The car makers of Britain would like to make it known that Goldfinger, the third and still one of the highest-rated films in the James Bond franchise, was released 60 years ago this year. It’s not been two weeks since we saw the Goldfinger Edition Aston Martin DB12, and now it has a villainous counterpart in the form of this Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The Goldfinger DB12 was an almost painfully obvious thing for Aston to do, but this Rolls comes as a bit more of a surprise. It references the 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville used in the film by its main villain, the portly, nationally-ambiguous metal enthusiast Auric Goldfinger.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger – rear
The modern car, based on the Extended Wheelbase Phantom, has had its black-and-yellow paint scheme precisely matched to Goldfinger’s Phantom. The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine on the car’s nose has been specially modified to ‘reveal’ concealed gold within certain sections, a nod to Goldfinger using his car’s body panels to smuggle the precious metal.
The inside – you won’t believe this – is absolutely full of gold, of the 18- and 24-carat variety. No, we don’t really understand what a carat is, either. It’s found on the base of the centre consoles, air vents, tread plates, speakers and even the inside of the glovebox, the lid of which also features a quote from Goldfinger – something along the lines of “I chuffing love gold, me.” The rear picnic tables, meanwhile, also have a gold inlay, as well as a map of the Fort Knox gold repository – a fictionalised one, before anyone starts planning their own audacious heist.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger – interior
Other bits of the interior reference the film’s iconic sequence taking place on the Furka Pass in Switzerland. An engraved contour map of the area surrounding the pass adorns the full-width ‘Gallery’ up front, while Rolls’ signature starlight headliner represents the position of the stars in the sky above Switzerland on 11 July 1964 – the last day of filming there.
In a couple of genuinely fun touches, there’s a gold-plated golf club in the boot, like the one used by Goldfinger’s henchman, Oddjob, and the Phantom’s in-door umbrellas replicate the colourful one he uses later in the same scene. Rolls has also managed to secure the registration ‘AU 1’, as seen in the film, for the car. The DVLA’s records show that it was previously on a Cullinan, so it might not have been so hard to track down.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger and 1937 Phantom III
Unlike the 60-off DB12, the Phantom Goldfinger will remain a one-off. And there’s still a few months for Ford to do a special edition Mustang Convertible based on the one Tilly Masterson drives in the film – it’s inevitable, right?
