Cars

Rolls-Royce Phantom at 100: When Legends Take a Dive

A car like a monument. The Rolls-Royce Phantom turns 100 – and instead of a dusty retrospective, it gets a staging as wild as the myths that surround it.

Text
Alfred Rzyski
Photos
Rolls-Royce

Because somewhere between rock ’n’ roll and rap, between studio and hotel pool, the Phantom has always been more than just a means of transport. It was a stage, a status symbol, sometimes even a prop for the big performance. From John Lennon to Jay-Z, from the Stones to Snoop Dogg – anyone who was anyone eventually sat in a Phantom.

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And then, of course, there’s the story of the pool. Keith Moon of The Who is said to have once sunk a Rolls-Royce straight into a hotel swimming pool – whether it really happened or not hardly matters anymore. The legend has become stronger than reality. And so, for the anniversary in Plymouth, Rolls-Royce simply put a Phantom in the water. An image as iconic as the myth itself: luxury that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

One hundred years of Phantom – one hundred years balanced between gravitas and rebellion. The car remains what it has always been: a monument on wheels. And sometimes, a sculpture by the poolside. Or in the pool itself.

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Rolls-Royce Phantom at 100: When Legends Take a Dive

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