Rolls-Royce is renowned for its impressive stunts, but this time, the brand has taken it up a notch. To celebrate the longstanding connection between the Phantom and the world of music, they did something unexpected: they submerged a Phantom in a swimming pool.
In an age where AI can create surreal images in mere seconds, it’s important to note that this is no digital gimmick. Rolls-Royce even released a behind-the-scenes video to prove that it actually happened.
Rolls-Royce Submerges a Phantom in a Swimming Pool
Before anyone laments the sacrifice of a luxury car, it’s worth mentioning that this was a pre-production Phantom that had reached the end of its road and was destined for recycling. This wasn’t your average Phantom either; it was the extended wheelbase version, measuring a whopping 5,982 mm in length, almost taking up the entire pool.
The submerged Rolls-Royce Phantom was a pre-production model, not the commercial version sold in the market.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom in the pool is the LWB version.
Rather than letting it sink freely from the pool’s edge, Rolls-Royce took a more cautious approach by using a crane to lower the car onto a support, ensuring that the water level only reached the center of the wheels, mimicking the car’s actual wading depth. Theoretically, even a commercial version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom could have survived this dunk, but the brand wisely chose a prototype instead.
The water level in the pool reached above the wheel center of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
But what does this stunt have to do with music? Legend has it that Keith Moon, the infamous and unpredictable drummer of The Who, drove a Phantom into a pool during his 21st birthday party in the ’70s. Moon later claimed it was a Lincoln Continental, and guests confessed they couldn’t quite remember. Whether fact or fiction, the story inspired Rolls-Royce to recreate the moment to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Phantom.
The stunt was inspired by the story of Keith Moon, the famous drummer.
The location is also symbolic. Tinside Lido in Plymouth, situated on the English Riviera, served as the stage for this event. This place holds its own musical significance, as it appeared in a photograph of The Beatles in 1967. That same year, John Lennon repainted his Rolls-Royce Phantom in a bright yellow hue with red, orange, green, and blue swirls.
An aerial view of Tinside Lido, the swimming pool where the Rolls-Royce event took place.
The story of the Rolls-Royce Phantom is intimately tied to music. Over the decades, legends like Duke Ellington, Edith Piaf, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, and Sir Elton John have all experienced the opulence of this flagship sedan.
In modern times, the reborn Rolls-Royce Phantom has become a status symbol in the R&B world, appearing in music videos, TV shows, and album covers of artists like Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne.
Interestingly, Rolls-Royce isn’t the first to pay tribute to Keith Moon. British band Oasis famously submerged a classic Phantom in a swimming pool for their album cover of “Be Here Now,” released in 1997. That photoshoot alone cost £100,000, which would be around £200,000 ($270,000) in today’s money.
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