Rolls-Royce Phantom V

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The Rolls-Royce Phantom V was a large four‑door limousine made from 1959 to 1968. It was based on the Silver Cloud II and shared its 6,230 cc V8 engine and a GM‑built Hydramatic four‑speed automatic gearbox. Rolls‑Royce built the chassis and drivetrains, while most bodies were made to design plans by coachbuilders Park Ward, Mulliner Park Ward and James Young. A few bodies were also built by Hooper, Henri Chapron and Woodall Nicholson.

Key specs are straightforward: front‑engine, rear‑wheel drive; wheelbase 3,683 mm (145 in); length 6,045 mm (238 in); width 2,007 mm (79 in); height 1,753 mm (69 in); kerb weight about 2,540 kg (5,600 lb). The car used drum brakes, power‑assisted steering, and a low final drive ratio that made it suitable for ceremonial use at walking pace. In 1963, Rolls‑Royce upgraded some cars with the Silver Cloud III’s more powerful engine and new front wings with quad headlamps.

A total of 518 Phantom V cars were built. Park Ward made 133 bodies, James Young built 197, Mulliner Park Ward 174, and H. J. Mulliner & Co. built 9 before their merger into Mulliner Park Ward in 1961, which then built many more.

The Phantom V is famous for its celebrity and royal connections. John Lennon bought a 1964 Mulliner Park Ward Phantom V finished in Valentines Black and had it heavily customized: the back seat could convert into a double bed, a Philips portable record player, a cassette deck, a telephone and other luxury features were added, and the car even had a refrigeration system in the boot and tinted windows. Lennon wore many changes to the car during the 1960s and sometimes used a long‑limbed Welsh chauffeur because he didn’t drive.

Other notable owners include Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who had a Phantom V Landaulet (NLT 1) from 1962; it is now used by Charles III. The car also found fans in celebrities like Elvis Presley (a 1963 James Young), Liberace (1961), Elton John (a pink 1960 Park Ward), and in political figures such as Imelda Marcos, the Shah of Iran, Josip Broz Tito, and Nicolae Ceausescu. Some Phantom Vs were used by the Royalty for state occasions, and a few are now on display in museums or part of royal fleets.