Oldest Nameplates still in production part I : Rolls Royce Phantom

Using a good selling name plate has been a used and used again formula by marketers world over. Not only in the automobile industry but also other segments. When a product is successful using the same name to cross sell or upsell is the usual mantra. It should not come as a surprise then if some of the oldest name plates still in production in the world are more than 80 years old. One such name plate is the Rolls Royce Phantom.

  
Phantom I  (1925-1931)

Every Phantom today is hand-built at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood in England. From seamstresses to surface finish technicians and French polishers, it takes 60 pairs of hands to design, craft and construct a Rolls-Royce before it's ready for its owner. Now if the same process made all the Rolls Royce phantom, the history dates back to 1925. The year when the Phantom I was manufactured. When the time came to replace the premium car Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, Rolls Royce came up with Phantom I. The manufacturer from Manchester gave the Phantom I a bigger engine and overhead valves. Being the second 40/50 hp model Rolls Royce had to differentiate the two models from old Silver Ghost and hence the Phantom I was born . The 7668cc engines came with either 3 or 4 speed gearboxes based on either they were sold in the US or the UK. Also while the fuel guage on UK models was on the tank, the US cars had it on the dash.

Phantom II (1929-1936)

The last of the 40/50 hp models from Rolls Royce, the Phantom II is undoubtedly the best looking car in the lineup ever made. The new chassis had shorter wheelbase and stiffer springs for better overall ride and handling performance. The same 7668 Inline 6-cylinder engine did duty on this car as the previous version. A shorter wheelbase but tuned Phantom Continental was also built. The iconic shape has also landed the car in films such as 'The sorcerer's apprentice' where it is the sorcere's (Nicholas Cage) car and ' Indiana Jones and the last crusade'.

Phantom III ( 1936-1939)

The last version of the Rolls Royce built before the resources were dedicated to the war.  The car had the only V12 engine in any Rolls Royce until Rolls Royce put in another v12 in 1998. Although car chassis production was stopped in 1939, the last car was made in 1947. A total of 727 cars were manufactured, many of which survive to this day.

Phantom IV (1950-1956)

The fourth generation of Phantom is notable for two major reasons. Firstly, it was the first Rolls Royce Phantom to be built after the World War II where most of the company resources were diverted. Secondly, very few cars were made and only for the rich and elite. Only 18 cars were produced over a span of 6 years which brings the number to 3 cars per year. Surprisingly, 16 of these cars have survived. The fact is ironic considering Rolls Royce had initially intended to discontinue the Phantom line after the world war II. The car had an inline 8 cylinder engine with a 5700 cubit capacity.

Phantom V

516 units of the Phantom V were built from 1959 to 1963. The car had a 6230cc V8 engine. The gearbox for the car was borrowed from General Motors. The heaviest of all the phantoms, very few examples of this car exist. The most famous of the Phantom V's was owned by the John Lennon of the Beatles fame.

Phantom VI

374 units of the Phantom VI were built between  1968 and 1990. The sixth generation was also in production for the longest time of all phantoms totalling 21 years. Two engines were installed on this car, A 6.2 litre v8 and a 6.75 litre v8.More Phantom VI were also built as late as 1995 till 1997 for the sultan of Brunei. THis was the last car manufactured before the BMW era of Rolls Royce began.

Phantom VII

The first Phantom built under BMW ownership was the Phantom VII. The car is still in production from 2003.  The BMW era Phantom is also the first Phantom to not have a 4 speed gearbox but a hi-tech 6 speed automatic and 8 speed zf sourced automatic boxes. The engine is a 6.75 litre v12. The car is available in 44000 paint shades. Also it is ithe only car in the world to provide a power reserve indicator akin to an Automatic watch. A record 1000+ phantom Vii units were sold in 2007. A 2013 version has been launched by Rolls Royce as Series II with major updates.

Normal 87 Octane vs. Premium 91 Octane. Which petrol?

Since the time premium fuels have entered the market, Consumers have had to deal with more than just confusion and misconceptions. Some said, low octane gives same performance as high octane while some said high octane gives you more power and mileage.

So, what needs to go in your car? In one word, 87 Octane if you drive from home to office in a regular car.
That's not to say that 91 Octane doesn't serve its purpose.

At the time of writing this article, fuel prices in India have reduced by 90 paise.  The current prices stand as mentioned below.

87 Octane - INR 72.16 per liter ( 4.92 USD per gallon)
91 Octane - INR 81.57 per liter ( 5.59 USD per gallon)

Even if you are sure premium fuel helps in increasing the efficiency, it has to be atleast 15% more to justify the higher fuel price. But here are some facts you need to know.

1. Read the manual: Cars and bikes today are compatible to a variety of fuels. To cater to various engines gas companies have also taken the extra step and now we have fuels ranging from E85( Ethanol) to regular 87 Octane all the way till 97 Octane. Yes, it's true that some high-end cars like Ferrari and Bentley's run only on 97 Octane but running your cars on such fuels will not make your cars go faster; your wallets might be lighter though. Ferrari's and Bentleys can run on normal petrol too if the company programs the ecu's to let them. All it will do is reduce the Horsepower numbers which they so bravely boast.

When in doubt stick to the manual. The manual on my Mitsubishi Lancer suggests atleast 87 Octane while the manual for Honda Fit/ Jazz and Royal Enfield Suggest to use 91 Octane petrol or higher. If you are not sure what to use, stick to what is recommended. I fill premium petrol when any of my car is to go through heavy stress (extreme stop and go traffic for 10+ kms or hill climbs).

PS: Most Premium fuels are just regular fuels mixed with Octane boosters. You can fill regular fuel and go for Octane boosters for much lesser money.

2. Your ECU knows: Almost all new cars of today have emission sensors fitted. These sensors have the ability to detect what petrol is being used and tune the engine accordingly. So irrespective of which fuel you use, your car will make the best use of that fuel. If it is 87 Octane the car will lower the compression and if the fuel is 91, it will burn the fuel completely.

PS: Higher Octane count doesn't mean the petrol has more energy, in fact higher Octane has less energy than 87 Octane.

3. Compression Ratio :  The ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity is called compression ratio. The higher the ratio, the more it makes sense to use a premium fuel and lower the ratio, better it is to use normal fuel. In such a case if normal fuel is used in a high compression engine, the engine is susceptible to engine knocking. So the next time your engine knocks, check for the fuel used.

4. Engine type: Naturally aspirated small capacity engines used by people everywhere are not able to make efficient use of Premium fuels. The benefits from using premium fuels in such cars will draw minor benefits. On the other hand big engines/ turbocharged cars will make better use of premium fuels. Hence a Ferrari will run better on a 97 Octane while our small engined Tata cars will run better on 87 octane.

5. Driving Style: Our driving styles affect the petrol usage a lot. The amount of fuel as per requirement from the gas pedal is sprayed into the engine via a Fuel Pressure regulator. When the gas pedal is pressed more, more fuel is sprayed. Sometimes a 91 Octane fuel burns more thus requiring less fuel to be sprayed. But on the other hand, at lower rpms, the lower amount of fuel sprayed leads to loss of torque and engine jerking. Sudden accelerations in a car with wrong fuel will have negative effect. So we also need to keep in mind our driving style. A heavy gas pedal usage in the city will require lower octane while you can make use of premium fuel on the highways with light gas pedal usage.