New Rolls-Royce Phantom revealed: the new model is the first in 15 YEARS and the most tech-laden EVER

THE new Rolls-Royce Phantom has been unveiled and it’s the most technologically advanced model ever.

It’s the painstaking, hand-crafted result of 500 of the finest engineers and designers.

Predictably generous in scale, it boasts the largest “pantheon” grille to date.

But on closer inspection it’s slightly less sheer than the last Phantom benefiting from “a subtle overlay of modernity” as designer Alex Innes so eloquently puts it.

We were given access to the new Phantom deep in the bowels of Bonham’s auction house on London’s New Bond Street.

Having begun in 1925, this eighth interpretation of abject luxury continues the longest standing nameplate in the automotive world.

That said, while previous iterations of Phantoms have shown rather radical evolutions, this eighth model, to the untrained eye shares a great deal, visually, with the outgoing Phantom VII.

But the all-new spaceframe architecture means the new Phantom is lighter, stiffer and quieter – thus theoretically making the fabled “magic carpet ride” even more magical, and presumably, carpety.

It now features four-wheel steering too – a particular boon to the obscenely long extended wheelbase model.

It’s unveiling, set to a revolutionary political background outlawing the combustion engine come 2040, unabashedly boasts an all-new petrol-thirsty lump under it’s vastly proportioned bonnet.

No hybridity going on here – the new Phantom is powered by a monster 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V12 pushing out a whopping 563bhp and 900Nm of torque.

Should you ever feel the need for your driver not to spare the horses, it’ll hustle from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds (5.4 seconds for the extended wheelbase version) and is electronically limited to a top speed of 155mph.

Swing the coach doors open and the interior is a visual feast of space and opulence.

Technology is hidden until you need it and the doors automatically whisper closed drawing your attention to the largest starlight headliner ever – not that there are many to measure it up against, admittedly.

Seat configuration is wonderfully customisable too ranging from individual seats with heated armrests to intimate lounge seats to new sleeping seats.

Opt for the fixed centre console and you’ll benefit from a drinks cabinet complete with whisky glasses, decanter, champagne flutes and cool box.

But it’s up front where the new Phantom largely creates it’s own with what Rolls-Royce like to call, justifiably, ‘The Gallery’.

Where as the last Phantom’s dash was a distinctly old-fashioned affair this latest interpretation retains the monolithic, upright echo of times gone by but the upper section is now behind one long, uninterrupted swathe of glass the width of the cabin.

Dials, though chrome-rimmed, are now multi-functioning LED backlit digital displays but don’t fret, the central analogue clock is still in pride of place.

However, it can now be retracted behind the centre stack if the soft tick-tock becomes too intrusive.

But behind that glass, every owner will have the option of their very own art installation – that is if you’re not in a hurry to get your Phantom on the actual road.

They will be able to choose a favoured artist or designer to work with Rolls-Royce on a bespoke commission.

So far Rolls-Royce have experimented with oil painting inspired by England’s South Downs to silk-based abstractionism to a gold-plated 3D-printed map of an owner’s DNA.

Although on sale in November, Rolls-Royce are keeping tight-lipped on the new Phantom’s price tag – we guess it’s a case of if you have to ask then you can’t afford it.

But expect it to be somewhere north of the previous Phantom’s £350,000 entry point.