Legend has it that Keith Moon, the brilliantly chaotic drummer of The Who, marked his 21st birthday by driving a Rolls-Royce into a swimming pool at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan. The details vary – Moon later insisted it was a Lincoln Continental belonging to another guest, while others claim no car went into the pool at all. Yet the story grew so powerful that the only car anyone could imagine in the water was a Rolls-Royce.
To celebrate Phantom’s 100th anniversary and its long-standing connection to rock mythology, Rolls-Royce recently brought the legend to life by submerging a retired Phantom Extended body shell into a swimming pool.
That act underscores a legacy stretching back to the earliest days of modern music. Long before rock ’n’ roll, legends such as Duke Ellington, Fred Astaire, Count Basie, Ravi Shankar, Edith Piaf, and Sam Cooke recognized Rolls-Royce as the ultimate symbol of success, artistry, and personal style. Even the titans behind the music – Brian Epstein, Berry Gordy, and Ahmet Ertegun – chose Phantom as their statement of arrival.
Marlene Dietrich: Falling in Love Again
When Marlene Dietrich traveled to Hollywood in 1930 to film Morocco, she was already a star thanks to her breakout role in The Blue Angel and her signature song, Falling in Love Again. The Phantom became part of her journey as she crossed from Europe to America, embodying Hollywood glamour in its earliest years.
Elvis Presley: All Shook Up
By 1963, Elvis Presley was at the height of his fame and rewarded himself with a Midnight Blue Phantom V. Among its many bespoke features were a rear microphone, a writing pad in the armrest, and even a mirror and clothes brush so “The King” was always ready to make an entrance. The flawless paint finish, however, proved too tempting for Elvis’s mother’s chickens, which famously pecked at their reflections. Eventually refinished in Silver Blue, the car remains a charming piece of Presley lore.
Liberace: I’ll Be Seeing You
Flamboyant entertainer Liberace, once the highest-paid performer in the world, made Phantom part of his act. His 1961 Phantom V was covered in thousands of mirrored tiles and driven on stage during his Las Vegas residency – an audacious expression of his nickname “Mr. Showmanship.”
John Lennon: Love Me Do
In 1964, John Lennon commissioned a Phantom V in all black – windows, hubcaps, bumpers – complete with a cocktail cabinet, television, and even a refrigerator in the trunk. A few years later, reflecting his new minimalist aesthetic alongside Yoko Ono and The White Album, Lennon ordered a white Phantom V, which he used as both transportation and personal statement during a transformative period in his life.
Sir Elton John: A Ride for the Rocketman
Liberace’s influence carried into the next generation, inspiring a young Reginald Dwight – later known as Sir Elton John. By the 1970s, Elton had amassed his own collection of Phantoms. In one memorable story, while en route to a concert in Manchester in 1973 in his white Phantom VI, he spotted a newer Phantom in a showroom, ordered his chauffeur to stop, bought it immediately, and drove it to the show.
Hip-Hop and Modern Music Icons
The Phantom’s reputation has only grown in the modern era. Since the brand’s move to Goodwood in 2003, Rolls-Royce has been increasingly embraced by contemporary artists. By 2016, it had become the most name-checked luxury brand in hip-hop lyrics, appearing in songs by everyone from 50 Cent to Pharrell Williams. That lyrical dominance is no accident – the Phantom’s presence communicates success, artistry, and influence in a way no other automobile can match.
A Century of Creative Expression
Across generations, genres, and continents, Phantom has remained far more than a luxury car. From Dietrich and Presley to Lennon, Liberace, Elton, and today’s hip-hop stars, Rolls-Royce represents the ultimate canvas for personal expression and the definitive reward for creative brilliance. A century after its debut, the Phantom remains the “icon of icons” – forever linked with the legends who shaped the sound of modern music.
Source: Rolls-Royce Motors Cars