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.