Rolls-Royce Phantom Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Rolls-Royce Phantom: History & Fun Facts

A 1925 Debut After the Silver Ghost

Rolls-Royce introduced the first Phantom in 1925 as the replacement for the Silver Ghost, the model that had carried the company's reputation for two decades beforehand. Buyers ordered a bare rolling chassis from the factory, then a separate coachbuilder fitted a custom body, so no two early Phantoms looked exactly alike.

That chassis-only sales method lasted through the Phantom's early decades and shaped how wealthy owners thought about the car: as a mechanical platform for a bespoke design job as much as a finished automobile bought off a showroom floor.

Eight Generations Across a Century

The Phantom line has run through eight distinct generations: Phantom I (1925-1931), Phantom II (1929-1936), Phantom III (1936-1939), Phantom IV (1950-1956), Phantom V (1959-1968), Phantom VI (1968-1990), Phantom VII (2003-2016), and Phantom VIII (2017-present).

The Phantom IV is the rarest of the bunch. Rolls-Royce built only 18 examples and sold every one exclusively to royalty and heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II, making it one of the most exclusive production cars ever built.

The Pantheon Grille Shape

The tall, almost rectangular grille traced on this page nods to a shape Rolls-Royce calls the Pantheon grille, standing taller and more upright than the sloped grilles found on most luxury sedans. Rolls-Royce angles it back very slightly and tilts the vertical slats forward for a formal, temple-like presence at the front of the car.

That upright grille shape has stayed remarkably consistent since the 1920s, even as the rest of the car's proportions changed generation after generation, giving the Phantom an instantly recognizable face regardless of decade.

Rear-Hinged Doors and a Hand-Built Cabin

Rolls-Royce still hinges the rear doors at the back rather than the front on the modern Phantom, a layout enthusiasts nickname suicide doors, borrowed from coach-built cars of the early 20th century. The wide opening makes it easier for passengers in formal wear to step in and out without ducking.

Inside, Rolls-Royce offers a Starlight Headliner option: hundreds of hand-fitted fiber-optic lights woven into the roof lining to mimic a night sky, a detail that takes Rolls-Royce craftspeople hours of hand work per car to install.

Built at Goodwood Since 2003

BMW purchased the rights to build Rolls-Royce cars in 1998 and opened a dedicated factory at Goodwood, England, in 2003 to build the seventh-generation Phantom, the first fully new Phantom in decades. That factory still builds every Phantom today.

The Goodwood factory keeps a large glass-walled assembly hall so visitors can watch workers hand-finish leather, wood veneer, and paintwork, a level of visible craftsmanship few automakers show off so openly.

An Aluminum Spaceframe and a Quiet Ride

The current Phantom VIII rides on an aluminum spaceframe architecture Rolls-Royce also uses under the Cullinan SUV and Ghost sedan, letting engineers tune body stiffness and sound insulation specifically around a hushed, vibration-free cabin.

Rolls-Royce engineers famously chase what they call a magic carpet ride, damping road noise and vibration so thoroughly that a coin can reportedly stand on its edge on the dashboard while the car cruises over rough pavement.