• Rolls-Royce reflects on a year of global celebrations marking Phantom's centenary
• Debut of Phantom Centenary Private Collection: the most complex and technologically ambitious Collection yet
• Phantom client commissions for 2025 delivery reflect anniversary’s significance
• Famous historical Phantom owners from the worlds of art and music honoured
• Site extension at Goodwood creates new Bespoke possibilities for future Phantoms
  
  

“For Rolls-Royce, 2025 has revolved around the centenary of our pinnacle product, Phantom. This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to honour the stories that built this nameplate’s legend — from the incredible motor cars themselves, the zenith of effortless motoring in their respective eras, to the towering figures in music, art, business and statecraft who have chosen a Phantom of their own. We marked this extraordinary occasion with landmark commissions and exceptional global celebrations that reflect the spirit and stature of our marque today, perfectly setting the tone for Phantom’s next 100 years.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


Throughout 2025, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has celebrated the centenary of its pinnacle product and the most famous nameplate in luxury history: Phantom. These celebrations focused on the people, places and events that shaped Phantom’s incredible story, and how this extraordinary motor car has both reflected and influenced the world around it.

Designed by Sir Henry Royce, the original ‘New Phantom’ made its debut in 1925. Over the next 100 years and throughout eight generations, Phantom has always been the grandest, most impressive and effortlessly refined motor car built by the marque: a century of unassailable luxury and engineering excellence.

The centenary year has featured appearances by all eight generations of Phantom at celebratory events across the globe, culminating in the unveiling of the Phantom Centenary Private Collection, Rolls-Royce’s own Bespoke tribute to its most storied model.

Clients around the world also chose to take delivery of their Bespoke Phantoms in 2025 – in many cases beginning the journey years in advance, in anticipation of the anniversary – ensuring their motor cars would not only become part of their personal legacy, but also take a once-in-a-lifetime place in the ongoing story of this remarkable nameplate. To mark this milestone, every Rolls-Royce Phantom hand-crafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce this year was completed with a special centenary chassis plaque.

Rolls-Royce takes this opportunity to reflect on Phantom’s legacy, revisiting the stories and moments shared among clients, the media, and the wider world throughout this centenary year.


PHANTOM CENTENARY PRIVATE COLLECTION: A BESPOKE TRIBUTE 

Rolls-Royce honoured 100 years of the Phantom nameplate with the Phantom Centenary Private Collection. Limited to just 25 examples, this Private Collection combines traditional and highly innovative craft techniques to explore a century of stories: pivotal figures, notable clients, significant models, journeys, places and moments that defined Phantom’s first 100 years.

Its iridescent two-tone exterior, finished in Super Champagne Crystal over Arctic White and Black – crowned with a solid gold Spirit of Ecstasy – recalls the elegance of Phantom’s early Hollywood era. Inside, exquisitely crafted Bespoke features tell the story of Phantom’s legend. The Anthology Gallery is composed of sculpted words selected from 100 years of media acclaim. The rear seats are finished in high-resolution printed and embroidered fabric, meticulously developed with a couture atelier over a year.

The Starlight Headliner captures historic moments and references in 440,000 stitches. The sculptural doors feature the marque’s most intricate woodwork to date, combining 3D marquetry, 3D ink layering and 24-carat gold leafing. The result is the most complex and technologically ambitious Private Collection to date – a defining statement, 100 years in the making.


CELEBRATING PHANTOM’S PLACE IN MUSIC BY BRINGING A LEGEND TO LIFE

In 2025, Rolls-Royce celebrated the legendary figures in music who chose Phantom, both as a symbol of success and a source of creative inspiration. From Marlene Dietrich and Liberace to Elvis Presley, Sir Elton John, Pharrell Williams and Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, these artists helped shape, and were drawn to, Phantom’s magnetic presence.

Perhaps the most memorable tale from Phantom’s musical mythology is Keith Moon’s infamous 21st birthday party, when The Who’s drummer reportedly drove his Rolls-Royce into a swimming pool. Though witnesses have only a hazy recollection of what really happened, a Rolls-Royce submerged in a pool became the ultimate symbol of rock ‘n’ roll indulgence.

To mark Phantom’s centenary, Rolls-Royce brought the myth to life by submerging a Phantom Extended body shell –  a retired prototype destined for recycling — in the Art Deco Tinside Lido in Plymouth, England.

The location also has Beatles heritage: on 12 September 1967, The Beatles visited while filming The Magical Mystery Tour. That same year, John Lennon debuted his yellow, hand-painted Phantom V, forever linking the nameplate with music history.


REFLECTING ON PHANTOM’S CONNECTION TO A CENTURY OF ART

As part of the centenary celebrations, Rolls-Royce reflected on Phantom’s long-standing connection to the art world. In one of the most surreal arrivals in history, Salvador Dalí once filled a friend’s Phantom with 500kg of cauliflowers, then flung open the door upon arrival at the Sorbonne in Paris, sending the brassicas cascading to the ground. This moment – which itself will celebrate its 70th anniversary on 26 December, 2025 – was commemorated by the marque, along with reflections of other Phantom owners who led the creative conversation, including Andy Warhol, who was so compelled by Phantom that he acquired a 1937 model on the spot after seeing it parked outside a Zurich antiques shop in 1972.


