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60 Years Of The Rolls-Royce Goldfinger Phantom: A Timeless Bond Of Luxury And Legend

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Published
09/30/2024 by

Rolls-Royce motor cars have featured in a dozen James Bond films throughout the film franchise's history. However, the marque's most enduring and memorable role is in the 007 film, Goldfinger.

This cinematic classic came to define the essential qualities of a Bond film; the design, the locations, the gadgets, and the eccentric adversary. To coincide with the anniversary of the film's 1964 premiere, Rolls-Royce explores the story of Goldfinger and the British icon that featured in it – the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The film sees the villain, Auric Goldfinger, driven by his henchman, Oddjob, across Europe in a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville. The coachwork of this motor car holds a secret – it is made from two tonnes of solid 18-carat gold, which Goldfinger is smuggling from England, across the continent and over the Furka Pass into Switzerland. Once installed in Auric Enterprises, he uses his smelting plant to disassemble his Rolls-Royce, melting down the body panels into gold bars. With the original coachwork replaced, he returns his motor car to England and repeats this nefarious crossing.

Goldfinger's master plan, named 'Operation Grand Slam', is far more ambitious; he plans to irradiate the gold stored in the Fort Knox Bullion Depository with an atomic device, rendering it worthless, driving the value of his own reserves.

Goldfinger's choice of a Phantom III for smuggling gold is as brilliant as the precious metal that compels him. Its generous proportions allow for a significant amount of contraband to be concealed, and the gold's 'divine weight' would do little to hinder its performance, even on the demanding roads. Phantom III was the first V12-powered Rolls-Royce in history, producing 165bhp from its 7.3-litre engine, a 37.5% increase in power from its predecessor, the 120bhp Phantom II.

Goldfinger's Phantom III wears the numberplate 'AU 1', a reference to the chemical symbol for gold on the periodic table of elements. After being used in the film, it was transferred to other Rolls-Royce motor cars, following its big-screen debut.

At 14:00 BST, on 25 October, Rolls-Royce will open a new chapter in the 'AU 1' Phantom story, furthering the legacy of this extraordinary motor car, and Rolls-Royce's connection to the James Bond film franchise.

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