Rolls-Royce’s ‘Goldfinger’ Phantom Is Fit For A Bond Villain
This custom Rolls-Royce celebrates the 60th anniversary of a classic 007 movie.
In addition to being one of the most elaborate creations ever to roll out of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective—a group of craftspeople and engineers responsible for bringing highly personalized client requests to fruition—the one-of-one “Goldfinger” Phantom is a rolling treasure trove of James Bond references and discoverable Easter eggs that are sure to tickle 007 superfans.
The first nod to Goldfinger, the beloved Bond movie celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024, is seen from afar. Paint specialists precisely matched the exterior yellow hue to the original 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville that supervillain bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger uses to smuggle his precious metal out the UK. Like the antique movie car, it wears a “long-side” two-tone design featuring black finish, except on the new Phantom it wraps around the coachwork as a single, uninterrupted graphic. The 21-inch disc wheels are finished in Black with silver “floating” hubcaps, while the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is rendered in a mixed-metal finish that references both the movie’s title sequence and plot. Since it’s impossible to silver-plate gold, Rolls-Royce specialists partially gold-plated a solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy figurine to achieve what’s been a dubbed a “gold reveal” effect.
That’s merely the start of the many golden Bond-approved details. The center console hides a “vault” containing a solid 18-carat gold Phantom model. Gold finishes adorn the air vents, speaker frets, treadplates, front and rear center consoles’ bases, and the inside of the glovebox, the inner lid of which features the antagonist’s quote, “This is Gold, Mr. Bond. All my life, I have been in love with its color, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.” The 24-carat gold-plated VIN plaque is engraved with a specially obtained vehicle identification number ending in 007.
This wouldn’t be a proper automotive tribute to Goldfinger without an homage to the famed chase scene set in Switzerland’s switchback-laden Furka Pass, and this special-edition Phantom features two. A 3D design running the full width of the front dashboard shows a precise map of the legendary roads’ contours—according to Rolls-Royce, “the stainless steel used to construct the piece was darkened using a method named physical vapor deposition. Contour lines and elevation figures are engraved into the dark substrate, exposing the bright metal beneath. The Furka Pass is cut out from the stainless-steel layer, revealing a gilded surface underneath.” Meanwhile, the central clock in the middle of the dash’s design harks to the franchise’s famous introductory “gun-barrel” sequence. The Furka Pass scene is more subtly referenced a second time by the golden Starlight Headliner, which recreates the constellations as they were positioned over the location on July 11, 1964, the last day of filming the scene in Switzerland.
The Goldfinger Easter eggs continue with the Royal Walnut picnic tables, which feature a 22-carat gold inlay of a fictional map of Fort Knox, and the trunk. Because Goldfinger first faced Bond with a golden putter in game of golf, Rolls-Royce recreated the blingy club and mounted it in the underside of the trunk lid. Additionally, a projection of the “007” logo is emitted onto the carpet of the luggage compartment whenever the lid is opened.
“Witnessing how our Bespoke Collective seized upon the idea of celebrating 60 years of the film has been truly remarkable; this fantastic story has been masterfully explored in Phantom Goldfinger’s exquisite design,” said Boris Weletzky, Regional Director, United Kingdom, Europe and Central Asia, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “The creativity extended far beyond the making of the motor car, as we curated extraordinary experiences for the client and their family, all while staying true to the spirit of the Goldfinger theme. It is this exceptional ability to engage our clients and create lasting impressions that defines us as a true House of Luxury.”
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