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1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville

The design of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger was inspired by the 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville, owned by the eponymous villain Auric Goldfinger. The Phantom Goldfinger features some of the most extensively developed custom details in Rolls-Royce history, all linked to the film Goldfinger. Developing these special elements took three years, from a complex sculptural Gallery, inspired by the famous scene filmed at Furka Pass, to a gold Goldfinger in the trunk, a reference to the club Auric Goldfinger used in his first encounter with James Bond.

Exterior

For the exterior of this tribute to Goldfinger’s car, Rolls-Royce’s lake experts matched the yellow color exactly to the original 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville, as used in the film. A unique two-tone “long-side” version was developed, with the black paint running around the body as a continuous graphic element. The 21-inch disc wheels are finished in black with silver ‘floating’ hub caps.

Spirit of Ecstasy

The Spirit of Ecstasy ornament on the hood of the Phantom Goldfinger has a unique finish that subtly references the plot of the film. In the film, the villain smuggled gold into the body of his Phantom. To honor this scene, the ornament appears to reveal partial gold under a silver layer. Since gold cannot be silver-plated, Rolls-Royce specialists chose a solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy, which was then carefully plated with 18-karat gold to create the “gold-under-the-silver layer” effect.

Hidden gold in interiors

In homage to the movie Goldfinger , the Bespoke team of designers, engineers and craftsmen at Rolls-Royce developed several intricate details with 18- and 24-carat gold. One of these features is the hidden safe in the center console between the front seats. This space was redesigned to house an illuminated solid gold bar, shaped like a Phantom “Speedform” – a stylized miniature representation of the car’s design.

The base of the front and rear consoles also feature a sophisticated gold finish, as does the inside of the glove box. The inside of the glove box lid also features Goldfinger’s iconic quote, “This is Gold, Mr. Bond. All my life, I have been in love with its color, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.”

The air vents and “organ stops” in the car also have a shiny gold finish. The speaker grilles have the same finish and are printed with the title of the film. The entry moldings are gold-plated and feature the same font used in the 1964 film. The gold-plated 24-karat gold VIN plate is engraved with a specially obtained vehicle identification number ending in 007.

Furkapas

The custom artwork in the Phantom’s Gallery, which runs the full width of the dashboard, is the centerpiece of the car. The three-dimensional design shows a detailed contour map of Furka Pass, where 007 in the movie follows the villain Goldfinger to his smelter in the Swiss Alps. The stainless steel used was darkened with a process called physical vapour deposition. Contour lines and elevation figures were engraved into the dark substrate, exposing the bright metal underneath. The Furkapas was carved out of the stainless steel layer, revealing a gilded substrate.

This complex detail required a year of careful development, with the Bespoke team producing ten full prototypes to perfect the design. The clock frame in the center of the artwork was inspired by the iconic “gun barrel” sequence that has appeared in every James Bond film since Dr. No (1962).

Furkapas Starlight headliner

The car pays another subtle tribute to the Furkapas scene. The Bespoke team at Rolls-Royce designed the Phantom Goldfinger’s Starlight Headliner to accurately depict the constellations over Furkapas on July 11, 1964 – the scene’s last day of filming in Switzerland. The 719 stars, which light up with a subtle golden glow, are surrounded by eight shooting stars, each of which was placed by hand.

Picnic table with gold

Royal Walnut’s picnic tables feature a 22-karat gold inlay with a depth of just 0.1 mm, depicting a fictional map of Fort Knox – the depot where the United States’ gold reserves are stored. The design, which took six months and was developed in three prototypes, includes key locations such as Gold Vault Road, Bullion Boulevard and the Bullion Depot that Goldfinger plans to attack in Operation Grand Slam.

The gold standard

The Phantom Goldfinger features leather upholstery in Navy and Royal Walnut veneers, chosen as an elegant canvas for the gold accents inspired by the interior of the original car. The seats, including the reclining rear seats, are refined with gold stitching, gold-colored “bullets” finishing the stitching and headrests with a gold ‘RR’ monogram.

Unique details

James Bond’s first encounter with Goldfinger takes place at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, where 007 challenges him to a round of golf. Goldfinger uses a golden putter, guarded by his henchman Oddjob. For the 2024 Phantom Goldfinger, the gold-plated putter was recreated and mounted on the underside of the trunk lid. The club is decorated with a specially designed “AG” monogram, inspired by the engraving on Goldfinger’s signet ring in the film.

Later, Bond places a tracking device on the Phantom III, tracking the villain through Europe. To reference this, the Bespoke team developed a device inspired by the original gadget, which subtly projects the 007 logo onto the luggage compartment carpet when the lid is opened.

During the scene in Stoke Park, Bond is almost caught by Oddjob, who loads Goldfinger’s golf clubs and a garish umbrella into the trunk. For the 2024 Phantom Goldfinger, the umbrellas that fit in the rear doors are finished in the same red, blue, green and yellow colored fabrics.

As a final detail, the coveted British badge ‘AU 1’ that adorned the Goldfinger Phantom III in the film has been attached – a reference to the chemical symbol for gold on the periodic table of elements. This now remains permanent on the Goldfinger Phantom, which has been delivered to a prominent Rolls-Royce customer and collector in England.

“Realizing the Phantom Goldfinger was one of the greatest creative adventures yet for the Bespoke team. The elegant and playful details that reference the most memorable moments from the film beautifully demonstrate how Bespoke can add a new chapter to an existing story. It was a privilege to be part of the creative team that brought this sought-after collectible to life,” said Nick Rhodes, Bespoke Designer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.