Ironically, Ian Fleming picked the name ‘James Bond’ because it sounded basic, and incapable of drawing attention—thus perfect for a spy. Connery’s proud, assured proclamation 60 years ago in 1964’s Goldfinger that he was in fact, “Bond, James Bond,” turned that narrative on its head.
Yes, 60 years. To celebrate, two of the most heavyweight car names in the business, names loaded with as much brand recognition as Mr. Bond himself, have revealed their odes to the 007 classic.
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First we saw that glorious Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger edition, and now there’s this, the equally glorious, definitely yellower and definitely not normal Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger. This one takes the homage a little more literally as it’s the exact model used by Auric Goldfinger’s 1937 Phantom II from the movie.
Which means it gets a lovely two-tone yellow and black finish, and because this is a Rolls-Royce, it is not just any two-tone yellow and black finish. The yellow is the exact shade of yellow used by Goldfinger’s Rolls. Ditto the floating hubcaps designed to recall the design of the ’37 Phantom II.
Even the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ is a subtle, knowing wink to the film as it’s been made to look as though it’s hiding gold underneath, and so the solid silver has gold-plating in parts. Indeed, there’s a hidden ‘vault’ in the center console housing an illuminated 18-carat gold bar. And there is gold detailing everywhere you look, including the seat bases, the picnic tables, and heck, even the glovebox.
And when you open the glovebox, a quote, “This is Gold, Mr Bond. All my life, I have been in love with its color, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.” That one is a bit on the nose, but we’ll let it slide.
Speaking of slides, the Phantom’s ‘Gallery,’ which runs the full width of the inside front fascia, is a 3D map of the Furka Pass (where Bond trailed Goldfinger’s Rolls in his Aston DB5) that was made from a hand-drawn sketch. This itself took a year of development.
But there’s detail, and then there is ‘what was the universe doing on this day?’ detail. Take the shape of the Phantom’s headliner, it represents (and this is not a joke) the constellations over the Furka Pass on July 11, 1964—the final day of shooting the Swiss scenes in the film.
Then there’s the bespoke clock surround which mimics the gun barrel sequence at the beginning of every Bond movie (this should have also been on the Aston, to be honest). And then there’s the navy leather, walnut veneer, gold seat stitching, and a plethora of very lovely touches that hark back to the film.
Some of these touches include a: gold-plated golfing thing stored under the trunk door, a light that shines the 007 logo into the trunk when opened to indicate it’s being ‘tracked,’ and umbrellas detailed in the same colors as the ones Oddjob loads into his boss’ car. And we have to mention the number plate.
“This particular project really invigorated our team of creatives, giving them the freedom to explore the reaches of their imagination,” said Rolls-Royce CEO Chris Brownridge.
Do you expect to buy one? Well, no, you can’t, unlike the Goldfinger DB12, this is strictly a one-off.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
