NORTHBROOK - For the ordinary luxury car buyer, Steve Foley sells Cadillacs. He sold 650 of them in 2008, making his dealership on Skokie Boulevard a block south of Lake Cook Road the sales leader for the Midwest Region. It is a big region, stretching from Lake Michigan to the Rockies.

 

For a buyer who wants something a bit more special, Foley sells the Bentley. His dealership sold 100 Bentleys in 2008. “We’ve gone as high as 150 with them in a year’s time,” he said.

 

Foley has another buyer who must have an absolutely unique car. For that buyer, he has Rolls-Royce. He sold 22 Rolls-Royces in 2008. “We also sold 20 used Rolls-Royces along with the 22 new ones,” he added. He has a vast sales territory as, for example, the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa have no Rolls-Royce dealer, and his is the only dealership selling that premium nameplate in Illinois.

 

The nearest Rolls-Royce competing dealership probably is the one opening up in St. Louis. Otherwise, his “close” competition is in Dublin, Ohio and Troy, Mich.

 

This year, sales are on a pace with last year at the Foley Cadillac, Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealership. “We really do not hit our stride with the Rolls-Royce until June and then, from June through December, we conduct most of our sales.”

 

Cadillac prices range from $35,000 to $100,000. Bentleys roam the $175,000 to $340,000 price range. Where the Bentley prices end, Rolls-Royce prices begin.

Since they are luxury rarities, few Phantoms make it into the hands of media car reviewers. Dealers like to keep the odometers of these $350,000 to $450,000 creatures at 0 or as close to it as possible. Who wants to buy a new but “used” Phantom coupe with 56 miles on the odometer for $400,000?

In early May, though, Rolls-Royce officials were in Chicago with a Rolls-Royce fleet and media-types were invited to go for a spin in Chicago’s North Shore environs.

 

There were four in the fleet, a sedan, a stretched sedan, a coupe and a convertible. All were Phantoms, the single Rolls-Royce model sold in the United States.

 

“We are on a tour of roughly 30 dealerships in North America (Toronto represents Canada with one), and we like to bring our own Rolls-Royces so the dealer does not have to put miles on his,” product specialist Doug Black said. The tour began in February. By early May, Black and his boss, Rolls-Royce North America president Paul Ferraiolo, were half-way through the tour.

 

On the exterior, the legendary Rolls-Royce sedan (and coupe) carries a regal presence with a large, squarish exterior, relatively high beltline, prominent grille and 21-inch alloy wheels. P285 tires are mounted in the rear and P255s in front. Disc brake rotors measure 14.7 inches in the front and 14.6 inches in the rear. Expect to pull this 5,700-pound sedan to a stop from 60 miles per hour in 115 feet or less.

 

The 6.75-liter, dual overhead cam, 453-horsepower V12 engine is capable of pushing this rear-wheel-drive sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. In the abbreviated test drive, the five-passenger sedan with a length of 240 inches averaged 11.1 miles per gallon of premium fuel. It has a 26.4-gallon gas tank.

 

The test Phantom sedan moved quickly and quietly south on Skokie Boulevard and prowled suburban streets in silence. Thick lambs-wool mats on the floor help deaden interior sound. Precisely stitched leather and perfectly matching burled wood trim can be found everywhere in the cabin. The burled wood trim is found even on the backs of rear seat entertainment screens that pull out from the front seatbacks.

 

The leather is tooled at the factory in Chichester, England, which also is where the wood is collected from around the world, turned and shaped into dashboards, handles, and other trim interior elements. Heated seats, front and rear, are not perforated to ruin the leather. The leather comes from Europe’s Bavarian bulls, raised expressly for Rolls-Royce use. With bulls, there is no stretching and skin imperfections are kept to a minimum. “We are very careful about our leather and wood which is why we do all of that work ourselves at the factory,” Ferraiolo said.

 

Rolls-Royce apparently wants its clients to drive and enjoy the car as effortlessly as possible. Power features even include doors that close by push of an inside button near the A-pillar and a Spirit of Ecstasy statuette poised at the front of the hood that operates automatically. A button inside the glovebox lets

 

The Spirit of Ecstasy appear or disappear according to the whim of front-seat occupants. Since the statuette can be stored in its own locked compartment at the front of the Phantom, thieves will find it difficult to break off and steal. If you are driving along and you “miss” the statuette, push the button and it pops into view.

 

Doors for front seats open front-ward. After the button has been pushed doors close automatically with a thud. After the vehicle starts and reaches four miles per hour, the inside door handles are locked into place. No one is getting out of this vehicle willingly at speeds in excess of four mph.

 

A Rolls with an extended wheelbase adds 10 inches to a rear seating area that already is voluminous. Several seven-footers with weight nudging 300 pounds would be comfortable in either the regular or the extended wheelbase sedan. The extended version comes with reversible footrests. Both have side curtains and automatic climate controls.

 

The extended wheelbase costs an extra $70,000 on top of the $350,000 asking price of a 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan. The added 10 inches of leg room works out to $7,000 per foot. The aluminum rolled space frame gives absolute rigidity to the body. The powertrain comes from Germany, courtesy of BMW, which owns Rolls-Royce. “The powertrain is not for BMW, though, it is for us and is uniquely a Rolls-Royce engine and transmission (six-speed automatic)” Black said. During the short test drive, transmission shifts were seamless. Electronics control the suspension so even rough railroad crossings felt smooth.

 

A brief list of standard features includes a 13-speaker sound system, veneered picnic tables in front seatbacks, keyless ignition and entry, chrome and cashmere trim, and a chilled box for refreshments.

 

Warranty coverage (limited and powertrain) is four years or unlimited mileage and includes free maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance.

Buyers have the options to choose interior and exterior colors and appointments, including monograms. “One of our United States buyers wanted a yellow Rolls-Royce, inside and out (leather, too),” Black said. “We gave it to him.”

 

Vehicle: 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom

Type: luxury, rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan

Engine: 6.7-liter, 453-horsepower V12

Performance: 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds

Fuel economy: 14 miles per gallon

Transmission: six-speed automatic

Fuel tank: 26.4 gallons

Weight: 5,600 pounds

Length: 239.5 inches

Wheelbase: 150.4 inches

Width: 78.3 inches

Height: 64.3 inches

Trunk: 14 cubic feet

Turning circle: 47.9 feet

Tires and alloy wheels: 20-inch

Assembly: England

Warranty: basic, powertrain, roadside assistance and free maintenance for four years or unlimited mileage