COMMISSIONS INSPIRED BY AN UNFORGETTABLE LEGACY

Aware of the historical significance of 2025, clients around the world placed Bespoke commissions for delivery in Phantom’s centenary year — in many cases beginning that journey years in advance. These Phantoms stand among the most ambitious ever created by the marque’s Bespoke Collective and resident designers in the Private Offices of Shanghai, Dubai, Seoul and New York, and the original at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex.


PHANTOM YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Commissioned by a Chinese client to mark the Year of the Dragon, this one-of-one Phantom Extended is a contemporary tribute to one of China’s foundational legends. At its centre is a spectacular marquetry Gallery depicting two dragons swirling through clouds, guarding a central pearl represented by a Bespoke clock.

The dragons also appear on the Bespoke Starlight Headliner as 768 red and 576 white fibre-optic ‘stars’, each individually hand-placed.


PHANTOM CHERRY BLOSSOM

Inspired by the Japanese tradition of Hanami, Phantom Cherry Blossom is a tribute to the fleeting beauty of springtime Sakura blooms. Commissioned by a Japanese client, the rear cabin of this Phantom Extended includes the marque’s first use of sculptural 3D embroidery, with cherry petals formed from layered, self-supporting thread structures. The Starlight Headliner is also exquisitely embroidered with cascading cherry branches, completing an interior comprising over 250,000 stitches.


PHANTOM DENTELLE  

Phantom Dentelle is a one‑of‑one tribute to couture lace, using embroidery to translate the material’s delicate, three-dimensional textures into the Gallery and rear Waterfall section. The interior features more than 230,000 stitches across eight embroidery techniques, combining Rose Gold, Oatmeal and Sunrise threads to evoke pearls and floral filigree.


PHANTOM CHINESE MURAL ART

One of a trio of Bespoke motor cars commissioned through Private Office Shanghai, in tribute to the ancient mural paintings of Dunhuang, China. The Phantom Extended, features a Gallery with a landscape painting on black leather, rendered in an adapted Chinese technique of reduction block printing.

The Silken Spirit motif, inspired by imperial silk and the Spirit of Ecstasy, appears in the hand-painted Coachline, interior embroidery, wood inlays and on illuminated treadplates.


A WORLD STAGE FOR PHANTOM

Throughout its centenary year, Phantom was celebrated on a truly global stage, with commemorative events held across five continents. From prestigious concours to exclusive gatherings, these moments reflected the power of Phantom’s legacy in every sense.

The centenary journey began at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, followed by the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival in the UK, where five historic Phantoms – including the celebrated Phantom I ‘Brougham De Ville’, or ‘Phantom of Love’ – graced the Aerodrome Lawn. In Spain, all eight generations of Phantom were showcased at the beautiful Torre Loizaga in Bilbao.

A celebratory drive across Scandinavia and the Baltics saw members of the 20-Ghost Club journey more than 2,000 kilometres from Helsinki – where the cavalcade was waved off by a Phantom VIII – through Nordic landscapes in 26 pre-War Rolls-Royces, including three examples of Phantom I. The oldest participating motor car dated from 1927.

Celebrations continued in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, where Phantom’s cultural role was marked at the city’s renowned film festival. In Warsaw, Poland, Rolls-Royce hosted a jazz evening featuring renowned vocalist Stacey Kent, while in Baku, Azerbaijan, an exclusive cultural club paid tribute to Phantom’s deep-rooted musical connections and its appearance in song lyrics across musical styles and generations.

In North America, Phantom’s centenary was honoured with a dedicated class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where eight generations of Phantom were united for this occasion. This milestone was celebrated at gatherings in Colorado Springs for the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club Annual Meet, the Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance, and the grand opening of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Oakville in Canada.

In Asia, Rolls-Royce hosted a standout event at Azabudai Hills, Tokyo, showcasing a selection of rare Phantoms – from Phantom II Continental to Phantom Oribe, designed in collaboration with Hermès for a Japanese collector. 100 Years of Phantom was celebrated in Singapore with a contemporary culinary journey, and in Shanghai, five generations of Phantom were honoured at a showcase for Chinese clients and friends of the marque.

Across the Middle East, the Phantom Centenary made landmark appearances at the National Museum of Qatar and at private events in Dubai, Riyadh, Manama, and Abu Dhabi. These showcases included historic and modern Bespoke Phantoms such as the Phantom Drophead Coupé Zenith, Phantom Scintilla Private Collection, replete with an 869,500-stitch interior, and Phantom Centenary Private Collection.


PHANTOM’S BESPOKE FUTURE 

In a year defined by Phantom’s legacy, Rolls-Royce also looked to its future. At the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, construction progressed on a landmark £300 million extension to house advanced equipment and capabilities dedicated to Bespoke. This expansion enhances every element of the marque’s creative and technical process, creating space for bold new ideas, materials and artisanal techniques. Phantom, as the marque’s pinnacle product and most expansive canvas, will continue to be where these innovations are brought to life on the grandest scale, today and into its next century.

