Rolls-Royce back in the land of maharajas

Rolls-Royce, the last word in automobile luxury, plans to launch the all-new Phantom in India for around Rs 3.5 crore.

The new Phantom will be imported to India by Navnit Motors, a company that has been importing BMWs for the last 10 years.

BMW builds Rolls-Royces from a brand new plant at Goodwood, near London. BMW acquired the naming rights from the unsuspecting Volkswagen, which ended up with the original factory and the rights to build Bentley cars after an hostile war of bids in 1999.

Rolls-Royce celebrated its 100th anniversary in May this year, and has been building cars named after silent things because that has been the selling point ever since the Silver Ghost earned the title of the 'best car in the world' in 1907.

The original Ghost was followed by Wraiths, Spirits, Shadows, Clouds and Phantoms.

Launched at the 2003 Detroit motor show, the Phantom is built around an aluminium space frame and features a monstrous 6,750cc V12 engine.

The first Phantom in India will go to a rich industrialist family based in Pune, Maharashtra, and the second one is slated to go to a keen Rolls-Royce enthusiast in Baroda.

THe Roll-Royce Phantom. Photograph: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images

Also see: India's most expensive cars