If there were ever a car that was the archetype of Bond villain excess, it would have to be the Rolls-Royce Phantom. And so it was for Auric Goldfinger, arguably the most iconic nemesis that 007 ever faced on the grand stage. As the film detailed, the two met for the first time at Stoke Park, and it is here that we were introduced to Goldfinger’s 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville. Sixty years after the film, a UK-based James Bond aficionado set out to build a modern rendition of that Phantom III. To this end, the individual commissioned Rolls-Royce Bespoke to make an exclusive one-off Phantom Goldfinger.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger celebrates 60 years since the rivalry came on the big screen and it took nearly three and a half years to complete this ambitious project. To highlight the extent of craftsmanship involved, it must be mentioned that the designers devoted a year to the car’s Gallery – the artwork on the dashboard that features a hand-drawn contour map of the Swiss Alps made from darkened stainless steel.

The map highlights the Furka Pass with a gilded surface, a route through which Bond would tail Goldfinger’s Phantom III. Rolls-Royce says it took designers 10 variations before they landed on this one.

The gallery is not the only reference to the Furka Pass with the custom Starlight Headliner featuring the exact constellations that took hold of the sky on July 11, 1964. This was the last day of filming the iconic tailing sequence and it took artisans 719 stars with eight hand-placed shooting stars to recreate the night sky. These stars emit a golden light further driving home the point that it is not just any other Phantom from the streets.

“This is gold, Mr. Bond"

This Phantom embodies Goldfinger’s obsession with gold. The Spirit of Ecstacy on the car’s hood features 18-carat gold highlights, and the bases of both front and rear centre consoles are finished in gold as well. This obsession extends over to the glovebox, which has the inner lid debossed with the iconic quote from Goldfinger on his lifelong interest.

The obsession does not end here. In keeping with the plot of stealing and smuggling gold, Rolls-Royce Bespoke has made an 18-carat solid gold bar in the shape of a Phantom Speedform. This is concealed and illuminated with a secret compartment in the front centre console made specifically for this project.

The picnic tables for rear passengers are made with Royal Walnut and feature the fictional map of Fort Knox, Goldfinger’s ultimate target in the film as part of the “Operation Grand Slam". This map is inlaid with 22-carat gold and took over six months and three prototypes to finalise.

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The Rolls-Royce Phantom Goldfinger features a dual-tone exterior of yellow and black, colour-matched to Goldfinger’s Phantom III. The car rides on 21-inch black disc wheels with silver floating hubcaps. On opening the trunk, one is greeted with a gold-plated putter as a reference to Bond’s first encounter with Goldfinger at Stoke Park while playing golf. The trunk lid further projects the 007 logo on the floor when opened as a nod to James Bond placing a tracking device on the car.

For this Phantom, Rolls-Royce has managed to secure the 'AU1' license plate that was seen on Goldfinger's car as a nod to gold's symbol on the periodic table. The automaker stated that they have already delivered it to the collector, having made no mention of the price. With so much gold and such high levels of craftsmanship that went into this build, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a multi-million price tag.

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