• Landmark Private Collection of 25 motor cars honours Phantom’s centenary
• The most complex and technologically ambitious Private Collection to date
• A century of stories: interior celebrates pivotal figures, notable clients, significant models, journeys, places and moments that defined Phantom’s first 100 years
• Rear seats in high-resolution printed fabric, developed with a fashion atelier, completed with 160,000 stitches
• Laser-etched front seats depict hand-sketched linework inspired by Phantom’s heritage
• Most intricate Rolls-Royce woodwork ever introduces three Rolls-Royce firsts: 3D marquetry, 3D ink layering, and 24-carat gold leafing
• Spirit of Ecstasy in solid gold, hallmarked and enamelled, based on 1925 casting
• Bespoke Gallery recalls pages of a book with abstracted text formed in aluminium

“The Rolls-Royce Phantom Centenary Private Collection is our tribute to 100 years of the world’s most revered luxury item. This uncompromising work of art uses the meticulously engineered Phantom VIII as the canvas to tell the story of Phantom’s remarkable life and the people who shaped it – from the visionaries within Rolls-Royce to the owners who helped create its legend. For a century, the Phantom nameplate has expressed the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce’s abilities. To honour that legacy, this extraordinarily ambitious Private Collection introduces new techniques and is the result of over 40,000 hours of work, culminating in a motor car which reaffirms Phantom’s status as a symbol of ambition, artistic possibility, and historical gravitas.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“Having the privilege to pay a Bespoke tribute to the Phantom nameplate is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Seizing on the significance of this moment, a record number of designers spent a year immersed in the motor car’s rich history, uncovering the stories that shaped its legend. Their research was distilled into 77 hand-sketched motifs, each capturing a defining moment in Phantom’s journey and expressed with levels of detail we have never attempted before. The result is a true collective work of art that celebrates the skill, ambition and imagination of everyone at the Home of Rolls-Royce, and the profound respect the marque’s creatives have for this extraordinary motor car.”
Martina Starke, Head of Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“Phantom Centenary is the most intricate and technologically ambitious Private Collection ever undertaken by the designers, engineers, production specialists and craftspeople of our Bespoke Collective. Developed over three years, this project uses new techniques to blend metal, wood, paint, fabric, leather, and embroidery into a single, stunning composition. The surfaces read like a book revealing 100 years of Phantom’s history, rich with symbolic references for clients to admire and decipher over many years to come.”
Phil Fabre de la Grange, Head of Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


For 100 years, Phantom has been recognised as the ultimate symbol of success and discernment, chosen by the world’s most influential figures. As this legendary nameplate celebrates its 100th anniversary, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pays tribute with the Phantom Centenary Private Collection, limited to 25 examples.

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and artisans poured their skill and imagination into what has become their magnum opus. They immersed themselves in Phantom’s world, studying the spirit and identity of each generation from the 1920s to today. They explored defining owners, pivotal figures within Rolls-Royce, the places where Phantom was conceived and built, and the events that defined its times.  These influences, first captured as 77 hand-sketched motifs, are woven into the Phantom Centenary Private Collection through stunningly crafted archival references, creating a statement that honours Phantom’s past, defines its present, and projects the principles that will shape the nameplate’s next 100 years and beyond.

Each historic moment is brought to life through advanced artisanal techniques, many conceived specially for this rare and collectable tribute. Inside, couturier-designed textiles, sketch-like embroidery, laser-etched leather, and groundbreaking woodcraft – including 3D marquetry, gilding, and 3D ink layering – tell Phantom’s story in stunning, intricate detail. Outside, the grille is crowned with a unique Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, reinterpreted from the very first to grace a Phantom, and presented in solid gold to mark this milestone.


EXTERIOR: AN ELEGANT, BESPOKE STATEMENT

Evoking the timeless elegance of a black-and-white film star, the Phantom Centenary Private Collection’s exterior recalls the golden age of Hollywood, when Phantom graced premieres, carried screen icons, and became a symbol of the era’s glamour. The motor car is finished in a Bespoke two-tone paint, its long-sided application a nod to the flowing silhouette of 1930s Phantoms. The side body is presented in Super Champagne Crystal over Arctic White, with the upper body in Super Champagne Crystal over Black. The specially developed finish gives the exterior an extraordinary metallic shimmer, achieved by infusing the clear coat with iridescent particles of crushed glass. For this celebratory Private Collection, Rolls-Royce paint specialists replaced the clear flakes with champagne-coloured particles and doubled the quantity to create spellbinding depth.

This timeless treatment is crowned with a unique reimagining of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Using the first Spirit of Ecstasy ever fitted to a Phantom as their reference, designers created an homage to this landmark figurine, cast in solid 18-carat gold for strength, then plated in 24-carat gold for a flawless, tarnish-resistant finish. The piece was then presented to the London Assay Office for testing and hallmarking, where it received a full UK hallmark accompanied by a specially developed ‘Phantom Centenary’ mark.

The base of the figurine is finished with hand-poured white vitreous enamel delicately inscribed with the collection’s name.  For the first time, the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour – positioned on the front, rear, and each side of the motor car – is presented in 24-carat gold and white enamel.

Resolving the exterior is a set of Phantom disc wheels, each engraved with 25 lines – honouring the 25 motor cars within the collection and, together, making 100 lines to celebrate the centenary year.


INTERIOR: IMMERSED IN THE PHANTOM LEGEND

A century of Phantom’s stories elegantly unfold across the many canvases of the Private Collection’s interior, through magnificent archival references – some immediately recognisable, others revealed over time.

In homage to Phantoms of the past, Phantom Centenary’s interior combines textiles and leather, recalling the marque’s foundational years when the chauffeur’s front seat was finished in hardwearing leather and the rear cabin in luxurious fabrics. This contrast is a subtle reminder that Phantom has always balanced both authority at the wheel and absolute serenity in the passenger suite.


