A CENTURY OF POWER AND INFLUENCE:

THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM AT 100

Monday 5 May 2025, Goodwood, West Sussex                                                   

• 100 years after it was first conceived, Rolls-Royce reflects on Phantom’s global influence
• As the ultimate Rolls-Royce, Phantom is the world’s pinnacle luxury product
• Owned by cultural icons, Phantom has both reflected and shaped the world
• Phantom has been an inspiring stage for greatness at history’s defining moments
• Underscores the long history of elaborate, highly personal Bespoke Phantoms
• Today’s Rolls-Royce designers have been inspired to create eight artworks, celebrating Phantom’s centenary year
• “Phantom is much more than a motor car. For 100 years, it has stood at the pinnacle of all Rolls-Royce motor cars – a cultural phenomenon that both reflects and influences the world around it. From its earliest days, Phantom has been one of the most desired rewards for success and a potent symbol of power and prestige on the world stage. Beyond status, it has always offered its owners a canvas for personal expression, transformed through Bespoke craftsmanship into a moving work of art. Across music, politics, art and beyond, Phantom has been present at many of history’s defining moments. The stories that surround it — and the images they’ve inspired our designers to create — reveal its extraordinary reach, and its enduring connection to greatness.”
• Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

• Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the apex of the luxury world. Since 1925, Phantom has stood as the most recognisable symbol of success. Across eight generations, it has conveyed royalty, leaders, artists and captains of industry, present at some of the most significant moments of modern history. Revered for its timeless elegance, Phantom became the ultimate expression of influence, refined taste and personal style.
• To mark Phantom’s centenary, the marque’s designers have created new artworks honouring Phantom’s cultural legacy. Inspired by the 1910 commission given to artist Charles Sykes – creator of the Spirit of Ecstasy – to produce oil paintings of Phantoms in locations that reflected clients’ lifestyles, they echo the diverse lives and worlds Phantom has inhabited over the past century.
• As this nameplate celebrates its centenary, Rolls-Royce reflects on Phantom’s glorious legacy and just a few of the fascinating stories where Phantom plays a role.

PHANTOM AS A STATEMENT OF AUTHORITY

• One of the great commanders of the Second World War, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, was nicknamed ‘the Spartan General’ for his austere lifestyle. His sole concession to comfort was in his personal transport. Recognising the power of image and symbolism, ‘Monty’ used a pair of Phantom IIIs to communicate permanence, solidity and reliability, sending a clear signal to his troops that he would stick with them through the darkest hours.
• In the build-up to D-Day in June 1944, he used one of his Phantoms to convey Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower and even King George VI to planning sessions at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in Hampshire. Following the war, he would use his other Phantom to convey the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

PHANTOM AS THE ROYAL STANDARD

• While Montgomery’s Phantoms were present at events that shaped the modern world, others took pride of place in royal households; none more so than in Rolls-Royce’s home market of Great Britain.
• In 1948, shortly after marrying HRH Princess Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh asked Rolls‑Royce to build a Phantom for their joint use. The result, code-named Maharajah of Nabha, became the first Phantom IV and remains in service today under the same name. This motor car marks one of the milestones of a long Royal association.
• The British Royal Family subsequently commissioned another Phantom IV, two Phantom Vs, and two Phantom VIs to convey the sovereign. One of these is the renowned Silver Jubilee Phantom VI, which was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 by the British motor industry to celebrate her 25 years on the throne; it would later be used at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 for the arrival of the bride at Westminster Abbey.
• Across continents, another Phantom V would play a role in the birth of a nation. Delivered in 1966 to Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, revered as the ‘founding father’ of the United Arab Emirates, it would be present at his inauguration as ruler of Abu Dhabi. In 1971, it carried James Treadwell, the first British Ambassador to the UAE, to the ceremony that formally established the federation.
• British diplomats across the globe also embraced Phantom as their own tools of soft power. These trusted envoys would serve in postings as far flung as Tokyo, Washington, New Delhi, and other destinations. Sir John Fretwell, former British ambassador to Paris, once told The Times, “My Rolls certainly helped when visiting the Élysée. The guards on the gate had no excuse for not knowing it was the British ambassador.”
• Whether navigating the world stage or serving quietly in its home market, Phantom has always been an imposing presence. Phantom V, launched in 1959, was 5.8m (almost 19ft) long – while no official documentation exists to prove it, some historians have posited that the minimum distance between British parking meters was revised to accommodate its dimensions.

