Sitting atop the mock Greek temple, the silver lady leans forward, ready to cut through the air like the prow of a boat. From her vantage point she's seen it all: world wars, desert racing, Ascot, royal weddings, revolutions and coup d'etats.
The great and good, from Lenin to Lennon, from Britain's queen to Brunei's sultan, from Simon Cowell to 50 Cent, all have taken her to their heart. Here, of the four sold so far, one is reportedly to dancer Michael Flatley while another is owned by businessman Jim Mansfield's Citywest hotel.
Many regard her as stuffy and aloof, more for cravat-wearing septuagenarians than the young Turks of modern businesss or the celebrities who adorn the covers of our celebrity-obsessed media.
Yet changes are slowly afoot and the silver lady is returning to fashion, thanks in large part to the new Phantom.
When BMW took over the Rolls-Royce bran in 1997, the intention was to retain its historic links, but to work on the new generation of high-flyers who found the brand a little stuffy. Now, two years after its introduction, the Phantom boasts an owner profile that still reads like the world rich list, but with an age profile down in the late-30s and early-40s.
This shouldn't be a surprise, because Rolls-Royce has always had a sense of adventure and cutting edge. Those who query its current popularity in the worlds of rap and pop should remember that for years the brand hurtled across deserts with legendary adventurers or empire builders in tow, or just ferried rock stars to and from concerts and parties in the 1960s. It's not surprising that Rolls-Royces crop up on MTV or in Hollywood so often. The silver lady has as much right to be there as she has to cruise along the lanes of the shires.
Joining the club will cost you a princely €500,000. That sort of money no longer seems extravagant for a two-up two-down terraced house in a former council estate in Ireland, but it's still seems a little excessive for a car.
But what a car! There's little on the road today that gets such a reaction. Its enormous wheels, circled in great swathes of rubber, nearly reach to the waist. Two handles meet you at the door, one each for front and back doors - rear entrance is by traditional rear opening or suicide doors.
The Phantom was designed on the lines of traditional carriages: horses to the front, driver in the centre, passengers at the very rear, sitting slightly behind the C-pillars to bar gaping eyes.
Driving on winding country roads is effortless, the large thin-spoke steering wheel responding to your every message, the large armchair driving seat and beautiful wood surround suggesting a mobile drawing room.
The Phantom has all the technology, from Sat-Nav and mobile phones, but it's concealed in traditional wood finish and old-style metal switchgear. The result is an art-deco environment in keeping with the early days of the brand.
That continues through to the rear, accessed by the back-hinged coach doors. From the umbrella that's built into the door through to the deep shag-pile carpeting, it's all old world charm.
Bespoke models feature heavily in the range. Where initial estimates suggested that 25 per cent of Phantoms sold would be individually tailored in some way or other, two years into production that figure is now 75 per cent. Bespoke features range from minor detailing such as personal initials in the headrests, to unique colouring.
One woman asked for a Phantom in the same shade as her lipstick - the request and the lipstick were duly sent to Goodwood.
It's only at the factory - one of the cleanest and quietest car plants we've ever seen - that you really appreciate the attention to detail. In the leather shop, workers are hunched over hides, chalk in hand, highlighting even the most minute blemish. In the wood shop, former boat-builders from nearby Portsmouth sand the corners of the central console to get the fit just right.
Beneath the bonnet hides the behemoth, a 6.75-litre engine developed by BMW from its 6-litre unit used in its 760 flagship.
The 2.5-tonne Phantom offers a rather tame top speed of 240km/h (149mph), but it manages an amazing 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds. It's all done on a bed of air - we float above the road on a magic carpet ride.
The Phantom and the Maybach, launched about the same time, have vied for the attention of the world's wealthy. Their difference was that the Rolls pursued the driver, while the Maybach went for the person who was driven.
The Maybach offered rear-seat luxury on a par with first class on a transatlantic flight, but up-front it's hard to distinguish it from the Mercedes S-Class. The Phantom on the other hand opted for old world Rolls-Royce charm and comfort, with driving dynamics to make owners smiling.
This was our second time at the Phantom's wheel on the winding roads of southern England. Our belief is unshaken that the Phantom is superior to the glorified S-Class called the Maybach.