REAR SEATS: TAILORING EXCELLENCE

The rear seats of Phantom Centenary are inspired by the famed 1926 ‘Phantom of Love’, commissioned with handwoven Aubusson tapestries. The artwork on the seats unfolds across three distinct layers of storytelling. The first is the background, rendered in high-resolution print, showing places and artefacts from Phantom’s history – from the marque’s original Conduit Street premises in London to Henry Royce’s oil paintings of Southern France. The second layer, also printed in high resolution, portrays great Phantoms of the past in finely drawn detail. The third and uppermost layer is formed of embroideries, abstractly representing seven significant owners from every generation of Phantom.

This complex fabric was developed over 12 months in partnership with a fashion atelier, marking its first commission beyond the world of haute couture. To meet Rolls-Royce’s exacting longevity, tactility and aesthetic standards, the high-resolution printing process was perfected with specially adapted inks and techniques devised exclusively for the Phantom Centenary Private Collection.

The high-resolution printed fabric is completed with embroideries, designed to have a uniquely hand-drawn quality. Described by the Bespoke Collective as “sketching with thread”, this embroidery process captures the expression of a pencil line in textile form. To outline and define each image, artisans applied Golden Sands thread in sketch-like, irregular stitches, creating the illusion of lines floating lightly above the surface. Texture and depth were added with Seashell thread, applied in high-density stitches. Across the full composition, this intricate craftwork amounts to more than 160,000 stitches.

The finished artwork spans 45 individual panels, each precisely aligned and fitted around the curvatures of the seats at the Home of Rolls-Royce: a process inspired by Savile Row tailoring techniques. The result is the most intricate seat composition ever created by Rolls-Royce.

“Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of a handwoven tapestry, the rear seats tell Phantom’s story through carefully curated details, captured in textiles and embroidery.  Every embroidered element was digitally re-drawn by artisans who selected specific stitch application for every stroke. For example, in the horse motif, we used spaced stitches to recreate the hair texture, then dense stitching to define the muscle. These fine details required extraordinary precision to get right: one motif went through 24 iterations before we were satisfied. This reflects the deep personal pride we felt in creating a fitting tribute to the Phantom nameplate, and the responsibility we all share in carrying its legacy forward.”
Celina Mettang, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


FRONT SEATS: A DESIGN STATEMENT IN THE DRIVER'S QUARTERS

The leather on the front seats features laser-etched artwork based on hand drawings by a Bespoke designer, evoking the draftsman’s craft. Among the motifs are symbolic details that elegantly carry the extraordinary weight of Phantom’s 100-year legacy, from a rabbit design – a nod to “Roger Rabbit,” the codename for the relaunch of Rolls-Royce in 2003 – to a seagull, the codename for the 1923 Phantom I prototype.


ANTHOLOGY GALLERY: A STORY OF DISTINCTION TOLD OVER 100 YEARS

The centrepiece of the Phantom Centenary Private Collection is the Anthology Gallery. This dramatic composition features 50 3D-printed, vertically brushed aluminium ‘fins’ interlaced like pages of a book. Each fin is composed of sculpted letters that can be read from both sides, forming quotes drawn from a century of press acclaim.

The sculpture is subtly lit by shifting illuminations that recall the shimmer of falling fireworks. The brushed edges of each fin create a play of reflections, changing with the viewer’s moving perspective.


WOODWORK: A SCULPTURAL STATEMENT

The Private Collection features the most intricate woodwork ever created for a Rolls-Royce. Developed over a year and rendered in stained Blackwood, the door panels depict Phantom’s most significant and formative journeys. Within each composition, geographical maps, winding routes, sweeping landscapes, floral elements, and depictions of experimental motor cars intersect to form an artwork alive with Phantom’s heritage.

The rear doors portray the coastline of Le Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, where Sir Henry Royce spent his winters. The right-hand side front door shows the landscape of West Wittering, home to his summer residence, just eight miles from today’s Home of Rolls-Royce. The left-hand side front door recalls the epic 4,500-mile journey of the first-ever Goodwood-era Phantom, which crossed the Australian continent from Perth.

Each composition combines 3D multi-directional marquetry, laser etching, 3D ink layering and gold-leafing to create dimension and texture. Etched motifs, which include maps, landscapes, flowers and trees, are applied onto the wood at three different depths using a laser. The roads representing these journeys gleam in 24-carat gold, crafted from squares of gold leaf just 0.1 micrometres thick. Each road is painstakingly crafted, cut and placed.

The rear doors also incorporate depictions of flora native to Southern France – pine, cypress, ferns and palm – while a section of the rear passenger door recreates one of Sir Henry Royce’s original oil paintings of the region, translated from canvas to wood. The exact locations of Royce’s homes – Villa Mimosa in the South of France and Elmstead in West Wittering – are marked with a single gold-leaf dot just 2.76 mm in diameter.

“We drew on an extraordinary range of sources – original texts, diaries, photographs and paintings – to create a composition that weaves together many threads of Phantom’s story. New technology developed for this project, including 3D ink layering, allowed us to add details at a scale never before possible – some just 0.13 mm in height – from a boat sailing across the sea to location names on a map. It’s a privilege to have the time and technology to realise moments in Phantom’s history with the detail and precision the nameplate deserves.”
Katrin Lehmann, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The wooden surfaces on the doors transform into masterfully embroidered leather panels. The 24-carat gold ‘roads’ continue as golden thread embroidery; details of the maps and landscapes are stitched in black, echoing the etched details on the veneered section of the doors.

