FROM ELVIS TO 50 CENT, PHANTOM IS THE STARS' RIDE OR DIE

Now celebrating its centenary, the Rolls-Royce flagship has been embraced by artists from Marlene Dietrich and Elvis to John Lennon and Sir Elton John

- DARREN STYLES

Three decades after luxury motor car brand Rolls-Royce was founded, its cars were the preferred transport of leading lights of the music and entertainment world. Artists including Duke Ellington, Fred Astaire, Count Basie, Ravi Shankar, Edith Piaf and Sam Cooke all travelled by Rolls-Royce, recognising the brand as the definitive symbol of success and artistry.

But it is its flagship, the Rolls-Royce Phantom – now celebrating its centenary (which was marked with a Keith Moon-inspired stunt – see p. 15) – that has most captured the imagination of music icons across the generations, from Elvis Presley to 50 Cent.

Rolls-Royce CEO Chris Brownridge tells us: “From the Golden Age of Hollywood to the rise of hip-hop, over the last 100 years, music artists have used Phantom to project their identity and challenge convention. Their motor cars often became icons in their own right, with a lasting place in the history of modern music. This enduring connection reminds us that Rolls-Royce and the extraordinary people who are part of the marque’s story are united by one ambition: to make their presence felt.”

And here are some of the Phantom’s greatest hits:

MARLENE DIETRICH: FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

Fresh from her breakout role in The Blue Angel, Marlene Dietrich travelled to California in 1930 to begin filming Morocco. Her welcome was as dramatic as her screen presence: at Paramount Studios she was greeted not only with flowers but with the gift of a green Rolls-Royce Phantom I. Morocco earned Dietrich an Academy Award nomination – and her Phantom shared the spotlight, appearing in the film’s closing scenes and publicity images.

ELVIS PRESLEY: ALL SHOOK UP