Three months ago, Rolls-Royce had only sold one of its new Phantom cars in the UK - now the firm can hardly keep up with demand.

Hollywood golden couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have become the latest buyers of the model, which is manufactured and assembled at the company's plant in Goodwood.

Affleck reportedly bought J-Lo a silver Rolls-Royce Phantom, costing £250,000, which was delivered to her Hollywood home the day before she turned 33.

The couple, whose first film together, Gigli, has been slated by critics, went for a drive in the Phantom on her birthday and were apparently delighted with the investment.

Rolls-Royce's Fred Fruth said today: "We have sold several hundred since we started manufacturing here at Goodwood.

"We always like to hear that high profile people like our cars but we follow a company tradition that we do not comment on anything relating to our customers because that is the way they like it."

Britain's most celebrated motor marque was taken over by Germany's BMW and opened a £65 million, purpose-built assembly plant in Goodwood at the start of the year.

Nearly 350 staff produce about 1,000 cars annually for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which has been established as a stand-alone UK subsidiary of the Munich-based group.

The Phantom was unveiled in January as part of a formal relaunch aimed at winning back glory to a brand tarnished by under-investment and changes of ownership.

But the Argus reported in May that Rolls-Royce had sold just one Phantom since the start of the year.

Mr Fruth added: "We are still producing two to three cars a day and the final goal towards the end of the year or next year is to produce up to five cars a day.

"Orders are piling up, but we are not unhappy with that."

Sir Henry Royce, who founded the company with Charles Rolls, made his home in West Wittering, near Chichester, from 1917 until his death in 1933.