Some were “ship to shore” phones.
Edit: here’s a nice article on the early “car phones”
Remember Millions of Mobile Phones in the 1960s? You Should | Urbanist
Amazing, a 6.2 L OHV V8 putting out only 200 hp. And 4 wheel drum brakes! That’s one expensive phone.
More than you want to know about the car radio technology of the mid 20th century:
http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm
pretty interesting, actually, to learn how high-tech businesses operated in that period, with the dominant force of the highly-regulated phone monopoly playing such a key role in the market.
With a very long wire? 
Rollers were never known for bleeding edge tech. The same model year Jag XKE had a 3.8L, dual overhead cam, triple SU carb, straight 6 engine (and truly a thing of beauty to behold) producing 265 BHP; and 4 wheel disc brakes (inboard brakes on the back). I won’t bore you with the advanced suspension system. 
Thanks for the memories! As a kid I was of the E-Type school (I was 6 when it was introduced and at the time I didn’t know from “sexy” but I loved it liked no object I’d seen before; ok, maybe my teddy bear, but not in a sexy way) but most of my friends favored 'Vettes, which I never cared for. Had a girlfriend whose father owned a yellow V-12 E-Type, a '74 (IRCC) and it was really nice but not as elegant as the Series I, or any of the 6-cyl versions. I remember, also as a kid, thinking the Rolls was the ne plus ultra of cars but it really wasn’t, as you’ve pointed out. Even some cars of the 1930s had features more advanced than the Rolls, but none, save Deusenberg or Stutz or other long-gone names had the cache. Amazing that for under $20 grand you can buy a far superior car today. But cache has some value, too….
Elvis had one or two of those, too. I went to Graceland when I was twelve and remember thinking it was the coolest of his cars. I know I’ve got a picture of it around here somewhere. Dem side-pipes.
I don’t remember the Rolls, which could mean it wasn’t displayed, or I just forgot.
As for classic Jags (and British sportscars in general) they’re super sweet rides but you can be an expert mech and they’ll still find a way to fail on you.
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