As it reaches the penultimate week before the Great Eight Phantoms Exhibit in Bonhams, London, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars excitedly made two announcements today: the eagerly anticipated 8th-Gerneration Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the final examples that will join the most iconic Phantoms in the nameplates long and colorful history.
First up is the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV of Aga Khan. For the uninitiated, Aga Khan III was the leader of the Nizari Israeli Muslim community, as well as President of the League of Nations from 1937 to 1938. He earned fame for his jet-set lifestyle as he owned a number of thoroughbred horses and likewise won a host of Derbies
Known to pursue the finer things in life, Aga Khan is only among 18 Heads of State and Royalty to own a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. His particular car had flowing lines done in the Hooper coachwork body style, complete with enclosed rear tires and a Sedanca de Ville motif. The interior was done in sumptuous Connolly red leather, giving it a look all its own.
The car, which took two years to complete, had a number of Bespoke touches such as an adjustable mirror a concealed silver brush, comb, and compact, a Dictaphone, a picnic set, and of course, Aga Khan’s royal seal.
At present, the car belongs to Mr Ion Tiriac, who graciously lent the car for exhibition.
Another Phantom that boasts a royal lineage is that which belongs to no less than Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The Phantom VI State Limousine first saw daylight in 1977 when the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders gifted the Queen with a new official state car in time for her Silver Jubilee. Done in Royal Claret and Black Livery, the Park Ward-bodied limo had a raised roof that is complemented by an expanse of reinforced glass. This allows any member of the Royal family to be seen by their subjects.
Apart from this, Her Majesty’s Phantom VI has the Royal Mascot of St George slaying the dragon in place of the usual Spirit of Ecstasy. A silver lion is put in its place, however, when Queen Elizabeth visits Scotland. And of course, the Rolls-Royce had a fitment to hold the Royal Standard and the Queen’s Shield.
This particular Rolls-Royce Phantom VI earned global acclaim when it ferried Kate Middleton and her father to the Abbey on April 29, 2011—the day she married Prince William and became a Princess.
Last but definitely not the least among the seven Great Phantoms is the very first Phantom from Goodwood—the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII. This particular example isn’t just special because it was the very first Phantom that rolled off the Goodwood House of Rolls-Royce production floor. Three months after its Goodwood unveiling, the car took a trip to Perth Australia for its debut in the Land Down Under.
Here, its new owner undertook an epic 4,500-mile adventure that saw him drive from Perth, down to the Western Australian coast, crossing the Nullarbor Plain, to Adelaide, South Australia, heading to Victoria and the Great Ocean Road, and finally ending up on the Great Harbor Bridge in Sydney, New South Wales.
The car, which the owner says is still in excellent condition today, only experienced a minor hiccup during that entire journey. It ws so minor, in fact, that it only required removing sand from the Spirit of Ecstasy\s retraction mechanism.
This Phantom VII, together with the other great Phantoms owned by John Lennon, Fred Astaire, and other iconic names in history, will come together to welcome the newest member of the Phantom family: the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII. Witness this grand unveiling from July 29 to Augsut 2, 2017 during the Great Eight Phantoms Exhibit at Bonhams on New Bond Street, London.
