That there is a new Rolls Royce Phantom in the making is already known. The new Phantom will replace the current version that has seen thirteen years of continuous production run. Towards that, a prototype of the same has also been seen recently undergoing tests in Spain, BMW Blog reported.
However, that was a solo test car caught doing some hard cornering exercises in what surely is an attempt to ensure the company's famed 'magic carpet' riding quality is passed on to the next Phantom iteration as well. And now, as AutoEvolution found out, there is another prototype that has been found towing a cargo trailer in some mountainous regions of Spain.
Of course the company isn't letting out any details of what the forthcoming Phantom will be like or what these tests are aimed at. What is amply clear though is that the company isn't leaving any stone unturned to ensure the new Phantom has enough grunt to take on a renewed competition - read the new facelifted Bentley Mulsanne.
The current Phantom makes do with a 12-pot naturally aspirated engine rated at 453 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. No news as to what the new Phantom will have under its expansive hood though a V12 won't be too far off the mark. It will also have loads of torque to give it some lugging power, something that the most recent prototype could have been tested for while pulling a trailer in high altitude regions.
As for the choice of fuel, full electric version might still be some way off though plug-in hybrid or pure hybrid options could be introduced either during launch or sometime post that. For pointers, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV is already tipped to have a PHEV version and the same for the Phantom can't be ruled out either.
That apart, the new Phantom is also believed to be sitting on a new lightweight platform based on BMW's CLAR or Cluster Architecture. Made of high-strength steel, aluminium and carbon fiber, the new platform should lead to a weight saving of around 130 kilos. Even then, the 2018 Phantom would still be weighing above two tons.
Winds of change would also be sweeping across the interiors as well with two TFT displays replacing the usual dose of gauges and switches that adorned the dashboard of Phantom's so far. As has recently been revealed in a few spy shots courtesy of AutoBlog, one of the displays will serve as the instrument cluster while the other would be the infotainment display.
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