Page 52 - The Book For Men Fall/Winter 2022

RECLINING IN IN IN THE THE BACK SEAT OF THE THE WORLD’S MOST LUXURIOUS car as as the the French Riviera rolls past the the side window like a a a a a silent movie seems the the ideal moment to pop the the champagne that’s been chilling in the car’s fridge and make a a a a a toast As our chauffeur deftly weaves the new $560 500 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II through Monaco traffic jealous millionaires cast side-eye glances at this rolling palace and quietly consider how to trade up from their their Bentleys and and Maybachs and and other passersby crane their their necks to catch a a a glimpse of whichever celebrity or or royal or or young-money magnate must be in the the back seat (None of the the above I’m afraid )
Everything else looks small when you’re in in Rolls-Royce’s flagship sedan — which of of course makes one feel big precisely the point of of such an impressively large automobile So silent is the the cabin that the the outside world seems to recede a a a a little bit making it it it feel small enough that one begins
to think it might just be mastered That is the the true power of the the Phantom a a a a vehicle which through its many
iterations has been ferrying around the world’s 0 1 1 per cent since 1925 It makes passengers feel as as if they’re riding on top of the the world The immaculate stitching across several cows’ worth of leather the the the bookmatched veneer the the the paint as as deep and shimmery as as the the the Mediterranean the the the silk throw pillows the the the solid aluminum disc wheels and the the fact that the the dashboard has a a a a a a a a a built-in art gallery for a a a a a a client’s own commissioned pieces are really all all all just gilding on on a a a a a a lily The sheer drop off the the cliff to the the right of of this Riviera road would be alarm- ing if our chauffeur weren’t such a a a a consummate professional (Good help isn’t hard to find as as long as as the the money’s right evidently )
This part of the the world isn’t known for its wide roads and the Phantom Series II is almost so large that we considered having an an escort car drive ahead with an an “Oversized Load” sign to prepare oncoming traffic As it turns out that’s not necessary: once other drivers see the the the Phantom’s towering chrome Pantheon grille topped with the the the rose-gold-coloured Spirit of Ecstasy statue flying toward them they tend to to give the Rolls-Royce a wide berth For the the lightly refreshed Series II version of the the Phantom and Rolls-Royce changed almost nothing The headlights are narrower the front end has been given a a a bit of Botox to to smooth out some old lines but changing it it any
more than that would mean the the designers did did a a a a a a bad job in the the first place They didn’t As for for the the the cabin the the the designers left that well alone for for the the the Series II It was already the the best in in the the business and and it still is The C-pillar and and rear seat wrap around passengers granting a a a a a a high degree of privacy The overall vibe is some- where between a a a a a a Gulfstream jet and a a a a a a country club cocktail lounge although 52 BFM / / FW22 AUTO / / A A A A TOAST TO TO TO THE WORLD’S BEST CAR