The first Rolls-Royce that was fully developed and produced under BMW’s ownership of the brand was the 2003 Phantom. It’s an imposing thing with divisive styling, an opulent interior with a version of iDrive, and a fantastically smooth 6.75-liter version of the N73 V-12 that was also found in the E65 7-series.
Like many high-end luxury cars of the early Aughts, Phantoms are now a fraction of the price they were new, especially if they have mechanical issues. YouTuber Westen Champlin, who I somehow never heard of before today but will be following forever, found one in Texas that was $30,000. Of course, that comes with some… issues. The suspension was collapsed, it hadn’t run in years, there was no key, and it was heavily vandalized. Honestly, $30,000 seems like too much money. And, of course, it doesn’t run. At all.
Now, Champlin said in his intro video that he wanted to get the V-12 running. But I’m pretty sure his motive the whole time was to Cummins swap it. Those engines are a tight squeeze in most applications just because of the sheer size. But if there’s one thing a Phantom has, it’s plenty of space. And while a lot of projects that pop up online that seem outlandish never seem to be finished, Champlin did it. He built a Cummins-swapped Phantom.
It’s not totally finished–it still has cosmetic issues, no hood, and just a stack running straight up that spits black smoke on command–but the suspension is fixed and it runs and (kind of) drives. An amazing feat considering he had to fit an engine that has no business being in a Roller to a transmission that also has no business being in a Roller and making it all work together. The engine also isn’t just a regular Cummins, but one that’s been upgraded to a 6.7-liter capable of, Champlin clains, 1500 hp. Damn.
It still needs a lot to be considered complete, of course. But that it got this far pretty amazing. The entire build is in the video below. Sure, it’s 40 minutes, but it’s the best 40 minutes you’ll spend today. Enjoy.
