From the moment Sir Henry Royce introduced the Rolls-Royce Phantom in 1925, it was dubbed 'The Best Car in the World' by the cognoscenti. As a result, it has conveyed some of the world's most influential and powerful men and women to the most defining historical moments over the last 92 years.

A new benchmark will be set today as the new Phantom - the eighth generation of this great nameplate - arrives. Not satisfied with simply launching a motor car that is a wholly contemporary design interpretation of Phantom DNA and a technological tour de force, Rolls-Royce has revolutionised the luxury car industry itself by shifting away from the status quo of shared platforms to an entirely new luxury business model.

The new Phantom will be the first of a new generation of Rolls-Royces to benefit from the creation of the Architecture of Luxury. The first major benefits of the new architecture for the new Phantom are lightness, increased stiffness, efficient production of standard and extended wheelbase bodies, as well as an uncompromised exterior surface design. The all new aluminium spaceframe structure makes the new Phantom lighter and 30 percent more rigid than its predecessor, leading to better ride comfort.

A new double-wishbone front axle and five-link rear axle deliver astounding levels of control over lateral roll and shear forces, as well as incredible agility and stability. That, coupled with four-wheel steering, contributes to an undisturbed passenger whatever the driving conditions.

A self-levelling air suspension makes millions of calculations every second as it continuously varies the electronically controlled shock absorber adjustment system - reacting to body and wheel acceleration, steering inputs and camera information.

In addition, the Flagbearer - evocative of those men who were required by law to carry a red flag ahead of early motor cars - adds a stereo camera system integrated into the windscreen to see the road ahead, adjusting suspension proactively rather than reactively at speeds up to 100km/h.

Incalculable effort was expended to create 'the most silent motor car in the world', including six milimetre two-layer glazing all around the car, more than 130kg of sound insulation, the largest ever cast aluminium joints in a body-in-white for better sound insulation, and the use of high-absorption materials. These make the car approximately 10 percent quieter than its predecessor at 100km/h.

With the focus on creating the most silent motor car in the world, a completely silent engine was also required, and that meant more low end output at lower revs to ensure that silence. Hence, a completely new 6.75-litre V12 powertrain has been engineered for the new Phantom, in place of the previous naturally aspirated V12 engine.

The new V12 Phantom engine employs two turbochargers that contribute to a low end torque output of 900Nm at an incredibly low 1,700rpm whilst also delivering 563bhp, resulting in calm low speed progress associated with state occasions and an unfussed surge of power when one needs to press on. The addition of Satellite Aided Transmission, married to a ZF eight-Speed gearbox, also ensures that the driver is prepared for whatever the road has in store for them.