1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom V

The word 'Phantom' has several meanings including apparition, specter, or illusion. It is used to represent a person or thing of illusory power, status, and efficacy. When Rolls-Royce decided to use the 'Phantom' name in the mid-1920s, it served as a replacement for the company's venerable Silver Ghost which set the standard for luxury, elegance, style and sophistication.

The Phantom V was introduced as the 1950s were coming to a close and would remain in production through 1968 with 832 examples built. It was based on the Silver Cloud II with a 144-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 238 inches (longer than the 212 inches of the Silver Cloud II), and standing 69 inches tall (5 inches taller than the Cloud II). The V8 engine and General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox were also sourced from the Silver Cloud II, with the distinction between the two primarily focused on the bodywork. The body-on-frame construction permitted special-bodied versions, though most of the Silver Clouds were built with the standard Pressed Steel Company-manufactured steel body shell. Many of the Phantom Vs received standard designs by coachbuilders Park Ward and James Young. Numerous styles were available including from independent firms of James Young and Chapron, along with H.J. Mulliner and Park Ward, soon to merge into a single unit under Rolls-Royce auspices.

Mechanical Specification

The 6,230cc 90-degree, all-alloy V8 engine powering the Phantom V used twin SU carburetors and was paired to a four-speed automatic transmission. To accommodate processions and parades, the transmission had a shallow gear which allowed it to move at a walking speed. Drum brakes provided the stopping power and power-assisted steering was standard equipment.

Production

Of the 832 examples of the Phantom V built between 1959 and 1968, 217 examples were bodied by James Young and 607 by Park Ward (owned by Rolls-Royce). H.J. Mulliner & Company bodied eight examples before it was merged by Rolls-Royce with Park Ward in 1962, forming Mulliner Park Ward.

The Predecessor : The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV

Before the Phantom V, Rolls-Royce built the Phantom IV from 1950 through 1956 with a mere 18 examples constructed during that time. They were primarily built for heads of state and the British royal family. The first fifteen examples received a 5.7-liter eight-cylinder engine while the final three had a larger, 6.5-liter powerplant. With a 145-inch wheelbase and a length of 227 inches, it was relatively short for a limousine and coachbuilders found it difficult to design a comfortable seven-seater automobile with adequate trunk (boot) space.

The Phantom V addressed many of the shortcomings of the Phantom IV, particularly with its modified and strengthened Cloud II chassis that measured nearly 20 feet in length. Although it had a lower final drive ratio than its stablemates, it did have a top speed in excess of 100 mph and could all but match them for acceleration.

The Successor : The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI

Produced from 1968 to 1990, Rolls-Royce built 374 examples of the Phantom VI. Styling was nearly identical to the Phantom V and most of the bodies were built by Mulliner Park Ward. The 6,230cc engine with twin SU carburetors was coupled to a four-speed automatic gearbox. In 1979, engine displacement grew to 6,750cc. The wheelbase measured 145 inches and it had a length of 238 inches.

The Phantom VI was the last Rolls-Royce with a separate chassis.

by Dan Vaughan

Limousine by Mulliner
Chassis number: 5VF155

Rolls-Royce's new 6230cc all-alloy V8 engine was introduced in the autumn of 1959 and used to power the Silver Cloud II and Bentley S2, as well as the Rolls-Royce Phantom V. The long-wheelbase limousine Phantom V served as a replacement for the royalty/heads of state-only Phantom IV and the Silver Wraith. The Phantom V was nearly 20 feet in length and provided a spacious interior accommodation with generous boot space. Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd. produced what as in effect the 'standard' seven-passenger limousine coachwork for the Phantom V.

The Australian Government and initially ordered a fleet of Silver Wraiths, Silver Clouds and a pair of Phantom V limousines. The latter was ordered in 1966 and entered service late the following year. For the next 27 years, the Phantom Vs were part of the Commonwealth Government fleet of cars and were used for official duties in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, conveying Heads of State, Royalty and other dignitaries.

The cars were placed up for public tender in April of 1994. At the time, chassis number 5VF155 read 54,757 miles. The car was purchased by the current (and first private) owner.

In 2000, it was loaned back to the Government for the Royal Visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.

by Dan Vaughan

Saloon

This left drive car, one of fourteen, was originally owned by the colorful Texas oil man Nathan 'I'm Available' Jones. Delivered in November 1966, it had only 19,000 miles when it became part of a collection in Houston in 1977, where it resided for more than two decades. Acquired in 1999 and re-sold to a client who stored it for ten years, it was re-purchased with only 19,642 miles on the odometer.

In 2009, it was mechanically serviced and the cooling system and air conditioner were upgraded. It was refinished in original Mason's Black lacquer. The original tools, Waterford Crystal, book, and warranty have survived in mint condition. Throw pillows and mink lap robes commissioned by 'Available' are still in the original Neiman Marcus boxes.

