Happy 100th birthday: here's every generation of the magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantom

Before we address the Phantom in the room, you need a bit of history. The original 1907 Silver Ghost is a bit of a Big Deal in Rolls lore. Because in 1913, it competed in something called the Alpine Trial - a 2,600km, eight-day challenge - and came out the other side having earned the nickname ‘The Best Car in the World’.

It was phased out in 1925 and replaced by... the 'New Phantom'. That's the car you see here, built both in the UK and USA, and launched exactly 100 years ago.

And how’s this for individuality: customers would choose their chassis and running gear, before tasking their favourite coachbuilder with forming the body. This happened right up until the 1950s.

The launch of this Phantom in 1929 meant the previous one was referred to as Phantom I. The sequel featured a new chassis, an improved 7.7 litre straight-six engine and, famously, appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That’s some star power.

In the mid-1930s, Rolls-Royce produced the third generation of Phantom, having broken world records on land and sea. This new one was also the first ever Phantom to feature a V12 engine, and the only V12 right up until RR's BMW era.

The chassis for the very last Phantom III was produced in 1941, but it wasn't until 1947 that it was delivered to the customer with the chosen bodywork.

One notable owner? Auric Goldfinger in the eponymous James Bond film of 1964, despite the car being nearly 25 years old at that point.

The most exclusive of all Rolls-Royce Phantoms ever built? You’d be hard pushed to disagree. Reportedly, only eighteen were sold, and they were only available to royalty or heads of state. 

Her late Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip commissioned one of the very first Phantom IVs, with a specially modified driver's seat as Phillip liked to drive it himself. It was the first Rolls-Royce used at Buckingham Palace, and is still used for ceremonial occasions, such as the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Another V8-powered star, this fifth-generation Phantom was built from the late 1950s through to the early ‘60s. It also counts the late John Lennon as a former owner. He was in a band, or something…

Driven by royalty and heads of state, this RR limousine featured a V8 in two guises, the latter a 6.75-litre unit good for around 220bhp. It was built from 1968 right through to 1990.

And then we come to the 2003 relaunch of the Phantom name. This one came with a 453bhp 6.75-litre V12, which was enough to propel it from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds.

But that’s kind of missing the point of a Rolls. “The best luxury car in the entire world. It's as simple as that,” we said of the reborn Phantom back in 2015. The VII wasn't just available as a limo either, you could also have a Phantom Coupe or the phenomenally opulent Phantom Drophead Coupe. Production lasted right the way through to January 2017 after a fairly hefty update in 2012.

Unveiled in July 2017 and updated in 2022, the Phantom VIII has seen the nameplate through to its 100th birthday. Hope the King has sent an extra special card.

This latest limo debuted the modular aluminium space-frame platform that now also underpins the Cullinan, the current Ghost and the all-electric Spectre. Its V12 produces 563bhp and Rolls offers almost limitless levels of personalisation, allowing customers to create completely bespoke one-offs (while spending a not-so-small fortune in the process). In fact, you can see our favourite creations from 2024 by clicking these blue words. 

Happy birthday Phantom. Here's to the next 100 years.