It might be a myth, it’s definitely a legend but we’ll never truly know what happened with Keith Moon and the Rolls-Royce in the swimming pool. Looking back on the Rolls-Royce Phantom’s legacy over its 100 year history, that evening at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan was one of the key moments solidifying the model’s ties to the music industry.
As a tribute to the Phantom’s inextricable ties to the music world, Rolls-Royce staged its own swimming pool moment at Tinside Lido in Plymouth, England. A Phantom Extended bodyshell was chosen to take the plunge before the prototype made its way to the recycling heap.
“From the golden age of Hollywood to the rise of hip-hop, over the last 100 years, music artists have used Phantom to project their identity and challenge convention. Their motor cars often became icons in their own right, with a lasting place in the history of modern music. This enduring connection reminds us that Rolls-Royce and the extraordinary people who are part of the marque’s story are united by one ambition: to make their presence felt,” said Chris Brownridge, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
While Tinside Lido was a beautiful outdoor scene for the stunt, the location was very much intentional. The Beatles were famously photographed in Plymouth in 1967 with the swimming pool in the background during filming for The Magical Mystery Tour. John Lennon was an avid fan of the Phantom having first purchased a fifth generation model in 1964. The car was specified in black over black and even the windows, bumpers and hub cabs were blacked out. Inside, a cocktail cabinet, TV and fridge in the boot completed the rock ’n’ roll package.
Prior to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, in 1967, Lennon’s Phantom was resprayed yellow and hand painted with red, orange, green and blue swirls, accompanied by floral panels. The car’s new look personified the feeling of the period for the younger generation. In 1985, Lennon put the car up for auction where it achieved more than 10 times the expected reserve price selling for $2,299,000. At the time, it was the most expensive car ever sold at auction and the most valuable piece of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia.
Perhaps lesser known, Lennon owned another Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Purchased in 1968, the model’s customizations were designed to go with the White Album and symbolized a shift to Lennon’s new chapter with Yoko Ono. He reportedly spent £12,000 on bespoke work to have the car changed from a two-tone black over green color scheme to white inside and out. The project included fitting a sunroof, Philips turntable, eight-track player, telephone and television. Lennon’s white Phantom featured in the Beatles film Let It Be and the 1970 film Performance starring Mick Jagger.
Before music gods like John Lennon, Elton John, Keith Moon, Pharrell Williams and Snoop Dogg got their hands on Rolls-Royce’s flagship model, Elvis Presley famously favoured the Phantom. In 1963, he specified a midnight blue Phantom V with an array of bespoke features like in-car karaoke, a writing pad in the rear armrest, mirror and a clothes brush. The car was extremely well kept but its mirror-polished paintwork apparently attracted his mother’s chickens who would peck at their reflections. Later, Elvis’s Phantom was refinished in a lighter silver blue that disguised the chips.