Rolls-Royce is celebrating: the legendary Phantom turns 100

One of the most legendary models in the world of luxury is the Rolls Royce Phantom. This ultra-luxury car has become a benchmark that many want to see themselves reflected in, but no one manages to achieve. This model is turning 100 years old in 2025, and so the ultra-luxury brand wants to celebrate this in the best possible way.

This model was born as a successor to the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and began to be designed in 1921. At first, the aim was not to sacrifice the model’s functionality, and the idea was to design a new one that would improve on its characteristics. Thus, a new model was born that has come down to our days. And it has not done so without changes, as it has gained in technology as technology itself has advanced.

It is not known exactly where the name Phantom came from, but it is attributed to Claude Johnson, the Sales Director of Rolls-Royce. It was he who came up with the idea of giving each model in the range specific names, moving away from more technical designations. He understood the power that names such as Ghost, Phantom or Wraith could have.

These offer an evocative name for buyers, as they present an ethereal and supernatural concept of the cars. Everything is very close to the ultra-luxury that each of them offers. At that time, Rolls-Royce only supplied the chassis, so it was external coachbuilders who completed the full design of the vehicle.

It was offered in two variants: one with a long wheelbase intended for saloons and limousines, and another with a shorter wheelbase, intended for owner-drivers. The extras that customers requested at the time ranged from hidden desks to swivelling seats. In the short-wheelbase version, owners asked for features such as safes and space for golf clubs.

Throughout the decades of the first half of the 20th century, the Phantom grew in technology and equipment. In 1939 it received its first V12 engine, something that has changed over time. In 2017 the latest iteration of the model arrived, which has become a blank canvas so that each buyer can dress it as they wish.

The models that have emerged from the workshops of Rolls-Royce retain similar technical characteristics, but each one sold is a unique and exclusive model. Among them are units such as the Phantom Syntopia, the Phantom Oribe, the Phantom Koa and the Phantom “Inspired by Cinque Terre“, for example.

For 100 years, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has been the epitome of luxury and comfort, so it remains one of the most coveted models among the brand’s car buyers. Personalisation, comfort and luxury for a car that is already one of the longest-lived in automotive history, and that has benefited from the cutting-edge technology of each era.