Surely the most famous behind to grace those sumptuous leather seats is Queen Elizabeth II. Whenever she or other members of the royal family travel on official engagements, at least part of the journey will usually include the use of a Rolls-Royce. Even when making trips abroad on the Royal Yacht Britannia, a Rolls-Royce used to travel on board in its own specially made garage.

The royal cars have unique adornments. The first Rolls-Royce state car, the Queen’s original Phantom IV, was given during her silver jubilee. When the Queen is on board, it carries a mascot of St George slaying the dragon, which can be transferred to any one of the fleet of state cars. When the Queen is not in the car, the mascot reverts to the Spirit of Ecstasy.

Other royal owners include the Duke of Edinburgh and the late Princess Margaret. Both are known to have exerted a strong influence over the selection and specification of royal cars.

Of course, any high profile Rolls-Royce owner will need a driver. Rolls-Royce runs a chauffeur’s training course at its School of Instruction in Crewe, Cheshire. It was set up in 1922 to provide a valuable service to owners worldwide, and the fact that it is still going today is testimony to the quality and professionalism of the course. Drivers are assessed on etiquette, car care, maintenance, maneuverability, skid control and formal driving. 

John Lennon

Another famous Rolls-Royce owner, this time pop royalty, was John Lennon. He had a Phantom V that was manufactured and delivered in 1965. Far from shunning showy mod cons, Lennon had several features added to the car, including a Sterno radio telephone with the number WEYBRIDGE 46676 assigned to it. 

In 1966, the rear seat was modified so it could convert to a double-bed. A custom interior/exterior sound system was installed along with a loud hailer, along with a Sony television and portable refrigerator. The bodywork was also customised. It was initially painted black, but John soon became bored with this. In 1967, during the making of Sergeant Pepper, he fancied having the car repainted in a psychedelic style. Read all about Sergeant Pepper here.

This didn’t quite happen, and he ended up employing a firm of gipsy barge and caravan designers to paint colourful scrolls and flowers on the car at a cost of £2,000. This attracted some criticism – and an elderly woman in London attacked the car with her umbrella, telling Lennon he was a swine for ruining a Rolls-Royce! 

After being lent to several rock stars, including the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues and Bob Dylan, and after Lennon’s death, the car was eventually sold at auction in 1985 for a staggering $2,299,000. It was bought for a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum and fitted with the South Carolina licence plates LENNON.

Starring roles

Notable appearances of Rolls-Royces on the big screen include the 1964 film The Yellow Rolls-Royce. Three stories about the lives and loves of three different owners of the same car are explored – a gangster’s moll, a member of nobility, and a socialite. An all-star cast of Ingrid Bergman, Rex Harrison, Shirley MacLaine and Omar Sharif make this film a bit of a classic. 

The car used in the movie was a pale blue 1930 Phantom II Sedanca de Ville, which MGM technicians covered with 20 coats of yellow paint!

In the James Bond film Goldfinger, also from 1964, baddie Auric Goldfinger owns a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III, and uses it for dastardly smuggling deeds. Chauffered by Odd Job, the car travels between England and Switzerland, each time having parts replaced by solid gold. The gold sections are eventually melted down into bars and sold at a premium rate.