By now, it shouldn’t be controversial to say that the reborn Rolls-Royce Phantom was one of the most influential cars of the past 25 years. It’s been on red carpets, in music videos, on film, and snapped by the paparazzi. A triumphant modernization of a brand so iconic, its name exists as a superlative. Every time you see one out in the wild, you can’t help but wonder who’s behind the wheel.
After all, with a list price north of $300,000 in 2004, modern Rolls-Royce ownership is an exclusive club. While 10,327 Phantom VIIs were made, that all happened over a 14-year production run, meaning that even during the car’s most popular year, only a little over 1,200 were built. It’s such a tight-knit club, Rolls-Royce even has its own app for owners of modern models, possibly the most exclusive social network in the world.
However, thanks to the magic of depreciation, owning a Phantom isn’t just a prospect for the top one percent. In fact, you can now pick up a mid-aughts Phantom for the price of a well-equipped but definitely not loaded half-ton pickup truck, a type of vehicle that’s basically the backbone of America. Oh how the tables turn.
What Are We Looking At?
Around the new millennium, there was a great schism. See, Rolls-Royce had previously been joined at the hip with Bentley, which was purchased from Vickers by Volkswagen Group for a whopping $703 million. Unfortunately, VW didn’t do its research on who owned everything, and BMW swooped in and licensed the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce name from Rolls-Royce Holdings plc. for a mere $66 million. With leverage over engine supply and IP licensing, BMW managed to wrestle the remaining Rolls-Royce trademarks away from Volkswagen before starting basically from scratch.
The result was breathtaking. A new facility on the Goodwood Estate was built to craft a 19-foot-long aluminum spaceframe, onto which went the finest leathers, woods, and brightwork. A new 6.75-liter V12 mated to a then-state-of-the-art ZF six-speed automatic provided sufficient motivation, coach doors added drama, and then there was the styling. Imposing, monolithic, yet simultaneously elegant, it walked the line between presence and vulgarity perfectly. No surprise, then, that the Phantom VII was a hit. Despite a starting price of around $320,000, it proved popular enough to revitalize Rolls-Royce. A cultural reset for one of the automotive kingdom’s most esteemed brands.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, and the Phantom still looks and feels money, right down to its wool floor mats. However, thanks to the magic of depreciation, you can now pick up once of these once-$320,000 cars for the price of a new mid-range F-150. Okay, so it’s going to be an early example, but considering the Phantom wasn’t even facelifted until 2012, will the hoi polloi notice?
How Much Are We Talking?
Alright, if the idea of a Rolls-Royce Phantom crosses your mind, you probably won’t be looking at base F-150s. However, go with the mid-range Lariat trim with a crew cab, tick the boxes for the high-series package with Bang & Olufsen Unleashed audio, and go with the V8 and four-wheel-drive, and you’re looking at a truck that costs $72,375 out-the-door. Can you find a Phantom for that sort of money? Yep. This 2004 model recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $66,000, not a bad figure when you realize it only has 22,000 miles on the clock. Granted, it has been repainted in white, someone’s questionably blacked-out the grille and Spirit of Ecstasy, and it’s had some custom interior work including quilted suede seat inserts, but its Carfax is squeaky clean.
Willing to trade higher mileage for stock cosmetics? This 2005 Phantom recently sold on Hemmings Auctions for a reasonable $62,475 including buyer’s fees. Not only does it have a clean Carfax, it sports a classic black-over-tan color combination and just 50,210 miles on the clock. Sure, there’s some wear on the side of the driver’s seat, but it’s nothing dramatic. Bit of dye, bit of stitching repair, job done.
Don’t want to wait around for an auction? This 2004 Phantom is up for sale in Florida for $71,950 with 68,633 miles on the clock. Alright, it is sitting on aftermarket wheels and someone retrofitted a starlight headliner, but it has a clean history report, is resale-friendly black-on-black, and looks to be in relatively good shape.
What Could Go Wrong On A Rolls-Royce Phantom?
Part of the issue with spending new car money on a heavily depreciated used luxury car is that you just sort-of trade most of the depreciation for maintenance bills. Let’s start with the fuel system on the Phantom. The injectors are known sore spots, although thankfully they’re shared with the V12 BMW 7 Series of the time. As a result, a replacement Bosch injector costs $195.99 from FCP Euro, making them far more reasonable than say, the piezoelectric injectors in a BMW 335i. In addition, the rail pressure sensors are known to fail, and those are a bit expensive. Each one costs $335.99 from FCP Euro and you’ll want to do both should one fail. However, the biggest thing to look out for on the V12 is coolant leaking in the valley of the block. Over time, the valley pipes are known to fail, and while an OEM replacement costs an absolute fortune, Flying Spares sells a collapsible tube kit for $2,342.73. Figure a few more grand to get it fitted.
Really, the big thing to look out for on an early Goodwood Phantom is the air suspension. Arnott does offer a replacement compressor for around $1,200, but that’s where the breaks end. A single replacement front damper will run you nearly $5,000, while a single rear unit costs around $5,500. Need to rehab the entire system? Unlikely, but in the event that happens, you’d be shelling out enough to buy a new Hyundai Elantra.
