The Rolls-Royce Phantom V is a large four-door limousine produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from 1959 to 1968. Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shares a V8 engine and General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox with that model. Rolls-Royce assembled the cars' chassis and drivetrains with bodies made to standard designs by coachbuilders Park Ward and James Young, former vendors absorbed by Rolls-Royce. The engine is a 6,230 cc 90-degree V8 with twin SU carburettors, coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The car has massive drum brakes and a wheelbase of 3,683 mm. Power assisted steering was standard. A shallow gear gave a walking speed which was suitable for ceremonies. From 1963 onward, the Silver Cloud III's 7% more powerful engine and new front wings (incorporating the latter's quad headlamps) were fitted. Park Ward vs James Young models Of the 832 total built between 1959 and 1968, James Young made 217 bodies. Park Ward, owned by Rolls-Royce, made 607 bodies. In 1962, H. J. Mulliner & Co. was merged by Rolls-Royce with Park Ward to form Mulliner Park Ward. Prior to the merger, eight Phantom Vs had been made by H.J. Mulliner. Famous owners John Lennon Beatle John Lennon bought a 1964 Mulliner Park Ward Phantom V, finished in Valentines black. Everything was black except for the radiator, even the wheels. Lennon asked for the radiator to be black as well, but Rolls-Royce refused. Originally the car was customised from Park Ward with black leather upholstery, cocktail cabinet with fine-wood trim, writing table, reading lamps, a seven-piece his-and-hers black-hide luggage set, and a Perdio portable television. A refrigeration system was put in the boot, and it was one of the first cars in England to have tinted windows. He probably paid £11,000 (nearly £210,000 in today's general inflation value). Lennon didn't know how to drive and didn't get his driving licence until 1965, at twenty-four years of age. He sometimes hired a 6'4" Welsh guardsman named Les Anthony. In December 1965, Lennon made a seven-page list of changes that cost more than £1900: the back seat could change into a double bed, a Philips Auto-Mignon AG2101 floating record player that prevented the needle from jumping, a Radio Telephone and a cassette tape deck were added, while speakers were mounted in the front wheel wells so that occupants could talk outside via microphone. The car needed a new paint job after Lennon