2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

In the automotive world, nothing says tradition, exclusivity, and dyed-in-the-wool wealth better than a car from Rolls-Royce. Exuding class and history, the company has always strived for cars with impeccable style and excellence. Case in point, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. With dropdead droptop appeal, it just may be the dreamiest Rolls-Royce yet.

If you’ve always dreamed of owning the ultimate convertible, then your fantasy car may well look like the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.  This modern take on the classic Rolls convertible is the most ultra-exclusive sunshine machine on the road.

The Drophead Coupe shares its basic architecture with an all-aluminum space-frame with the Phantom sedan, but all body panels are unique to the Drophead. The Drophead Coupe’s styling is very recognizably Rolls-Royce but pushes the grand old English marque’s exterior design into brave new territory.

Behind a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy is a long brushed stainless steel bonnet and an inlaid teak tonneau cover. While both are extravagant options, at $17,000 for the pair they are at home on the Drophead’s yacht-like form. The teak decking is protected from the weather by a form fitting, cashmere-lined convertible top with five layers of sound insulation.

Eccentricities continue with vintage front-swinging coach doors, with modern electric power assisted closing and the “picnic boot” trunk lid that provides an instantly available seat for high style tailgating, and it can support 330 pounds.

The Drophead Coupe does exude the same massive slab-sided aura as the Phantom sedan, but while still over 18-feet long, it’s about 10-inches shorter in both length and wheelbase than the Phantom 4-door. The front end has also been softened to give it a more streamlined look.

Moving such a substantial car, one that weighs just shy of 3 tons, is parent BMW’s 6.8-liter 48-valve direct-injection V12 with variable-valve-timing. Output is 453-horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. The power flow to the rear wheels is controlled by a six-speed ZF-built automatic shift-by-wire gearbox.  This combination pushes the Drophead Coupe to performance levels that company founders Charles Rolls and Henry Royce could never have dreamed of.

0-to-60 takes a mere 6.0 seconds, while the quarter-mile rolls by in 14.7 seconds at 97 miles-per-hour. Tremendous mass and a complex traction control system mean that launches are soft, but once it’s plowing ahead, the Drophead builds momentum like a battle cruiser. Shifts are slow, but very slick, while noise and vibration from the drivetrain are virtually nonexistent.

The Drophead’s suspension is a front double wishbone and rear multi-link architecture with self-leveling air struts. This greatly reduces body roll, and along with a BMW-style 50/50 weight distribution, gives the car a very stable feel.

Turn-ins are very slow, however, and the speed-sensitive variable-rate steering delivers only minimal information to the driver, but that same package allows the Drophead Coupe to glide over most road surfaces, ruts and all, and the standard 20-inch or optional 21-inch wheels, with weight saving ceramic cores, wear low-profile run-flat tires for extra security.

Braking is by big 4-wheel discs with ABS and Brake Assist. They drop the Drophead down from 60 in an acceptable 131 feet. Stability is top notch, and the feel is smooth enough to please a prince.

Of course opulence is integral to the Rolls-Royce brand, and the Drophead delivers with everything from lavish amounts of fine leather to a hidden umbrella for that rainy English, or New England, weather.  Plus modern amenities like a Lexicon 420-watt 15-speaker audio system, hideaway navigation screen and video cameras at both ends, to assist in parking, or just seeing oncoming traffic.

For the record, the Phantom Drophead Coupe earns Government Fuel Economy Ratings of 11 city/18 highway. This certainly explains the $3,000 gas guzzler tax. And that is before a base price of 409,000! Add in the gas tax and our car’s $30,390 worth of options, and you get a final price of $442,390. 

At that level, it’s difficult to see the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe as just a car. Rather, it is a rolling asset that is a lot more pleasurable, and reliable, than the current stock market. Indeed, sales of the Drophead Coupe are doing well.

While being one of the most ostentatious examples of wealth on the planet, the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is still a fascinating machine, and a credit to the dreamers at Goodwood who made it reality.