Power & might

The car has nine new exterior hues, and there's a palette of 44,000 colours available. Order yours in a deep, dark, diamond-speckled finish with the stainless steel bonnet and A-pillar surrounds.

Yes, it takes hours of polishing to attain that level of lustre but stronger shades bring out the contrasts at the back of this naturally handsome car, bestowing a more muscular attitude.

The classic cues of the Rolls identity are there, but the high waistline, subtle bulges over the rear wheel arches and pillar-box back window add an incongruous street-rod persona. Somehow it all works.

Phantom owners will find familiarity from the driver's seat, but on the thicker steering wheel they'll discover a button marked with an 'S'. This tightens up the transmission with longer holds on acceleration and quicker kickdowns, plus improved throttle response.

That something so bulky (at 2,590kg, it's not as heavy as you'd think, being largely aluminium-bodied) should charge off the line  is astounding. It doesn't feel as quick as the 0-100kph in 5.8 seconds that is claimed.

That's mostly because a quiet cocoon of quality insulates you, with the suspension receiving stiffer rear dampers with a thicker anti-roll bar. And partly because a casual against-the-wristwatch run proved it wasn't.

It impresses in the realm of dynamics that few drivers will explore. Owners won't be trading in their Ferraris and Porsches or turning up at track days. Throwing this car into corners is akin to doing loop-the-loops in an Airbus A380. But it will do it.

A 49:51 weight split means it's remarkably accepting of changes in direction at speed, with understeer nowhere near as barrier-encountering as you might think.

This is neither a warp-speed grand tourer in the mould of a Bentley GT Speed, nor a sophisticated street brawler in the style of the Aston Martin DBS.

As an alternative to the Saloon its practicality is compromised and it doesn't have the panache of the Drophead. But of the three it's the one you could and should use every day if you enjoy a suitably exalted status in life. Lucky you.

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