In 2025, Rolls-Royce celebrated the 100th anniversary of its most constant and prestigious model: the phantom. The car was introduced as a “New Phantom” in 1925 and has remained the brand’s flagship for eight generations and continued to develop next to the company and set its place as a definitive Rolls-Royce.
From the silver to the phantom
The Phantom was the successor to the Silver Ghost, the model that Rolls-Royce had built up the call of a “best car in the world”. In the early 1920s, Henry Royce realized that the silver maker had reached the limits of development. The new phantom came in 1925 with improved refinement and engineering, which was advertised in Times as a new chapter for the company.
The choice of the name was no coincidence. Claude Johnson, the commercial managing director of the company, had already shaped impressive titles like Silver Ghost to emphasize silence and grace. His instinct for Name Phantom, Wraith, Ghost Rolls-Royce modeled an identity that was resonance far beyond the engineering.
Technical milestones
The first phantom has set the template: a rolling chassis that was delivered to coachbuilders and created the wishes of each owner. This tradition led to the most extravagant orders of this time, from hidden safe and writing students to secret.
Phantom II, which was introduced in 1929, refined the formula with a stiffer chassis and better performance. Phantom III followed in 1936 and stopped a V12 engine and an independent front crop to keep up with the American rivals with several cylinders of luxury cars.
After the Second World War, the phantom almost disappeared. Rolls-Royce switched to simpler, rationalized models. A request from the British royal budget to replace his Daimler have revived the phantom name. The result was the ultra-exclusive Phantom IV, whereby only 18 was built for license fees and heads of state.
The royal connection
Phantom V, which was introduced in 1959, brought the model back into a broader – still diluted – production. It became a staple food for government events, including two examples that were built for the royal service with Perspex roof dome so that the residents could be seen by the crowd. Phantom VI followed in 1968 and wore the tradition of handmade limousines until 1993, one of the last cars being delivered to the Sultan of Brunei.
A new era in Goodwood
When BMW restarted Rolls-Royce in Goodwood in 2003, Phantom VII became the first model of the modern era. It kept the size of past phantoms, but introduced a brand new internal platform and construction methods. The car restored Rolls-Royce at the head of the luxury car market and at the same time supported the expanded tailor-made program of the brand.
In 2017, Phantom VIII came through the company on the “Architecture of Luxury” aluminum platform. It presented “The Gallery”, a glass panel that extends over the dashboard with which the owners can be displayed. Like its predecessors, it was designed as a car without compromise, which was intended both as a driver car and as a chauffeur experience.
The phantom today
In the past century, the phantom was more than just a car – it was a cultural marker for prosperity, ceremony and craftsmanship. The recent commissions have made it a canvas for Haute Couture, Film Tribute, Cultural Heritage and unique art. Examples of this are phantom syntopia with a textile inspired headliner and the phantom extended “Year of the Dragon”, which was created for the New Year of 2024.
When the phantom enters into its second century, its role remains unchanged: the tip of the Rolls-Royce area and a symbol for what the company sees as the ultimate expression of luxury streams.
