Rolls-Royce Drives a Phantom Into a Swimming Pool
- Editor OGN Daily
- Sep 2
- 1 min read
Yes, that really is a Rolls-Royce dunked in a pool. But why?
It was driven into the outdoor pool at Tinside Lido in Plymouth, UK, by Rolls-Royce itself as part of the nameplate's 100th anniversary celebrations.
This performance piece isn't intended to show how the Phantom's build quality features watertight panel gaps or invoke comparisons to some kind of ocean-going luxury liner. It's actually designed to evoke one of the most popular stories of rock-n'-roll excess - a story that might never have really happened.
The story goes that The Who drummer Keith Moon drove his Rolls-Royce into a swimming pool in Flint, Michigan, as a way of livening up a party in 1971. It's exactly the sort of thing you could believe about the hard-partying Moon, who was the epitome of hard-rocking bad behaviour and was known to test the water-resistance of a hotel TV or two while on tour - by flinging them out of the window.
It's a good story, and quibbling about whether or not it was just something Moon made up to get a rise out of a reporter needn't get in the way of the re-telling. Here, Rolls-Royce used an extended-body-shell car that was bound for the scrapyard anyway, partially submerging it in the Lido pool.
Rolls-Royce is using this stunt to highlight the Phantom's long association with popular music, from Sir Elton John to modern hip-hop, both wealthy elegance and riotous excess. The company also has planned appearances at important automotive events throughout the world as part of the marque's 100th birthday celebrations.
