By: Lee Nian Tjoe

IN CROZET, FRANCE

This car has a thumping V12 engine for a heart. Its pistons pump out 453bhp and 720Nm of torque. From rest, it will dash to 100kmh in 5.8 seconds. Give it enough road and it will keep accelerating till 250kmh.

Rolls-Royce calls its third and latest member of the Phantom family its 'most driver-oriented model'.

Like the convertible Drophead Coupe that was launched last year, the Phantom Coupe has a shorter wheelbase than the saloon, so it is less unwieldy.

With a solid metal roof and just two doors, the coupe also has a suitably rigid body. To beef up the dynamics department, it has firmer suspension to connect the driver closer to the road and there is even a button on the steering wheel marked S to smarten up the gearbox for those exciting motoring moments.

But do not call the coupe a sports car. It is closer in spirit to four first-class seats on the supersonic Concorde. You see, even with the sportier attributes, it is first and foremost a Rolls-Royce.

The driver's perch is higher than the average family car's (read: not sporty) and even with the beefed-up suspension, the coupe is still a soft-riding car (also not sporty).

Unless you happen to have a magic carpet in the garage, it is hard to imagine a car with a more supple ride.

And as monstrous as its 6.75-litre engine is, it is made to deliver refinement above all else. Whether at 90kmh or 180kmh, the coupe's heartbeat is virtually undetectable. It just wafts silently along and begins to whisper only when it crosses 200kmh.

Non-genie types will be happy to know that it is easier to steer the coupe than a piece of airborne Persian rug. Its steering system has been tuned to give more feedback than the other Phantoms and the wheel has a thicker rim to send the information to the driver's palms.

The brake pedal also offers more directness. But even if you stomp on it, the coupe resists the natural tendency to dive.

Spend a bit of time with the coupe (in our case, more than 450km) and its various other propositions 'comes to light'.

Dotting the ceiling are 1,600 fibre-optic diodes that make the Starlight headlining. They make looking up from the car's plush leather chairs quite an experience. You imagine it is probably not unlike what Galileo viewed from his observatory 400 years ago. Or at least a cloudless, moonless night shared with your Significant Other, gazing at a blanket of stars as the diodes beam a soft but insistent glow.

'Star light, star bright, first 1,600 stars I see tonight...'

The rest of the cabin is rather similar to the Phantom's standard fare in terms of materials used. There are a farm's worth of the finest cow hides, a foundry of exquisite metal work and a forest of wood applied in the most traditional fashion.

But a typical Roller cabin is hard to define, thanks to an extensive bespoke programme that offers nearly infinite customising options.

Rolls-Royce says its customers typically own at least six cars. If it is a sports car they feel like piloting, they will probably have a couple in the stable that fits the bill.

With the coupe, it is not sheer performance but a misty-eyed romanticism associated with traditional grand touring that swings votes.

The writer is the editor of Torque, published by SPH magazines.

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COUPE

Price: $1.6 million
Engine: 6,749cc 48-valve V12
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 453bhp at 5,350rpm
Torque: 720Nm at 3,500rpm
0-100kmh: 5.8 seconds
Top speed: 250kmh (electronically limited)
Fuel consumption: 15.7 litres/100km (city-highway)
Agent: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Singapore

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 05 July, 2008.