Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will reveal a new model to their Phantom line at the Geneva Motor Show on the 4th March 2008. The Phantom Coupé will stand alongside the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé and production is due to start in the summer at Goodwood.

The Phantom Coupé is described by Rolls-Royce as the most driver-orientated model of the Phantom range. With a 25% increase in fuel capacity compared to the Phantom Drophead Coupé. The Phantom Coupé is the most torsionally rigid car Rolls-Royce have ever produced. These two factors along with the 453 BHP normally aspirated 6.75-litre V12 will on paper make this a great grand tourer.

Like the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé, the Phantom Coupé features rear-hinged doors which aids access to the rear lounge seats. New to the Phantom line is a picnic boot. A split rear tailgate opens to create a comfortable seating platform, which sounds ideal for an impromptu picnic. The interior also shows the LED roof lining, first seen in the limited edition Phantom Tungsten.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said “Rolls-Royce has always been about pace, performance and style. For the Coupé design we gave the quintessential Rolls-Royce design a dynamic twist. This adds a sense of drama to the outstanding engineering and drivability that are fundamentals of Rolls-Royce cars. The dynamic drive of the Phantom has always come as a surprise to customers and the Coupé takes it one step further.”

If the Phantom Coupé performs half as good as it looks, it will give the Bentley Continental GT a run for it’s money. We will have to wait for the Geneva Motor Show to see this stunning car in the flesh.

The term “eco-friendly” would probably not be the first word that comes into your head when you think of Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce may indeed make the world’s finest cars, but manufacturers like Toyota and Lexus could argue that their hybrid vehicles are the greenest.

Yet in an interesting video interview with Ian Robertson, Chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd. Lou Ann Hammond on CarList.com, an expert in alternative energy technologies, probes Mr Robertson for some details of Rolls-Royce’s environmental commitment.

There can be no doubt, that in this day and age of throw away products - use them then bin them. Rolls-Royce are leagues ahead of any other car manufacturer. Since 1904 when the first Rolls-Royce cars were produced, between 70 and 75 percent of the cars are still on the road! What is the life expectancy of the Prius or a G-Wiz? Are they designed for 100 000 miles or 100 years?

When you take a look at how the latest generation of Phantoms are manufactured, then the eco-friendly Rolls-Royce argument is even more valid. The aluminium used in the production is all sourced from a hydro plant in Norway. The Goodwood Rolls-Royce factory has an eight acre living roof, storm water is recycled to help cool the building and the use of large windows reduces the factory’s use of energy for lighting. So although at first glance a Rolls-Royce would not be the vehicle to take on the next eco rally, in some ways it is up there with some of the most frugal vehicles.

The aluminium space-frame of the Phantom helps it achieve class leading fuel economy and CO2 emissions of any car in the ultra-luxury segment. Although a huge car, it weighs a fraction less than the Bentley Continental Flying Spur which helps make it very efficient - for it’s size.

When quizzed about future power plants for Rolls-Royce, Mr Robertson would not rule out even diesel engines, a rumour I have heard about the new “Baby Rolls” aka RR4 too. What would really be fabulous would be to see a fuel cell powered Rolls-Royce. BMW the parent company, have been hard at work developing the BMW Hydrogen 7. The trouble with hydrogen is that there is no nation wide distribution structure set up. Almost like the age old conundrum - which comes first - the chicken or the egg? This is a problem that will hopefully be addressed in years rather than decades, but I for one would love to see a hydrogen powered Rolls-Royce.

I have discussed the Rolls-Royce bespoke programme before. But John Griffiths writing for the FT has gleamed some interesting details about the bespoke service in his road test of the dazzling Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé - Steel fist in a velvet glove.

Mr Griffiths writes a very warm and glowing review of his experience road testing this beautiful convertible. “It is a pussycat to drive: amiable, cosseting, only demanding the driver pay serious attention if the mighty, steel-fist-in-a-velvet-glove performance of its 6.7 litre V12 is released to the full. At that point, it unfurls the spinnaker, so to speak, and really sets up a wash: 62mph comes up from standstill in 5.9 seconds and the surge is relentless towards a top speed of 149mph.”

As you might expect from the FT, the question of money is never far away. There is perhaps nobody better qualified than the manager of the bespoke division, Mr Clive Woolmer, to answer this question. “Individualism is a fundamental part of Rolls-Royce,” says Woolmer.

It is not too uncommon for customers to hand over a cheque for £1 million for their unique Rolls-Royce. Making the price of a “standard” Phantom Drophead Coupé of £307,000 seem like a steal.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé has helped Rolls-Royce achieve their best ever year. 2007 sales were up 25 per cent, compared to 2006, with Rolls-Royce selling 1010 cars. This is the first time sales reached four figures and the fourth successive sales increase since BMW took the helm in 2003.

75 per cent of sales were for the four door models - the Phantom and the Phantom Extended wheelbase, but it was the stunning Phantom Drophead Coupé, which was launched in the summer which really helped the volume increase.

“Everybody at Rolls-Royce is delighted with this tremendous result which marks our fifth anniversary in the best possible way,” said Ian Robertson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “It confirms Rolls-Royce as the most desirable brand in the super luxury market and is a credit to the passion and dedication of our teams at Goodwood and around the world. The customer reaction to the Drophead Coupé has been astonishing, exceeding all our expectations.”

2008 looks like being another great year for the Goodwood based company. They plan to launch a two-door coupé model based on the Phantom. Looking further forward to 2010, the “baby Rolls-Royce” (codename RR4) will start competing against the Bentley Continental range.