As quintessentially British as afternoon tea and scones, as King Charles’s London home of Buckingham Palace, as England’s soccer team always failing at the last hurdle to win any trophies…the very name of Rolls-Royce recalled a time when half the map was the color of the British Empire.

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But then, like some enormous irony (especially if you are aware which national soccer team England so often has fallen by the wayside against in international competitions), in July 1998 – following a tight fight with local rivals Volkswagen – Rolls-Royce was bought by Germany’s BMW. Wouldn’t you have believed that if founders the Hon. Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce had foreseen a day when stewardship of the world’s most prestigious nameplate would pass to a company headquartered in Munich they would have turned in their graves?

And to put to work that state-of-the-art new works/headquarters, Rolls-Royce within four years delivered a brand new automobile, the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII, a supercar that surpassed all expectations, delivering smooth, seemingly endless power, a splendid example of which we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club.

This 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom is featured with 86,783 miles on the odometer and finished in its factory color Silver gracefully complemented with a Magnolia interior. It comes equipped with an automatic transmission, 6.8-liter V12 engine, courtesy lights, side marker lights, chrome trim, retractable Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, Michelin tires, and alloy wheels.

Additional convenience features include air conditioning, electrically adjustable front seats, outside rearview mirrors (electrically controlled), power-operated windows, cruise control, center console, rear picnic trays, AM/FM radio, cup holders, and sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors. This particular example comes with an owner’s manual booklet, providing valuable information about the vehicle’s features and maintenance. Additionally, it includes receipt copies totaling $78,913.57 invested into the vehicle in 2023, demonstrating the meticulous care and attention that has been invested into this vehicle.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII was the seventh generation of the Phantom model that was first introduced in 1925. The movie star Fred Astaire owned and drove a Phantom 1 whilst John Lennon famously painted his Phantom V in the psychedelic style of a Romany gypsy wagon.

Ever since the first model rolled off the production line in 1925, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has been the last word in luxury motoring, used by the rich, famous and powerful around the world. Owners of the Phantom VII included media mogul Simon Cowell, Kim Kardashian and soccer superstar David Beckham, actor Jamie Foxx and rap-star 50 Cent.

The Phantom features a unique chassis platform, body, and interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminum.

Rolls-Royce claimed a 0-to-60 sprint of 5.7 seconds, with a top speed for Euro models of 149 mph. On the U.S. cars, Rolls-Royce substituted all-season versions of the Michelin PAX System run-flat sport tires used elsewhere, which limited top speed to 130 mph.

The Phantom’s interiors evoke the Art Deco period and no other car maker uses wood and leather to better effect than this. Every one of the Phantom’s 60 wooden inserts is hand-finished in the Goodwood factory, and most surfaces are covered by 500 pieces of leather sourced from 18 animal hides, the interior roof being coated in cashmere.

Cashmere? Wasn’t a Led Zeppelin track called that? Oh no, it’s ‘Kashmir.’ Sorry if I seem confused.

I’m simply entranced by The Best Car in the World.

-Alex Manos, Owner