The woodwork is completed with depictions of the original 1925 Phantom I and the current Phantom VIII, individually etched on the rear picnic tables. The models are mirrored in embroidery on the leather-finished backs of the picnic tables – another gesture uniting past and present.

The Piano Black veneer is infused with gold dust, echoing the central rotary dial, also plated with 24-carat gold.


A GOLDEN LEGACY

The magnificent engineering masterpiece that is the 6.75-litre V12 engine is celebrated with a specially designed cover, finished in Arctic White. The cover has been detailed with 24-carat gold, honouring the effortless power that has helped define Phantom’s modern legend and success.


PHANTOM'S STORY IN STARLIGHT

A subtly animated and embroidered Starlight Headliner captures moments from Phantom’s history in 440,000 stitches.  Its design includes references to the mulberry tree under which Henry Royce was photographed in his garden at West Wittering, seated with two close colleagues: Charles L. Jenner, the marque’s Chief Engine Draftsman, and Ernest Hives, the head of Rolls-Royce’s experimental department. Drawing on this moment, the Bespoke Collective sought to create an atmosphere of inspiration so that clients seated beneath the Starlight Headliner might experience, as Royce once did, their own flashes of imagination and possibility.

The scene unfolds to include the distinctive square-crowned trees in the courtyard of the marque’s Goodwood headquarters. The honeybees – a reference to the 250,000 residents of the Rolls-Royce Apiary – are in full flight, perhaps towards the Phantom Rose, grown exclusively on the grounds of the Home of Rolls-Royce. Interwoven within the constellations are quiet tributes to great Phantoms of the past – among them a bird motif representing Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Phantom II, known as the ‘Bluebird’. Hidden amongst the mulberry leaves is a reference to the locking mechanism on the vault door at ‘The Bank’ – the secret 1990s design studio where the first Phantom of the Goodwood era was drafted.


AN UNFORGETTABLE HERITAGE, IN MOTION

For the designers, engineers and artisans who created the Phantom Centenary Private Collection, this motor car was a once-in-a-generation responsibility. What has been achieved reflects the same spirit that gave rise to Phantom itself: the marque’s relentless pursuit of excellence and ambition to craft the best motor car in the world.

• Rolls-Royce celebrates the enduring links between Phantom and the world of music
• Spanning every era of modern music, from jazz and rock to rap and R&B
• Embraced by artists from Marlene Dietrich to Sir Elton John, John Lennon and 50 Cent
• Explores Phantom as a canvas for personal expression and an icon of icons
• Click here to view Rolls-Royce I Behind The Scenes: Diving into Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend

“From the Golden Age of Hollywood to the rise of hip-hop, over the last 100 years, music artists have used Phantom to project their identity and challenge convention. Their motor cars often became icons in their own right, with a lasting place in the history of modern music. This enduring connection reminds us that Rolls-Royce and the extraordinary people who are part of the marque’s story are united by one ambition: to make their presence felt.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The connection between Rolls-Royce and the world of popular music is almost as old as the recording industry itself. Long before icons like John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Pharrell Williams wrote themselves into Phantom’s story, artists including Duke Ellington, Fred Astaire, Count Basie, Ravi Shankar, Edith Piaf and Sam Cooke all travelled by Rolls-Royce, recognising the brand as the definitive symbol of success and artistry. Personalities for whom the term ‘music mogul’ was created, including Brian Epstein, Berry Gordy and Ahmet Ertegun, were also among the marque’s most notable owners. Across genres, geographies and generations, Rolls-Royce remains the ultimate reward for creative brilliance and a canvas for personal expression.

Of all models, Phantom – the pinnacle of the marque – is the Rolls-Royce most closely associated with the world of music. Over eight generations and 100 years – a centenary the nameplate celebrates in 2025 – this extraordinary motor car has been consistently chosen by some of the most creative and influential figures in musical history. Phantom’s appeal to these individuals endures; it retains its status as the world’s pre-eminent luxury product, comprised of the very best in engineering excellence, fine materials and exquisite, highly skilled craftsmanship. It also offers its owner the freedom to define their identity – a quality that has helped many Phantoms owned by musical luminaries achieve legendary status in their own right.


MARLENE DIETRICH: FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

Most actors travel to Hollywood in search of stardom. Marlene Dietrich arrived already part of the constellation. Fresh from her breakout role in The Blue Angel, and having introduced the world to what would become her signature song, Falling in Love Again, she travelled to California in 1930 to begin filming Morocco. Her welcome was as dramatic as her screen presence: at Paramount Studios, she was greeted not only with flowers, but with the gift of a green Rolls-Royce Phantom I. Morocco earned Dietrich an Academy Award nomination – and her Phantom also took its share of the spotlight, appearing in the film’s closing scenes and publicity images.


