Designworks has the opportunity to quietly shape some of BMW’s greatest successes. Time and time again, the Californian studio has influenced cars that have redefined entire segments. While the story of Designworks and BMW Before the reborn Rolls-Royce Phantom stunned the luxury world, design began in a small California studio – and not, as you might imagine, in rainy Goodwood or Munich. There, a designer named Marek Djordjevic laid the foundation for the most important Rolls-Royce of modern times.
Designworks, where good design is a habit
As with the E46’s California design story, unfortunately we can’t show you any sketches that Designworks representatives shared with us. So you have to take our word for it. Similar to the fateful 3 Series design, the original Rolls-Royce Phantom framework was created as part of a company-wide and global design competition. According to the Designworks spokesperson, both the sedan and convertible Phantom designs (Drophead) came from the California studio. In the photos shared, a first prototype with BMW wheels could be seen, as there were apparently no wheels in the right size yet. The car was “too new,” said the spokesman.
It can at least be argued that Designworks winning the design tender for the Rolls-Royce Phantom is an even greater achievement than the BMW 3 Series E46 or the now ubiquitous X5. After all, the Phantom is at the top of both the Rolls and BMW portfolios. More importantly, this particular Phantom was of course the first designed after BMW took over Rolls-Royce. The reinvented Phantom of the early 2000s simply had to be good for BMW’s takeover to make sense. Of course, considering that BMW had been after Rolls-Royce for almost a decade before it finally came into ownership of the company, there was virtually no chance that the brand wouldn’t have been prepared for the uphill battle to revitalize the stagnating brand.
BMW’s battle for Rolls-Royce began with the Phantom VII
Of course, they had no choice but to start from scratch. When BMW took over Rolls-Royce, their hands were full. Because Volkswagen retained most of the rights to the physical features surrounding the Rolls-Royce brand, BMW had to design a car that contained almost no remnants of the Silver Seraph, the brand’s former flagship. A new Pantheon grille and Spirit of Ecstasy were just some of the crucial details that were eventually touched up when the new Phantom – also known as Phantom VII – came to life.
The car has grown significantly compared to the last top model, and for good reason. For a car as important and expensive as the Phantom, truly magnificent proportions were required. It was over a foot longer than the Silver Seraph and grew in every other way too. Under the hood was a larger 6.75-liter V12 engine and newer models of the Phantom VII even received an eight-speed automatic transmission. Most importantly, the car is widely credited with putting Rolls back at the forefront of high-end luxury cars. Perhaps thanks to its great reception, the Phantom remained in production for almost fifteen years, with the last models leaving the factory in 2017. And none of this would have been possible without a small design studio in Southern California.
