Engineers of Rolls-Royce are still in Germany where work on the refreshed Rolls-Royce Phantom continues. Our spy photographers captured a prototype of the ultra-luxurious sedan testing on public roads and under a closer inspection, we found that this is the very same test car that we spied in January this year. Surprisingly, it now has more camouflage than before.
The previous time we saw the car, it had very little disguise covering the radiator grille and headlights. These new shots reveal additional concealment has been put to the front fascia and portions of the front fenders. The camouflage foil doesn’t seem to be hiding significant tweaks at the front, though it’s too early to tell what the final design would be.
Gallery: Rolls-Royce Phantom facelift new spy photos
One thing we know for sure, however, is that the headlights will get new internal graphics. The thoroughly masked radiator grille could also gain small changes. At the back, there’s also a surprisingly big amount of camouflage considering everything looks exactly as the model that is still on sale. Given that, we expect this to be a very minor facelift with very few and minimal visual touches.
As a side note, the Spirit of Ecstasy logo on the front grille is tucked away. All the badges around the body remain hidden under a black tape, including those on the self-leveling center caps. We don’t expect new visual expressions for the exterior ornamentation, though.
Not much new is expected in the engine department, as well. The 6.75-liter V12 engine with two turbochargers will likely carry over with almost no changes. Software tweaks could make it slightly more efficient in order to meet the ever-stricter emissions standards on the European market.
Judging by these new photos, the Phantom will likely get a new model year rather than a traditional facelift. We should know more in the coming months so stay tuned.
