Tracing the history of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with the Poonawalla Collection

In the late ’90s, the Rolls-Royce marque was in utter shambles, its identity dismantled into pieces to be bartered in a truce between two German automotive giants, amidst their ongoing custody battle for the pantheon-faced motor car company. The Phantom nameplate, was Rolls’ flagship and was naturally bestowed the colossal assignment to reclaim the British maker’s ‘best car in the world’ title from 1907. The double-R brand successfully accomplished this and reemerged as the top-shelf car brand of the world. Rolling forward to 2025, which marked 100 years of the Phantom. “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better”, this quote from co-founder Henry Royce, precisely captures his unwavering pursuit of perfection.

This occasion of the centenary anniversary of the fabled Phantom, gave Rolls-Royce Chennai and the Poonawalla Collection a merry excuse to gather all the generations of R-R’s halo model. The Poonawalla Stud Farms hosted an open-house exhibition of seven unique examples — from the 1928 Phantom I 17EX to the 2024 Phantom VIII EWB. There was also an English White, Cullinan Series II to represent the zenith of opulent motoring in an SUV body style.

The Poonawalla or YZP Collection needs no introduction, as the list of Yohan Poonawalla’s exhaustive and exquisite curations are up there with the world’s best. “It signifies prestige, power, comfort and luxury and of course beautiful design and styling,” said Poonawalla on what drives his fascination towards the palatial motor vehicle. All his cars were neatly exhibited on the lush greens inside a secluded, field-sized lawn guarded by vine-laden walls.

It’s time for a brisk Phantom 101. It was in 1925 that the ‘Phantom’ name was first introduced as a sequel to the Silver Ghost. It was a significant milestone for R-R, as the revised straight-six engine with its redesigned pushrod-operated overhead valves, took the refinement to a higher plane with its discernibly effortless and quieter power delivery. With the genesis and etymology of the biggest Rolls-Royce out of the way, we can now move onto the primary exhibits from the day. 

1928 Phantom I (17EX)

Once a part of the cherished possessions of Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir, bearing the ‘Kashmir 1’ license plate, this very car was in fact breathed upon by Henry Royce himself, as a developmental prototype in 1928. It was a response to Bentley’s recent dominance at Le Mans with its victorious 3-litre motor car, which further inspired them to create the ‘Super Sport’ which became the world’s second car to carry a top speed of 100mph (160kmph). The car as you see here dons a one-off, coach-built body from Jarvis of Wimbledon. This coachwork outfit was world renowned for working its magic on the blisteringly fast ‘Blue Bird’ 18.3-litre Sunbeam, the 1924 land-speed record holder, piloted by the ‘King of Speed’ Malcolm Campbell. We’ll circle back to him and his glorious exploits shortly. Painted in ‘Saxe Blue,’ Jarvis gave this 1 of 1 masterpiece a tighter and slopier fuselage, embellished with twin-windshields, free-floating wheel arches along with its teardrop-shaped short tail. As for its heart which helped it touch the 100mph top speed, is a 7.8-litre, 6-cylinder engine. It’s no surprise that this is Yohan Poonwalla’s favourite car from his Phantom collection, “One of the greatest or probably the greatest old vintage Phantom and it was designed by Henry Royce himself… It’s a one-off, only one in the world with a special one-off engine, a one-off body and a one-off gearbox.” 

1933 Phantom II (Continental Sports Touring Saloon)

As promised, here’s an introduction to Malcolm Campbell. A celebrated automobile-racing driver of British origin, also served as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He has various world speed records on land and water to his name, with nine land-speed records under his belt, he was dubbed the ‘King of Speed’. This very Phantom II was Campbell’s own car and a testament to his close relationship with Rolls-Royce. Its markedly short and sporty wheelbase aside, this motor car also received improvements to its suspension geometry to afford it a comfortable ride cruising at 95mph (153kmph). It was also specified with extras such as a spotlight, chrome klaxon (trumpet-like fixture for projecting the horn sound), Bosch horn and siren. This sports tourer Phantom wore a shade of ‘Pale Blue’ paint on its Barker coach-built body and had its cabin upholstered in ‘Dark Blue’ leather.