ELVIS PRESLEY: ALL SHOOK UP

In 1956, a self-titled album by a promising young singer named Elvis Presley became the first rock ‘n’ roll album to top the Billboard chart, where it remained for 10 weeks. In 1963, at the height of his fame, ‘The King’ bought a Midnight Blue Phantom V with a host of Bespoke features. In what may have been an early version of in-car karaoke, the features included a microphone, a writing pad in the rear armrest – ready for flashes of inspiration – along with a mirror and clothes brush to ensure Elvis was always ready to make an entrance. In a charming domestic detail, the original mirror-polished paint famously attracted the attention of Elvis’s mother’s chickens, which would peck at their reflection in the coachwork. The motor car was refinished in a lighter Silver Blue that did not show the chips.


JOHN LENNON: LOVE ME DO

In December 1964, John Lennon rewarded himself for The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night by commissioning a Phantom V. The motor car was entirely black, including the windows, bumpers and hub caps; it also boasted a cocktail cabinet and a television, as well as a refrigerator in the boot. However, like Elvis’s Phantom V, Lennon’s would also undergo a complete transformation. In May 1967, just before Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released, the motor car was resprayed yellow, then hand-painted with swirls of red, orange, green and blue, with floral side panels and Lennon’s star sign, Libra, completing the motor car’s new persona.

For the younger generation, Lennon’s Phantom perfectly captured the mood of the carefree ‘Summer of Love’ that year. To their elders, it was an outrage, memorably summed up by a woman who, on seeing the Phantom driving down London’s Piccadilly, shouted, “How dare you do that to a Rolls-Royce!” before swatting at the paintwork with her umbrella. When the motor car was sold in 1985, it reached $2,299,000, almost 10 times the reserve price. It was both the most expensive piece of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia at the time, and the highest price ever achieved for a motor car sold by auction.

This Phantom is arguably the most famous Rolls-Royce connected with Lennon, but he owned another. Lennon purchased a white Rolls-Royce Phantom V in 1968 to coincide with the launch of the White Album and to mark a new phase of his life with Yoko Ono. This was characterised by his wearing white clothes, decorating the interior and exterior of his Berkshire home in bright white, and pursuing a distinctly minimalist aesthetic.

Originally commissioned in a two-tone black-over-green by Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp, a wartime Spitfire pilot turned chauffeur, Lennon individualised this motor car in line with his personal style at the time. He paid £12,000 – equivalent to the price of a sizeable house at the time – to have the motor car transformed to white inside and out, and had it fitted with a sunroof, Philips turntable, 8-track player, telephone and television. It would later appear in the Beatles film Let It Be, as well as Performance, which starred Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. In September 1969, Lennon sold the car to Allen Klein, founder of ABKCO Records and The Beatles’ manager at the time, for a reported $50,000.


LIBERACE: I’LL BE SEEING YOU

Another musical iconoclast was Władziu Valentino Liberace. Flamboyant and multi-talented, Liberace was the world’s highest-paid entertainer in the 1950s and ‘60s thanks to his TV shows and long residencies in Las Vegas. Among the extravagances that earned him the soubriquet ‘Mr Showmanship’ was a 1961 Phantom V covered in tiny mirror pieces that he would use to drive on stage during his long-running residency at the Las Vegas Hilton. The motor car appeared in the award-winning Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra, in which Michael Douglas recreated its short but famous journey.


SIR ELTON JOHN: A RIDE FOR THE ROCKETMAN

Liberace’s playing style influenced a generation of performers, including a budding pianist named Reginald Dwight, today known as Sir Elton John, who would later take inspiration from his hero by owning several Phantoms. In 1973, en route to a concert in Manchester in his white Phantom VI, Sir Elton saw a newer example in a showroom window. He instructed his chauffeur to stop, bought the car, and used it to complete his journey to the venue.

Later, he would update the Phantom with black paintwork, a black leather interior, tinted windows, a television, a video player, and even a fax machine. The most significant addition, however, was a bespoke audio system that was so powerful that the back windscreen had to be strengthened to prevent it from shattering when the volume was turned up.

Sir Elton also owned a Phantom V, for which he commissioned a striking pink-and-white exterior paint finish and matching interior. Following a tour of the USSR, where he was paid in coal, rather than cash, Sir Elton was unable to pay his musicians. Instead, he gave the Phantom to his percussionist, Ray Cooper, in lieu of a cash fee. Cooper later used the motor car to pick up a young Damon Albarn from school, who went on to find stardom of his own with Blur. History came full circle in 2020, when Albarn and his virtual band, Gorillaz, recorded The Pink Phantom, with Sir Elton appearing as a guest vocalist.


KEITH MOON: WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN?

Legend has it that, while celebrating his 21st birthday, the gifted but fatefully self-destructive drummer of The Who, Keith Moon, plunged his Rolls-Royce into the swimming pool at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan, creating one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most enduring legends.

Accounts of what really happened that night differ wildly. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1972, Moon stated the motor car was a Lincoln Continental belonging to another hotel guest; he said he let off the handbrake and rolled the car into the pool. Other party guests maintain that no motor car ended up in the pool at all. Whether a car ended up in the pool or not, the myth is so potent that it has become the definitive image of rock ‘n’ roll indulgence – and as such, the car in the pool could only be a Rolls-Royce.

To mark Phantom’s centenary and the motor car’s place in rock ‘n’ roll mythology, Rolls-Royce brought legend to life by submerging an Extended body shell – a retired prototype destined for recycling – in a swimming pool. The chosen location was Tinside Lido in Plymouth, England, a celebrated Art Deco landmark next to the English Channel. Linked to John Lennon, one of Phantom’s most famous clients, the Lido served as a backdrop to a photograph of The Beatles taken on 12 September 1967 during their visit whilst filming for The Magical Mystery Tour. That same year, Lennon unveiled his yellow, hand-painted Phantom V, further cementing the nameplate’s place in music legend.


