Rolls-Royce Phantom (VIII)
Why 3.5: Doug gave it a perfect 10 for Comfort — the only verdict that matters on a car built entirely around the rear bench. Everything forward of the B-pillar is in service of that seat.
Layout
Natural habitat
Ride comfort
Sound
The 6.75 V12 does the work of moving three silent tonnes and does it superbly. Rolls-Royce then fitted over 100 kilos of insulation and double glazing to ensure you hear none of it, so there is no synthesised layer here and nothing else either.
12-cylinder · turbocharged · 6,000 rpm redline · rated 2.5 / 10 for engine sound
Market value
Median asking price, good condition · €423k (2019) → €419k (2026), trending down · illustrative data
Child seats · ISOFIX
Genuine Rolls-Royce ISOFIX bracket hardware is catalogued for the Phantom's rear seats, and RR publishes a dedicated child-seat suitability reference for the model.
No front ISOFIX documented — Rolls-Royce's child-seat guidance covers the rear only.
Rolls-Royce/BMW Group genuine parts catalogue (ISOFIX bracket 72147005841) (owner-community sourced, not manufacturer documentation)
The long version
Rolls-Royce builds this on the same aluminum spaceframe as every Phantom before it, and the ownership pattern hasn't changed since the marque invented the format a century ago: a meaningful share of buyers never sit up front. Values have barely moved since the VIII launched in 2018, propped up by a customer base that doesn't shop dealer incentives or track depreciation the way ordinary luxury buyers do. It shows up at embassy gates and hotel entrances, chauffeur at the wheel, owner reading in back — the same job the original 1925 Phantom had, just with a starlight headliner standing in for the crank handle.