State Landaulette by Mulliner
Chassis number: 5LVF113
Engine number: 8F56PV

This 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Mulliner Landaulette Limousine is the fourth of five State landaulette bodies built by the coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward. It was ordered by Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu in 1966 and cost about twice the price of a normal Phantom V, making it the most expensive automobile ever built at that time. In March of 1967, the Romanian government, concerned about using one of capitalism's most potent symbols, tried to rescind the order. Nevertheless, the car was shipped to Bucharest. When U.S.S.R. President Leonid Brezhnev learned of the car he made his displeasure known, and on his instruction it was exchanged for a more modest model. Rolls-Royce found another buyer, Dr. Earl Heath of Pennsylvania, who owned the landaulette for more than 20 years. The car was twice borrowed by Queen Elizabeth II for visits to the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and was also used by Princess Grace of Monaco on a trip to the United States.

Limousine by James Young
Chassis number: 5LVF49

This Rolls-Royce Phantom V is believed to be one of eleven PV23 examples equipped with left-hand drive. Its Touring Limousine coachwork was created by James Young and completed in May of 1966. As a United States-destined example, its instrumentation is in miles and it has Dunlop whitewall tires, electric windows, a Hirschman electric antenna, pencil-beam rear interior lamps, P100 headlamps, a refrigerated mini-bar with decanters and glasses, and a rear center armrest containing a mirror, notebook, and pencil. The interior was upholstered with beige leather in the driver's compartment and beige cloth in the rear cabin. Wearing 'black number 1' paint, it was dispatched for shipping in September of 1966.

The American marque distributorship in New York ordered this Rolls-Royce new on behalf of William 'Bill' MacDonald of Miami Beach, Florida. After several years, ownership of the Rolls-Royce briefly passed to H. Fisher of Miami before being acquired during the early 1970s by Red Skelton. It is believed that the car remained with Mr. Skelton for twenty-six years before being acquired in May 1996 by Richard Gorman who conducted a cosmetic restoration. The current custodian acquired the Rolls-Royce in 2002.

by Dan Vaughan

As the successor to the coveted Silver Ghost, Rolls-Royce buyers had high expectations for the original Phantom. When it was brought to market in 1925, the Phantom had no problems living up to the high standards of its intended customers. It was an excellent car of unrivaled quality that continued the traditions of Rolls-Royce while introducing a name that would eventually carry the company into a new century.

The latest Rolls-Royce Phantom is the seventh model to come from Rolls-Royce under the Phantom name. A thoroughly modern car introduced by a BMW-owned Rolls-Royce, the newest Phantom has all of the high-tech features its wealthy clientele could ever want. Its advanced V12 engine and modernistic design mark departures from the staid engineering and subtle styling of Rolls-Royce models before it. It's difficult to believe that just 12 years before the radical new Roller was released, the last of the old-style Phantoms were being produced. The antiquated Phantom VI reached the end of its run in 1991, an incredible fact given that the model could trace its origins back to the Phantom V of 1959.

The year 1959 was an important one for Rolls-Royce. The English company, which had long before bought out the coachbuilding firm Park Ward, purchased H.J. Mulliner. Mulliner was another coachbuilding firm that had done a great deal of work for Rolls-Royce. Once both long-time coachbuilding partners were under the control of Rolls-Royce, a more modern era was reached in which it was no longer necessary to contract out for the design and production of even the finest bodies.

Also for 1959, Rolls-Royce introduced a new Phantom model. Called the Phantom V, it was a substantially more modern car than its predecessor. Though H.J. Mulliner and Park Ward were now both under control of Rolls-Royce, not everybody was built in-house by them. There were 195 Phantom V bodies built by the James Young Company and styled by James Young employee A.F. McNeill.

A 6,230cc V8 was used in the Phantom V. It had a 90-degree V configuration and was made of aluminum alloy. The advanced construction was supplemented by cast-iron cylinder liners that allowed the lightweight engine to have the durability and longevity required of a fine motorcar. The engine was oversquare, a feature that further enhanced reliability and drivability. Twin SU carburetors fed the V8, and power was transmitted to a hypoid bevel rear end through a four-speed automatic transmission. The four-speed auto was an impressive and advanced feature for a car introduced in 1959.

The rest of the car was less advanced than the new engine and drivetrain. The suspension was a conventional layout with coil springs in front and leaf spring out back. Body-on-frame construction was used. The styling was traditional, using rear suicide doors that allowed entrance to a roomy and opulent rear seat with the familiar look and feel of the rest of the interior. A design update in 1963 used revised front fenders with two headlights each. A more powerful engine was included with the facelifted cars. Production lasted through 1968, by which time 516 Phantom V vehicles had been produced.

Later in 1968, the Phantom VI was introduced. H.J. Mulliner and Park Ward merged under Rolls-Royce ownership in 1962, changing their joint name to Mulliner Park Ward, and it was Mulliner Park Ward that bodied almost every Phantom VI produced. Even though Rolls-Royce owned the coachbuilding subsidiary, Mulliner Park Ward was unlike any other in-house styling agency. They built Phantom VI bodies slowly and painstakingly as traditional artisans. The bodies were handcrafted and elegant, with styling as stately as the royalty resting in the rear seat could imagine.