Otherwise, this is a large boutique car, so expect premium parts pricing. While pads are cheap, a pair of front brake discs will run you $653.48 from Flying Spares, and a pair of rear discs will run you $1,151.72. Assuming you avoid the dreaded Michelin PAX tires, a set of replacement 21-inch meats will cost you around $2,000, and if you damage an umbrella, expect to pay $800 for a replacement.
Should You Buy A Rolls-Royce Phantom For F-150 Money?
Are you a masochist with a DIY attitude? Yes? Go for it, then. Sure, things will go wrong, sometimes in a seriously expensive manner, but a Phantom is something special. Nothing other than another Rolls-Royce truly feels like it, a feeling of absolute isolation clad in supple leather. However, unless you’re completely mad, I probably wouldn’t recommend buying a Phantom for F-150 money. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful thing, but expecting to run one of these gargantuan sedans on a budget is a bit of a stretch.
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
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“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?”
Rolls Royce cars are cool. But their handmade nature means that if things DO happen to break (they hardly will, because of how expensive they are), it WILL cost a fortune.
Here in Qatar, 2018 models still ask for 1 million riyals.
I’d argue that if you can’t afford someone to drive you around in your Rolls Royce, then you can’t afford said Rolls Royce.
But if you want something to stunt on the other parents in the school pick-up line and instantly give your kiddo a coolness boost, I can’t think of anything better for the price.
F-1tastic?
Even G. K., who loves a somewhat-disgraced-luxury-car bargain, is not quite this daring. The only way I could see this working out is if the Phantom were pressed into duty as some sort of livery car, or a neglected rental, not unlike the 2017 Dawn I rented earlier this year.
P. S. — It’s worth noting that the 2003-2012 Phantom shares its electrical architecture and the prototype-grade gen. 1 iDrive system with the infamous E65 7 Series, as a BMW Group flagship vehicle of that time.
P. P. S. — The L30/L322 Range Rover might have also gotten this same setup if BMW had not sold Land Rover to FoMoCo, as it was also a BMW Group flagship vehicle of that time.
“A new facility on the Goodwood Estate was built to craft a 19-foot-long aluminum spaceframe.”
No, the alumnium spaceframes were produced in Norway then shipped to Denmark for shaping and machining before they were hand-welded in Germany. The Goodwood Estate facility is for painting and final assembly.
Research is so 20th Century…
This seems like a nice one
https://www.classic-trader.com/uk/cars/listing/rolls-royce/phantom/phantom-iii/1938/187907
Nice proper 12 cylinder phantom, without the indignity of an engine, built by those nasty people that were bombing London.
I bet maintenance would probably be way less expensive too
Lovely car, but it does suffer from the indignity of making your front passenger having to do the driving, and without the benefit of air conditioning. ????
Not so sure about the maintenance being cheaper. Sure, it’s a lot simpler, but I’m betting very few of the parts have off-the-shelf mass-produced replacements. You’ll have to track down one of the three old British guys making bespoke parts in their shed.
At first, I misread the title and thought it was comparing the price to a fighter jet. (Not unreasonable for some fancy cars and used planes.)
With the luxurifucation of today’s trucks, I wouldn’t be surprised if soon you could option an F-150 to be the price of a NEW Rolls Royce.
What never ceases to amaze me is people who order up a car which, for the price of a more than average house, can be had in any color in the spectrum…
….and they choose Black.
Or White.
I was thinking the same thing. These examples should be cheap for the lack of color and it’s not bad enough that the outside is so boring, they don’t even have an interesting interior color. Plus, white just makes it look like a wedding rental.
Can you imagine the folks on the production line?
“Well, here comes another lease-special for the U.S. Don’t bother making this a good-un, Lads…”
I like to think I have a pretty strong work ethic backed up by comparisons to anyone else I’ve worked with, but I would absolutely have that attitude. You can literally get these in any color combo imaginable inside and outside and they’ll even keep it exclusive to you and people pick shit-I-need-a-car-immediately-what-Rogues-does-the-local-Nissan-dealer-have-in-stock-white or -black. For a Rogue, sure, but a $1/2M luxury car? I don’t get people.
Money can’t buy good taste. These days, it can’t even lease it.
It could get you a girlfriend with an MFA, but that’s about it.
Good taste is like a limb: some people born without, some others lose it along life.
But you can hire someone with great taste to help you spend correctly and learn.
But you need good enough taste to hire the right person in the first place. Given what I have seen “professional designers” do, that is a high bar to success.
Just to make sure, this has nothing to do with the 2011 F1 Ferrari 150º Italia, or the LaFerrari (project name F150)?
I was thinking that 3.5 million would be be a bit spendy for a Phantom.
I challenge Thomas to do another article on these expensive bits to see if you can keep the esoteric design but replace expensive bits with cheaper high quality parts. Interior problem pay a local shop. Brakes buy same size but better drums and pads. Tires I bet there are far better tires far cheaper. Now that air suspension that’s garbage just get a great shock absorber instead.
<facepalm>