Statistically, the idea of a 1-of-1 car is cool. Outside of that, a one-off loses a certain amount of appeal because it will probably not be seen by the majority of car enthusiasts—in person, at least. Last November, we shared the news that Rolls-Royce made an extremely special Phantom Extended to honor the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film “Goldfinger.” Instead of being locked in a warehouse somewhere for its value to appreciate or parked in a mansion’s giant living room, the Phantom Goldfinger was put on display at the 2025 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy.
Every car manufacturer has customers, but when it comes to ultra-high-end companies such as Rolls-Royce, the people who buy its cars (particularly the special or unusual ones) become ambassadors of the brand. In fact, certain automakers require you to show up to some of their events with one (or more) of the cars you purchased if you want to obtain a build slot for one of their halo cars. The 007 fan who commissioned the Phantom Goldfinger, which is covered and packed with references to the 1964 movie, agreed to showcase it as part of Rolls-Royce’s celebration of 100 years of the Phantom.
The Phantom Goldfinger had some very special company on the Grand Hotel’s Mosaic Lawn by Lake Como. Rolls-Royce started the festivities with an opening parade that included a Phantom V, which is also rare (although much more common that the Goldfinger): Rolls-Royce built only 832 fifth-generation Phantoms. It also brought the car that inspired the Phantom Goldfinger: the 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville that the villain Auric Goldfinger owned.
Rolls-Royce didn’t state if the Phantom Goldfinger’s owner drove it or had a chauffeur do it for him or her. The photos from the event don’t show anyone in a bowler hat or any headless statues, so we can make a highly educated guess . . .
