Rolls-Royce has made a splash, literally, to celebrate the Phantom's long-standing connection to music culture. Behind-the-scenes footage confirms the event actually happened.
The car used was a prototype Phantom, the extended wheelbase version stretching 5,982 mm. Instead of driving the car into the pool, Rolls-Royce used a crane to lower it onto a submerged platform. The water level reached only mid-wheel, approximating the Phantom's actual fording depth.
This stunt draws inspiration from a famous music industry anecdote about Keith Moon, drummer for The Who. Legend has it that Moon drove a Rolls-Royce Phantom into a swimming pool for his 21st birthday party back in the 1970s.
Moon later claimed the car was actually a Lincoln Continental, and partygoers admitted their memories of the event were hazy. Fact or fiction, the story inspired Rolls-Royce to recreate the event as part of the Phantom's centennial celebration.
The location added another layer of symbolism. Tinside Lido in Plymouth, situated on the English Channel, served as the stage. This spot has its own musical history, having appeared in a 1967 Beatles photograph. That same year, John Lennon famously repainted his Phantom in bright yellow before adorning it with swirling red, orange, green, and blue designs.
The Phantom's story is deeply intertwined with the music world. Over the decades, luminaries like Duke Ellington, Edith Piaf, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, and Sir Elton John have all enjoyed the experience of driving the brand's flagship sedan.
More recently, the modern Phantom has become a status symbol among R&B artists, with Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne featuring the car in music videos, TV shows, and album covers.
My Anh (according to Carscoops)
