The Rolls-Royce Phantom is pricey, but the exquisite car's details make it worth it

 At a time when everyone’s wallet seems empty, driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom, with a base price of $340,000,   seems smugly indifferent to the nation’s deteriorating economy.

But those who can afford to buy such a car will tell you that this is a typical cycle  and that the economy will rebound. As for me, my test drive coincided with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars  appearance at the national Rolls-Royce Owners Club  meet in Williamsburg in late June.

Sitting in front of the Williamsburg Lodge, the car’s massive size matched by an equally large price tag, the question arises, “Is this vehicle worth it?”

Well, yes. Consider:

- Except for the trunk, the entire car, including the hand-welded frame, is made from aluminium . 

- The body and floor are double-walled, with the floor space used as a sub woofer for the Lexicon audio system, which uses studio-grade components and 15 speakers to deliver 420 watts of sound.

- The rear doors are rear-hinged, allowing for graceful entry and exit. An umbrella is housed in each, so your driver can provide all-weather protection as you exit. The rear doors close at a touch of a button.

- The interior is finished almost entirely in leather or book-matched veneers, the latter available in any wood finish you desire.  -Rolls-Royce leather comes from beef cattle, so animals aren’t killed merely for their hides. However, only bull hides are used; cows have stretch marks. Between 15 and 18 hides are used in each car.

- The lamb’s wool carpets are thicker than your wallet.

- The rear seats – aside from having such features as a champagne cooler, writing tables and video screens – can be ordered with  a “constellation roof,” which uses LEDs to re-create the stars in the nighttime sky at any  time of year.

- The exterior-wheel centers are weighted, so that the Rolls-Royce logo is always upright as the tires rotate.

- A rear camera aids the driver when backing up. The Phantom also has a pair of cameras up front – one pointed left, one pointed right – that give the driver views of the road while pulling out blind from the walled estate.

- The Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is power-operated and lowers when the car shuts off to prevent theft.

Extravagant? Yes. Timeless? Definitely.

 Unlike any other car produced today, the Phantom captures the glamour of other eras.

The car can be ordered in regular and extended wheelbases. At 19 feet long, the regular-wheelbase car  is longer than even a Lincoln Town Car.  The extended-wheelbase car is slightly larger than a Manhattan apartment. Even my legs, and I’m taller than 6-foot-2, can be fully extended in it. Roof-mounted vanity mirrors and fold-down writing desks invite you to ask  for Dijon mustard.

Beyond the indulgence, the driving experience is at once of another era  and thoroughly up to date.

The driver faces a large steering wheel and column-mounted, six-speed automatic transmission that can’t be manually shifted.

The steering  is designed to be light to the touch – only two or three fingers are needed to grip  the wheel just below its horizontal spokes – but there’s still enough road feel to be effective.

When accelerating from a dead stop, the car always starts in second gear to ensure a smooth ride. Pressing a button on the steering wheel allows it to start in first, if needed.

There’s plenty of power from the Phantom’s 6.75-liter V12, which is rated at 463 horsepower. Yes, other luxury cars have more, but this car’s point is effortless cruising, not 0-to-60-mph runs. (5.7 seconds, for the record, with a top speed of 149 mph.)

Of course, the steering, braking and handling are exemplary.

And the gas mileage? Please. With what this car costs, fuel economy shouldn’t be an issue.

But trunk space will be. For a car that clocks in at 19-feet long, the 14.1-cubic-foot trunk  seems remarkably small.

Granted, it’s the only small thing about the car,  which has an imposing stance, timeless style and effortless performance.

Seventy years ago, every luxury automaker had a car comparable to the Phantom. Today, only Maybach and Bentley   can compete, but neither quite attains the Olympian heights of in-your-face opulence provided by the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

And it’s that unique feel that commands such a steep price.