rolls-Royce calls coach doors, according to a report by the Road Show team of Cnet.com. “This allows the whole car to open up like a gate to a stately home, inviting you into the sheer luxury within. Sitting in the rear seats of a Phantom is usually reserved for the hyper-rich or bluest of bloods, but you don’t have to be Her Royal Highness to appreciate the lambswool carpets or the exquisitely soft leather-clad head cushions that make sure you are enveloped in soft comfort.”

The group is of the view that there is no more comfortable place to sit in the world than the back seat of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

“Once inside, the doors can be closed from a seating position with the touch of a button. Alternatively, your chauffeur can hit a button on the exterior door handle,” it states.

Commenting on the new Phantom, the Rolls-Royce’s Director of Engineering, Dr. Philip Koehn, said, “This is the most silent motor vehicle in the world, full stop.”To achieve the feat, he said the first thing his team addressed was to work on the tyres, formerly stiff sided. Rolls-Royce worked with Continental to build a bespoke tyre with super soft side walls. These tyres have a strip of thick foam lining the inner casing, filing about half the volume of the tyres (though some of the tyre air is also contained within the foam), he added.

The Chiron is the vehicle Bugatti claims is “the world’s most powerful, fastest, most luxurious, and most exclusive super sports car.”

Many auto analysts are of the view that few people will ever experience the application of power in the new Bugatti Chiron, which they note as beautiful rarity, an exquisite curiosity that draws crowds wherever it appears.

An online auto journal reviewer, Topspeed, reports some of the striking features of the new Bugatti model. It says like most Bugatti interiors, the cabin of the Chiron is a masterpiece. Much like it did with the Veyron, the French managed to find the perfect balance between sportiness and luxury, setting the Chiron apart from any other hypercar in this segment.

“There’s not even an inch of plastic inside, with every surface being either carbon-fibre, aluminium, or covered in fine leather. The overall design is rather simple, but the organic lines give it a modern feel. While the exterior is still based on the Veyron’s, the interior tells a different story,” it says.

The reviewer also says while the Bugatti Chiron may put many expensive limousines to shame in terms of convenience and luxury features, it may not really match a full-size sedan for roominess. But the report notes that Bugatti engineers have made a few improvements on the Chiron to obtain an extra 12 mm (0.47 inches) of headroom.