ENTER JOHN LENNON: A PHANTOM FOR A BEATLE

Not every Phantom V was destined for royal service or diplomatic ceremony. In December 1964, John Lennon rewarded himself for the success of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night by commissioning his own Phantom V, specifying that it should be black everywhere, inside and out (though the Pantheon grille and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot retained their conventional bright finish at Rolls-Royce’s insistence). Lennon’s Phantom was one of the first motor cars in Britain to have blacked-out windows. As he explained to Rolling Stone in 1965, “If it’s daylight when you’re coming home, it’s still dark inside the car – you just shut all the windows and you’re still in the club.”

But this would not be its most famous incarnation. In 1967, before the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was repainted in vibrant yellow and covered with swirling, floral motifs and zodiac symbols, becoming an artistic manifesto for the Summer of Love the same year. Lennon later claimed it was attacked with an umbrella by an outraged Englishwoman who shouted, “How dare you do that to a Rolls-Royce!” – an incident that only galvanised its legend.

TO HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND: PHANTOM TAKES THE LEAD

Hollywood, too, embraced Phantom. Among the pioneers of cinema, Jack Warner, co-founder of the Warner Brothers studio, rewarded himself with a Phantom. More famously, stars including Fred Astaire, Greta Garbo and Mary Pickford were also early owners. In 1964, Phantom made screen appearances in Goldfinger – in which the villain smuggled gold in a Phantom III. This would be one of 12 appearances by Rolls-Royce motor cars in the long-running James Bond franchise. In 2024, the marque commemorated the 60th anniversary of the film with Phantom Goldfinger, a one-of-one Bespoke Phantom VIII, replicating the original’s black and yellow coachwork and replete with innovative film-inspired details.

Also in 1964 came the premiere of The Yellow Rolls-Royce. The all-star cast included Rex Harrison, Ingrid Bergman, Shirley MacLaine, Omar Sharif, George C. Scott, Alain Delon and Jeanne Moreau – and a 1931 Phantom II. The soundtrack song Forget Domani won a Golden Globe and was later recorded by both Perry Como and Frank Sinatra. The latter would also own a Rolls-Royce.

THE KING’S MOTOR CAR: A PHANTOM FOR ELVIS

Other titans of popular culture also gravitated to Phantom as their fame waxed across the globe. Elvis Presley, ‘The King’ himself, bought a Phantom V in 1963. His car included a Bespoke microphone and a rear armrest writing kit. After his mother’s chickens damaged the mirror-finish Midnight Blue paintwork by pecking at their reflections, he had it resprayed Silver Blue, which didn’t show the blemishes. In 1968, Elvis donated his motor car to charity, inspiring the song Elvis’s Rolls-Royce by Leonard Cohen and Was (Not Was).

A NEW ERA OF SUCCESS

The arrival of Phantom VII in the early 2000s coincided with the rise of self-made entrepreneurs, global celebrity culture, and social media. Freed from traditional luxury codes, they wanted to express their personality, not just their success – and Phantom provided the perfect canvas.

In a neat full circle, many of the people who made their fortunes in these new industries chose to invest in a Phantom, then use their platforms to share their ownership experience with the world – be it on television, or via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

As its presence grew, Phantom became a fixture at award ceremonies and gala events, ensuring its owners a grand arrival with effortless grace on the red carpet; in 2012, three special edition Phantom Drophead Coupés made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in London. A suitably grand arrival for such a momentous occasion, this event, along with numerous others in more recent history, was broadcast directly to the devices of millions, making Phantom a social media star in its own right.

PHANTOM TODAY

Today, in its eighth generation, Phantom remains the ultimate expression of presence and purpose. Whether represented in cultural institutions like the Saatchi Gallery and the Serpentine, or serving as a collaborative canvas for brands including Hermès and Iris van Herpen, it continues to reflect and shape the world around it. Every new, ever more elaborate Bespoke commission adds another chapter to this remarkable story – one of power, culture, influence, and personal expression.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You can find all our press releases and press kits, as well as a wide selection of high resolution, downloadable photographs and video footage at our media website, PressClub.

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a true luxury house, creating the world’s most recognised, revered and desirable handcrafted Bespoke products for its international clientele.

There are over 2,500 people working at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex. This comprises both its global headquarters and Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence – the only place in the world where Rolls-Royce motor cars are designed, engineered and meticulously built by hand. An independent study by the London School of Economics & Political Science confirms that since the company first launched at Goodwood in 2003, it has contributed more than £4 billion to the UK economy and adds more than £500 million in economic value every year.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate, unrelated company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and propulsion systems.