HIP-HOP STAR

Since moving to Goodwood, where production began in 2003, Rolls-Royce has only strengthened its ties with contemporary music. By 2016, it had become the most name-checked brand in song lyrics, driven in part by the meteoric rise of hip-hop. The genre was a cultural powerhouse by the 1990s, and a household staple at the turn of the century, coinciding with Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood renaissance and the launch of Phantom VII in 2003.

A year later, Pharrell Williams and Calvin ‘Snoop Dogg’ Broadus Jr, would famously feature a Phantom VII in the 2004 music video for Drop It Like It’s Hot, which would top the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and commence Phantom’s lasting connection with the genre’s most influential artists. Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson appeared in the TV series Entourage in a Phantom VII Drophead Coupé – a scene that would go on to become a widely shared meme; Tha Carter II by Dwayne ‘Lil Wayne’ Carter is one of many albums to feature Phantom on its cover. The genre has also played a key role in popularising one of the marque’s most distinctive features: Starlight Headliner. The phrase ‘stars in the roof’ – and its variations – recurs in rap lyrics and has become a suitably poetic shorthand for Rolls-Royce ownership.


ENCORE: PHANTOM’S LASTING LEGACY

Phantom has maintained a constant, evolving presence in the story of modern music. In each era, it has offered artists and innovators a means of self-expression, aspiration and identity. As Phantom enters its second century, it continues to symbolise success, individuality, and the power of human imagination.

Click here to view Rolls-Royce I Behind The Scenes: Diving into Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend.

• Rolls-Royce celebrates Phantom’s century-long presence in the art world
• How Phantom was connected to leading artists, and how it became art itself
• Art for every Phantom: Charles Sykes and the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot

“For 100 years, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has moved in the same circles as the world’s leading artists. As a symbol of self-expression, Phantom has often featured in incidents of creative significance – many of them defining moments of the last decade. As we mark Phantom’s centenary, it is the perfect time to reflect on this motor car’s endlessly intriguing legacy and the artistic personalities who played a role in shaping its story.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce has been associated with the greatest names in contemporary art since its foundation. Masters including Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Christian ‘Bébé’ Bérard and Cecil Beaton all travelled by Rolls-Royce. Dame Laura Knight, the first woman elected to full membership of the Royal Academy of Arts, even used a Rolls-Royce as a mobile studio, painting from its interior at racecourses such as Epsom and Ascot. The world’s most notable collectors, too, were drawn to the brand, among them Jacquelyn de Rothschild, Peggy Guggenheim and Nelson Rockefeller.

However, it is Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product which celebrates its centenary in 2025, that is most closely linked to the art world. Over eight generations and 100 years, this motor car has been owned by some of the most famous creatives in modern history. Phantom itself has been exhibited in galleries around the world as an artwork in its own right – from institutional collections, such as London’s Saatchi Gallery and the Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, to countless independent galleries and exhibition spaces.

This enduring connection between Phantom and the art world reflects a long tradition of creative exchange. Over the years, Phantom has attracted the most vivid artistic imaginations, giving rise to encounters that are as unexpected as they are unforgettable.


SALVADOR DALÍ, THE CAULIFLOWER, AND THE FROZEN PHANTOM

Anyone rejoicing in the title Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol, is always likely to attract attention. But the Spanish artist better known by his abbreviated name, Salvador Dalí, nevertheless went out of his way to occupy the limelight. Having shocked the art world with his surrealist images of nightmarish landscapes, chimeric animals, suggestive food and melting clocks, he was eager to bring his unique brand of excess and eccentricity to a wider audience.

In the winter of 1955, he was asked to give a lecture at Paris-Sorbonne University. Seeing a golden opportunity to create a moment in modern art, Dalí borrowed a friend’s black and yellow Phantom and filled it with 500kg (1,100lb) of cauliflowers.

After a wild ride through the streets of Paris in his brassica-laden motor car, Dalí pulled up outside the university and flung open the Phantom’s doors, sending the cauliflowers cascading to the cold December ground. How many of the 2,000-strong audience now remember his exposition on ‘Phenomenological Aspects of the Paranoiac Critical Method’ is debatable, but his arrival before the lecture became legendary.

To honour this defiantly surreal performance, Rolls-Royce has commissioned a contemporary artist to create an original artwork inspired by this gloriously eccentric, cauliflower-filled Phantom moment.

This memorable moment was not the only time Dalí immortalised Phantom. An artwork he produced for a 1934 illustrated book titled Les Chants de Maldoror (The Songs of Maldoror) incorporated a surreal interpretation of Phantom. In this piece, Dalí depicts the motor car stranded in a bleak, icy landscape, seemingly frozen in desolation. The image is both elegant and eerie, epitomising Dalí’s knack for juxtaposing opulence with the absurd.


ANDY WARHOL AND MORE THAN 15 MINUTES OF FAME

Dalí spent every autumn and winter in New York City, where he based himself in a suite at the St Regis Hotel in Manhattan. It was here, in 1965, that he first met a young visual artist named Andy Warhol. This seminal moment in art was captured by British photographer David McCabe, who later recalled: “Dalí turned the whole event into theatre. Andy was petrified".