1937 Phantom III (Maharaja of Panchkote)

Rolls-Royce of today is renowned for producing the world’s smoothest engine, its ‘six and three-quarter’ V12 engine delivering a very high level of refinement. It’s so smooth that it can balance a coin on its edge, even when the engine is revved at standstill. Having said that, it was the Phantom III which ushered in the R-R’s first-ever V12, a 7.3-litre naturally aspirated engine to be precise. It was mated to a four-speed manual transmission which sent power to the rear wheels. The cabin featured a host of quirky elements — the gear shifter is placed next to the driver’s side door, a three-spoke steering wheel with a third of the wheel at 12 o’clock, cut off to suit the visibility of the Maharaja’s favourite, short chauffeur; the ’wheel had a barrage of controls such as double ‘Soft & Loud’, ‘Ignition Timing’, ‘Throttle’ and even ‘Suspension’. Another defining feature of this car was its custom-built body which was made into a 7-seater convertible. It had a plush rear bench (no less than a 3-seater sofa), that faced a pair of retractable seats, a big red light, which signalled if the Royal family was travelling when it was turned on. World War II broke out while the Phantom III was still in production, before coming to a stop. Rolls-Royce turned towards aviation during the war and produced plane engines, most notably the Merlin V12, which powered the legendary Supermarine Spitfire. In the post-war landscape, the brand resumed production with Silver Wraith powered by a 6-cylinder engine. The post-war landscape and a Royal family’s order placed sometime in the 1950s, birthed the Phantom IV. It was nicknamed ‘the Maharaja’ as a total of just 18 cars were produced, all of which were commissioned and owned by various heads of state.

1962 Phantom V (Emir of Qatar)

Remember the scene from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002), wherein Norman Osborn, (Willem Dafoe) drops off his son Harry (James Franco) to class in a Rolls-Royce? It was a Phantom V, albeit with a different set of headlights. The fifth-generation arrived in the early ’60s which almost had a decade-long production run, ranging from 1959 to 1968. Its stately and elongated bonnet cradled a 6.2-litre V8 which was mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission tuned for an ultra-smooth and unreluctant power delivery. The crawling-speed refinement was so high on the priority list, that it was outfitted with a low final drive ratio. What it meant for the Phantom was that it could carry a “walking pace”, which perfectly aligned with this motor car’s one true calling — ceremonies and motorcades. This particular example was commissioned for the Emir of Qatar, Al Thani. Built by coachbuilder James Young, this Qatari Phantom is a left-hand-drive specification, equipped with a sunshine roof (sunroof), dual flagpoles and even a purdah glass (privacy / tinted glass).

1979 Phantom VI (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

The longest running Phantom series, which stayed in production from 1968 to 1991. It was the last of the old-timey, traditional Rolls-Royce limousines which carried the gifts of the coachbuilding era into the modern times. The Phantom VI started its life with a 6.2-litre V8 powerplant and later received the slightly uprated 6.75-litre V8. The example featured here was built for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is an undeniable piece of rolling modern history, both the world’s and Rolls’. Unquestionably, it was built to the highest specifications complete with flag masts on the front wings, a cocktail cabinet integrated in the privacy partition housing which also had a clock. The cabin is as cosy and comfortable as an English living room and features red velvet upholstery for the cushions and curtains, with the carpeting done in cherry red. It had a long list of amenities such as electrically operated rear seats, reading lights, vanity mirrors, air-conditioner and heater. The black-over-burgundy two-tone exterior paint only adds to its allure.

2005 Phantom VII (First Phantom VII delivered to India)

The advent of the seventh-generation proved why having BMW at the helm was necessary and a blessing in disguise. Having won the aforementioned custody battle 2003 onwards, they successfully managed to roll them to the top hill of desirability. BMW didn’t want to leave any stone unturned and started development of an all-new V12 — the first since Phantom III, establishing the 6.75-litre as a hallmark of the brand in the modern age. The exhibit showcased here, was the first Phantom VII delivered to India — a milestone moment tying Phantom’s historic links to Indian shores. 

2024 Phantom VIII EWB (Last Phantom VIII with a privacy suite)

This is the very latest and literally the greatest from the double-R brand, the pinnacle and statement of ultimate luxury. The Phantom VIII wafts down the road packing a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12, pushing out a staggering 900Nm of torque that saunters in from 1700rpm. This is the wizardry which disguises its 2.6-tonne kerb weight. The example here is optioned with a privacy suite — which is a fixed electrochromic glass partition, which not only cycles its opacity, but also isolates the sound in the two halves of the cabin. This very Phantom VIII EWB allocation is the last pantheon-faced motor car to offer the ‘Privacy Suite’ option for this generation. Poonawalla shared how he secured an allocation for his unique Phantom VIII EWB. “At the time they were phasing out the privacy suite feature and basically orders were closed, but I reached out to the chairman of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and not only did I commission this privacy suite EWB, but it happens to be the last privacy suite car in the world.” This latest Phantom shuts the suicide doors to this menagerie of old-timey privilege in a poetic way.

Also on display was owner Ranjit Malik’s 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I ‘Barker Tourer’ convertible, which embarked on a 30-day Kashmir to Kanyakumari drive. The 100-year-old motor car traversed unfettered through bad roads and traffic. The car delivered and concluded the K2K and made it to Pune.

The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars company is rather misjudged. To say their cars are the ultimate statement of luxury, is a trite notion. Rolls-Royce cars are built with a money-no-object approach towards perfection. It’s the material constraints and principles of economy, which make these magnificent machines an opulent indulgence for the select few. The brand’s philosophy is much more earnest and therefore more profound — craftsmanship that knows no bounds.