A Half-Million-Dollar Convertible Rolls Is the Perfect Ride for Southern Florida
Gallivant
around Miami in a half-million-dollar Rolls-Royce and one of the major
takeaways is this: You'll need to tip generously. Stuff your pockets
with fives and tens and distribute them to valets and porters, shuttle
drivers and various supplicants and sycophants.
Because
when you arrive anywhere in a 2016 Phantom Drophead Coupe, the face of
that monolithic Royce grille always arrives just before you, as tall and
straight as a row of skyscrapers. It is wealth on display.
As
this is a convertible, you won't be hiding behind privacy screens. You
clearly want everyone to see you coming—you've begged them to see you
coming —and trust that the men and women who live by tips are only happy
to show you that accommodation, so you better show them yours.
In a week around Florida, I gave away a heap of cash on tips. It was worth it.
In some locales, your car choice defines you. Southern Florida is one
of those places. In the Sunshine State, Corvettes count and Maseratis
matter. So when I recently took a weeklong vacation with my wife and
three-year-old son to get some end-of-winter sun, I gave a lot of
thought to the perfect Florida ride.
A
convertible, clearly, to sate the needs of our melatonin-deprived skin.
But I needed four seats, so a roadster was out. Besides, as web editor
Travis Okulski recently found,
driving a super-fast exotic around Florida doesn't make a lick of
sense. The roads are straighter than Wally Cleaver and the traffic slow,
so motoring around in the Huracan Spyder becomes a case of sports-car
blue balls.
A convertible Rolls-Royce seemed the answer. Power and prestige in a ride that's meant for cruising and comfort.
And
though I've tested most every type of expensive car, I'd never driven a
convertible Roller. This would be my last chance in a topless Phantom,
as both the Drophead and coupe models are being phased out. The new
Royce convertible is the Dawn, which looks striking but lacks the
colorful "Drophead" nomenclature that is both so odd and apt.
Rolls-Royce
The Phantom Drophead had all the room we'd need, and it was certainly
plush. The glowing hide from coddled cows, the thick lambs-wool mats,
and the beautiful piping and sublime stitching: All what I expect from
Rolls-Royce. Only this time I admired it at 75 miles per hour with the
sun on my neck. (A note to the patience impaired: It takes forever for
the cloth top to open and close. But it gives you an excuse to look busy
while still being gawked at.)
It's a fine car in which to fit in with the Golden Coast glitterati, as
the car starts at just under $500,000. The extras brought our Black
Kirsch Roller to $579,575, including the $2600 gas guzzler tax.
Want
to cause a scene? Pull it curbside at a busy airport, drop the top and .
. . put in a child seat. A small crowd gathered as I wrestled our seat
into the rear. The airport security attendant walked up, laughed
heartedly, and said, "I've never seen a car seat in one of those
before!" She didn't even ask to us to move along.
Soon we were sailing north, using a mix of freeways and A1A, the lazy
beachside road that travels along the coast. We were headed to Vero
Beach north of Ft. Lauderdale, but stopped frequently along the way. My
son, Max, was sitting high enough to wave out the window and got plenty
of bemused reactions. (I fear that he's come to expect the attention. In
his toddler's mind, he must be famous.)
The Phantom has a 6.7-liter V12 with 453 horsepower and 531
pound-feet of torque, and it never wants for power. You can take a
highway onramp with the confidence of a god. But neither is it the kind
of engine that urges you to zero to 60 blasts. So, again, well suited
to Florida. You'll soon be stuck at a light anyhow.
Perhaps it is unkind, but I occasionally referred to the Phantom as a truck.
The car is not meant to dodge in and out of tight traffic. It is big
and barge-like. But not for too much longer. All Rolls-Royce models will
go to space-frame aluminum frames in 2018, including the regular
Phantom. This will save weight and make the car more wieldy. Perhaps it
is unkind, but I occasionally referred to the Phantom as a truck.
The best thing about the coupe's layout are the rear-hinged coach
doors. They are the longest doors you'll likely see in a production car,
with the handles located at the extreme front. Hotel valets take a long
moment to figure out how to open them for you, which conveniently gives
you enough time to find a fiver in your wallet. And don't park too
close to another car or you won't be able to get out.
At
the end of the trip, hundreds of miles of happy and sun-filled motoring
behind us, I pulled my family and the Rolls into the valet area of an
offsite airport parking lot. The shuttle driver rushed over to us,
eagerly grabbing up our bags. I told him our airline and he asked,
expectantly, "First class?"
