In the world of art, the Baroque period is often characterized as Renaissance with the volume turned up to 11. In the same vein, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is a luxury sedan with levels of opulence, prestige and grandiosity dialed up to the maximum degree.

Its imposing exterior imparts elegance and aggression in equal measures. Looking much like the façade of an ancient Greek temple (the two are also similar in scale), an oversized grille highlights the front of the Phantom. It is crowned by Rolls-Royce’s distinctive Spirit of Ecstasy badge, which can be retracted at the touch of a button to protect it against thieves, souvenir-seekers and disgruntled 99 percenters.

Inside, the hand-built cabin is every bit as decadent and over-the-top as one would expect. Between 15 and 18 hides are used in each Phantom and every one is checked by hand for blemishes before laser equipment is used to assist in laying out the pattern pieces. The interior of the Phantom is made up of 450 pieces of leather, which are cut by a computer-guided knife.