Rolls-Royce Recaps The Phantom’s 100 Years Of Superstar House owners

May 2, 2025

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Rolls-Royce tells the century-long story of the Phantom.

Only a few automotive producers within the historical past of the business have been round for 100 years, not to mention a legendary flagship mannequin nameplate. That’s, nonetheless, the case for the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which has represented the head of the model’s ultra-luxury strategy to design, engineering, and craftsmanship for 100 years since first being launched in 1925. All through that point, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has remained a mainstay in popular culture and a shining image of automotive excellence all through the business, and Rolls-Royce is honoring the unimaginable centenary by telling the story of the Phantom’s cherished legacy.

Nicknamed ‘the Spartan Normal,’ Discipline Marshal Bernard Legislation Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, who performed an instrumental position throughout World Conflict II, used two Rolls-Royce Phantoms, not solely as his private transport, however as an emblem of solidity and authority throughout the darkish occasions of the struggle. A 1936 Phantom III was his day-to-day automotive, which was used to deliver Winston Churchill, Normal Eisenhower, and even King George VI to planning classes within the lead-up to D-Day. One other Phantom III assigned to the Chief of the Imperial Normal Workers was additionally used throughout wartime, with outstanding passengers in that automotive, as nicely.

The Royal Household of the UK made use of the Rolls-Royce Phantom all through the flagship’s historical past, as nicely. The Duke of Edinburgh’s automotive was the primary Rolls-Royce Phantom IV chassis, with the codename “Maharajah of Nabha” to maintain it secret throughout improvement. The “Majarajah” automotive stays in lively service on the Royal Mews at present. Different Royal Phantoms embody one other Phantom IV, two Vs, and two VIs. Nonetheless, the Phantom V has an influence within the UK past the Royal Household, with John Lennon of the Beatles famously commissioning one, initially in all black. Nonetheless, the automotive’s most well-known look got here from a rebirth in 1967, when it was repainted yellow with an intricate floral motif.

Silent movie stars owned Phantoms, together with Mary Pickford’s, which had a secret compartment for alcohol throughout the Prohibition years, and outdated Hollywood legends like Greta Garbo and Fred Astaire had Phantoms, as nicely. Nonetheless, an extremely notable look for the Phantom on display screen was in Goldfinger, the place the 007 movie’s titular villain drove one to hold out his gold smuggling scheme. Through the years, Rolls-Royce would make 12 appearances in 007 movies. The Yellow Rolls-Royce, a movie that additionally premiered in 1964, additionally starred a Phantom because the connecting thread between its anthology of three tales. Elvis Presley additionally famously owned a Phantom, which was commissioned with touches harking back to his rock’n’roll legend standing.

Within the 2000s, Goodwood grew to become a brand new house for Rolls-Royce, and with it got here a wholly new Phantom, one which has since remodeled and turn out to be an much more everlasting fixture in popular culture as an ultra-luxury automotive, with appearances in music movies like Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Sizzling, and Drake’s Began From The Backside. Manufacturers like Hermès and visionary high fashion designers like Iris Van Herpen have used the Phantom as a canvas for beautiful expression and avant-garde magnificence, and its unimaginable craftsmanship and opulence have served as inspiration for followers and the idea for beautiful commissions, one-offs, and splendid automotive expressions. With over 100 years of historical past, the Rolls-Royce Phantom shines as one of many best aspirational automotive icons and a illustration of one of the best the posh automotive business has to supply all through that whole century. Beneath are a number of the finest examples of the Rolls-Royce Phantom on the market proper now, listed on duPont REGISTRY, the supply for supercars since 1985.