The age of the elegant, formal carriage-trade limousine has long since passed in the world of modern cars. The art of building such vehicles was only truly practised in Britain, and it faded with the demise of the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI in '92 and, to a lesser degree, the Daimler DS420 at around the same time. The reasons were manifold but hard - and expensive - to ignore: safety legislation, type-approval irritations, and the cost of skilled labour able to form aluminium and hard woods into the graceful forms these traditional bodies required.
Too low-volume to justify production-line tooling, these specialised limousines-vehicles that had more in common with the horsedrawn broughams and landaulettes of 150 years previously than the modern 'stretched' equivalents - took months to build. They were always created to order, never for stock, and by necessity hugely expensive, which further reduced their potential audience.
It was a market that was dwindling anyway.
As ordinary large cars became easier to drive and handle generally, the need for chauffeur transport even among the very wealthy was in decline. Why employ a driver when it was such a pleasure to take the wheel of your Silver Shadow? Who really needed massive amounts of legroom and seven seats in a 20ft-long car to travel a world in which such decadence might, increasingly, be frowned upon? Most Phantom Vs had Park Ward or Mulliner Park Ward bodies. The 1959 Phantom V - the first Rolls-Royce to use the name since the demise of the 'Royalty only' straight-eight Phantom IV had been under development as Project Siam since 1955.
It was a well-judged extrapolation of the new Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II technology, which still meant massive drum brakes (with gearboxdriven servo assistance) and a live rear axle, but now with the new, all-aluminium 6.2-litre V8 of undisclosed, but 'adequate' outputs.
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Denne historien er fra August 2024-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