Originally outfitted with the 6,230cc engine of the Phantom V, the Phantom VI had its twin SU carburetors replaced with a single Solex carburetor in 1975. Its displacement was enlarged to 6,750cc in 1979 when it was given an engine based on the Silver Shadow's. For 1982, the engine of the Silver Spirit was adopted, sharing the 6,750cc displacement. The cars had become outdated, but they still trickled out slowly to privileged buyers. The use of drum brakes at all wheels continued in defiance of technology, and the four-speed transmission that seemed so advanced on earlier models was strangely replaced by a three-speed unit in 1979. The Phantom VI became the last Rolls-Royce to have a separate chassis as it limped and wheezed its way into the early 1990's.

Production was discontinued in 1991. This year, after a few final body panels were produced for the Phantom VI in case of an accident, the Mulliner Park Ward factory at Willesden was closed. The Willesden works had produced most of the bodies found on Phantom VI vehicles. Production numbers for the Phantom VI totaled just 374 in over two decades.

With so few produced and with such a high price tag, the Rolls-Royce Phantoms of 1959 to 1991 were made for a very special type of customer. Celebrity seemed a prerequisite for owning a Phantom. Queen Elizabeth II had a Phantom V, and her mother owned one as well. The king of Norway used his 1962 Phantom V limousine as an official car. The governor of Hong Kong had one for ceremonial purposes. John Lennon purchased a new, white Phantom V. He proceeded to have it covered with psychedelic paintings, turning it into one of pop culture's most vivid and expensive pieces art. The owners of the Phantom VI were no less remarkable. Rolls-Royce understood the kind of customer base it had with the Phantom models and offered an armored version of the Phantom VI for higher-profile buyers that wanted added protection.

With the end of Phantom VI production in 1991, Rolls-Royce reluctantly let go of its most antiquated and obsolete customs. When the Phantom V was being sold, it was traditional but not quite old-fashioned. With the advent of the Phantom VI, though, the series was becoming outdated. While the Phantom V was simply a top-of-the-line Roller, the Phantom VI was the swansong of Rolls-Royce tradition. It flew in the face of cheaper cars from Mercedes-Benz and other luxury brands that offered more feature content and more performance for far less money. It was an overtly dignified symbol of the auto industry's most aristocratic company.

Producing a car as obsolete as the Phantom VI into the 1990's would have been an embarrassing decision for most carmakers. For Rolls-Royce, though, it was a symbol of the company's unwillingness to stray from the core values that cemented its reputation for excellence. The Phantom VI aged like fine wine and, as the Morgan sports car continues to do even now, provided a special vehicle for special customers who wouldn't settle for anything else.

Sources:

Roßfeldt, K.J.. 'Rolls-Royce and Bentley Models: Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph.' rrab.com Web.10 Aug 2009.

'Phantom 5,' 'Phantom 6.' Rolls-Royce Phantom Web.10 Aug 2009.

by Evan Acuña

Unlike the Phantom IV, the later Phantom V and VI coach-built cars were available to anyone with the money to buy them. As well as heads of state and royal families, the Phantom was chosen by the newly wealthy: among the more famous owners of a Phantom V was Beatle John Lennon.

Built on a huge 3,683mm wheelbase, the vast majority featured Silver Cloud style bodywork built by Mulliner Park Ward.

It was produced from 1959 to 1968 and mechanically mirrored the V8 Silver Cloud II. Some 516 examples were built.

The Phantom VI, which stayed in production from 1968 right through to 1991, was built in small numbers - 373 - and was a mild evolution of the Phantom V.

Interestingly, some early examples had rear-hinged coach doors. It was to be some three decades before technical advances allowed the current Phantom to bring the elegance of coach doors back in complete safety.

by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited

by Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce Phantom V was introduced in 1959 with a huge wheelbase of 145 inches, and a markedly rigid and strong chassis. A total of 516 of these models were produced during its production run until 1968. The Phantom V was based on the Silver Cloud II and shared its V8 engine and the automatic gearbox to GM's Hydra-Matic design. The chassis was the same as the Silver Cloud's layout, but it was lengthened and strengthened significantly by massive reinforcements. The front and rear track were also improved by greater dimensions. The overall length of the Phantom V was increased by 10 inches in comparison to the Phantom IV. Measuring 19 feet long, the Phantom V weighed three tons.

Manufactured in 1965 by the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, Crewe, Cheshire, the Phantom 5 was fitted with a limousine body by Mulliner Park Ward. The Phantom V received the 7% more powerful Silver Cloud III engine in 1963 along with new front winds that incorporated twin headlamps.

The Phantom V was placed at the top of the Rolls-Royce hierarchy. An ultra-luxurious Rolls-Royce model, the Phantom V came with drum brakes and featured a wheelbase of 3,683 mm. The featured engine was a 90 degree V8 with a capacity of 5,230 cc and twin SU carburetors with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Proud owners of the Phantom V included John Lennon, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Governor of Hong Kong. It has appeared in movies such as 1965 'Help!', 'Steptoe and Son' in 1972, 'Herbie Rides Again' in 1974, 'Rosebud' in 1975, 'The Toy' in 1982, 'Trading Places' in 1983, 'Spiderman' in 2001 and 'What a Girl Wants' in 2003.

by Jessican Donaldson