How They Rolled

For the past 100 years, stars from Fred Astaire to Drake - and sundry Third World despots - have flaunted Rolls-Royce's Phantom as the ultimate automotive status symbol

- By Brett Berk

While performing in the Gershwins' musical Funny Face in London in 1928, Fred Astaire bought a custom-bodied 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Town Car. He was so impressed with the vehicle, he shipped it back to the States after the run, outfitted with a custom Louis Vuitton trunk for his tap shoes. Likewise, when Marlene Dietrich arrived in Hollywood from Germany in 1930, executives at Paramount greeted her with a green Phantom I convertible. The car even appeared in her Hollywood debut, Morocco, which earned Dietrich her only Oscar nomination.

Since its release in 1925 — 100 years and eight generations ago — the Rolls-Royce Phantom has maintained its position as the British ultra-luxury brand's most expensive (and exclusive) model. Hailed for their seemingly effortless power, supple ride, technologically sophisticated gizmos and exquisite interior and exterior appointments, Phantoms have been the ultimate celebrity status symbol nearly since the nameplate's release. This was partly by design.

“In the early days, Hollywood encouraged their stars to ride around in very expensive cars,” says