Zenith: The Rolls-Royce Phantom's swan song
Rolls-Royce kisses its seventh-generation Phantom goodbye. But the farewell collection has one last trick up its sleeve.
When it's time to bid adieu to a vehicle, automakers tend to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the last-generation model. Sometimes, the results are on the underwhelming side, but other times, you end up with something properly special. The Rolls-Royce Phantom Zenith collection is far from underwhelming.
The Phantom is at the end of its seventh generation, which started in the 2012 model year. The Zenith Collection is one hell of a send-off, putting Rolls-Royce's Bespoke department to work to create, as Rolls-Royce puts it, "true collectors' pieces." Whether or not you agree with the idea of collecting rather than, say, driving cars, this is some neat metal.
Available in both coupe and convertible layouts (sorry, sedan lovers), the Zenith features some unique touches. For example, there's a glass shelf in the trunk for serving champagne and a bespoke picnic "companion" that folds out of the car's split trunk. There's also a champagne fridge in the trunk with enough space for two bottles and eight glasses. Now that's a party.
Tucked away in various corners of the car are other neat little details, such as a map of Lake Como or Lake Geneva (depending on which model you purchase) and a one-off aluminum case. That case comes with the car's vehicle identification number (VIN) laser-etched onto the top and contains an actual piece of the Phantom assembly line.
Of course, as with every other Rolls-Royce you can buy, you can always add some of your own personal touches, so long as you're willing to plunk down the coin that the company's Bespoke division requires. Considering a new non-Zenith Phantom coupe goes for more than $400,000, I hope you've been saving your pennies.
