Rolls-Royce Celebrates Goldfinger with One-Off Phantom

James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 deserves the most attention, but it is not the only impressive car in 1964's Goldfinger.

Competing with 007's Aston is the 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville, driven by the titular villain, Auric Goldfinger. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the film's release, Rolls-Royce has created a one-off version of the current Phantom Extended Wheelbase inspired by this iconic villain car. This one-off model is known as the Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger.

The Phantom Goldfinger has a two-tone paint job similar to the car in the film, and its 21-inch wheels are designed to resemble the smooth disc wheels of the car in the film. In the movie, the Phantom's body was also made of gold smuggled in by Goldfinger. Rolls-Royce did not go that far with the tribute car, but they did combine 18-karat gold plating with a silver coating to make the hood ornament look as if it were made of pure gold.

Rolls-Royce also incorporated 18- and 24-karat gold throughout the interior. An 18-karat gold bar, shaped like a miniature phantom, is housed in a vault in the front center console. One of Goldfinger's most memorable lines, “This is gold, Mr: ”This is gold, Mr. Bond. I have been in love with this color, this shine, this divine heavenly radiance all my life.”

The phantom also features a 24-karat gold VIN plate, gold-finished air vents, and a gold-plated scuff plate that resembles a gold bar. The walnut picnic table is inlaid with 22-carat gold and features a fictional map of the U.S. gold bullion vault in Fort Knox that Goldfinger targeted for robbery in the film. The rest of the interior is finished in navy leather and walnut wood paneling.

In the film, Bond follows Goldfinger through the Furka Pass across the Swiss Alps, a scene referenced by a three-dimensional map of the pass in the “gallery” on the Phantom's dashboard and by the illuminated Starlight headliner. It features 719 light spots that reproduce the position of the stars in the Furka Pass on July 11, 1964 (the last day of filming “Goldfinger”).

Other movie references include a gold-plated putter mounted on the underside of the trunk lid, a reference to Bond and Goldfinger's first golf encounter, and a fake tracking device that projects the 007 logo onto the trunk floor. The umbrella attached to the Phantom's door also has the same design as Goldfinger's, and the license plate is “AU1,” the same as in the film version.

Like other custom-built Rolls-Royce cars, the Goldfinger Phantom will never be replicated. However, Rolls-Royce's continued emphasis on bespoke means that it will continue to create unique cars.

Aston Martin is also celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Goldfinger with a special edition DB12. Aston Martin has already produced a limited-edition sequel to Goldfinger, the DB5, which cannot be driven on public roads but is equipped with a moving mechanism.