Seen by many as Dalí’s natural successor, Warhol became one of the most influential artists of the 20^th century. Unlike his mentor, however, he actually owned a Phantom; a 1937 model that had been converted into a shooting brake in around 1947. In 1972, Warhol and his Swiss agent, Bruno Bischofberger, happened to pass an antique shop in Zurich where it was on sale. Warhol bought it on the spot and shipped it to New York. He owned the car until 1978, when he sold it to his friend and manager, Fred Hughes.

In tribute to Pop Art’s lasting impact, Rolls-Royce has commissioned a contemporary artist to reimagine Phantom in the style that propelled this bold style from Studio 54 into the cultural mainstream.


AN ARTWORK FOR EVERY PHANTOM: CHARLES SYKES AND THE SPIRIT OF ECSTASY

This tradition of artistic collaboration and connection with the world’s most famous and provocative creatives dates back to Rolls-Royce’s earliest days, when a fine artist would sculpt the brand’s most enduring symbol.

Since 1911, Rolls-Royce motor cars have been graced with the most famous and evocative mascot in the world: the Spirit of Ecstasy. This defining feature of the brand’s iconography was originally created by talented and prolific artist Charles Robinson Sykes.

Following a scholarship at the Royal College of Art in London, in 1902 he was hired by The Hon. John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, to provide the illustrated elements of his magazine, The Car Illustrated. Later, Montagu asked Sykes to create a series of paintings depicting his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts. These images caught the attention of Claude ‘CJ’ Johnson, the marque’s first commercial managing director, who commissioned six Sykes oils showing Rolls-Royces arriving at locations including the opera, the golf links, and the salmon stream, for the company’s 1910-11 catalogue.

Soon afterwards – and despite Sir Henry Royce’s antipathy to the concept – CJ had decided Rolls-Royce needed an official mascot. He commissioned Sykes to create a sculpture inspired by the imposing Greek statue The Winged Victory of Samothrace, which he had admired at the Louvre in Paris. Sykes captured its impact, but created a more ethereal figure that better expressed his experience of travelling in a Rolls-Royce. Indeed, his daughter Jo recalled that he was "very impressed with the smoothness and speed of the car and imagined that even so delicate a thing as a fairy could ride on the bonnet without losing her balance".

Whatever Sykes’ primary inspiration had been, CJ was delighted with the new mascot and appointed Sykes as sole supplier in 1911. From then on, Sykes personally supervised his production team, with his daughter Jo succeeding him in 1928. Until Rolls-Royce took production in-house in 1948, every Phantom owner may therefore have unknowingly owned a Sykes original.

Though now best remembered for his work with Rolls-Royce, Sykes enjoyed a successful career as an artist. His work remains highly regarded and is held in several institutional collections, including the British Museum and the V&A in London.


PHANTOM: A CANVAS AND A CATALYST

As Phantom enters its second century, its artistic legacy feels more relevant than ever. For creatives and collectors, it remains both a canvas and a catalyst that offers visionary thinkers something rare: a form of expression that is personal, timeless, and charged with purpose.

• Rolls-Royce presents three Chinese Mural Art Bespoke commissions
• Unique details take cues from Dunhuang cave paintings dating back over 1,000 years
• Trio comprises Phantom Extended, Black Badge Cullinan, and Black Badge Spectre
• Phantom Extended features hand-painted Gallery artwork, inspired by the mural art
• Available through Rolls-Royce Private Office Shanghai

 
"The mural art of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves is one of the most powerful symbols of our cultural heritage here in China. These artworks, created across dynasties, reflect the abstract ideals that have shaped our country’s civilisation. Inspired by their colours, forms and symbolism, we reimagined these themes through hand-painted elements and carefully curated Bespoke features – a meaningful tribute that reflects Rolls-Royce’s creative dialogue with China in a youthful and contemporary manner.”
Shuai Feng, Bespoke Designer, Private Office Shanghai

Rolls-Royce presents three Bespoke motor cars inspired by the ancient mural paintings of Dunhuang, China. This extraordinary expression of cross-cultural artistry was commissioned through Private Office Shanghai, an invitation-only space in which the marque welcomes clients seeking to commission highly complex and deeply personal motor cars. The trio includes Phantom Extended, Black Badge Cullinan, and Black Badge Spectre.

All three motor cars feature new Bespoke exterior colours reserved exclusively for Private Office Shanghai clients, each inspired by local landscapes, art and cultural themes. These commissions also share a recurring design motif named Silken Spirit: conceived by Private Office Shanghai Bespoke Designer, Shuai Feng, the artwork is inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy and the flowing forms of imperial silk. The most detailed expression of the collection appears in the hand-painted Gallery artwork in Phantom Extended.


HONOURING A MARVEL

Over a thousand years ago, artists and craftspeople carved and painted the walls of a network of sacred caves in the mountains near Dunhuang, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. These sanctuaries house one of the world’s greatest collections of mural art, shaped by their unique position at the cultural crossroads of the ancient Silk Road. Today, they are honoured in a modern tribute from the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective.


PHANTOM EXTENDED

Phantom Extended is presented in a two-tone finish. The main body is finished in Ningye Purple, a colour inspired by the deep violet skies above the remote stretches of the Great Wall of China, and named after a poetic description of the hue from an 800 AD Tang Dynasty verse. The upper body is rendered in contrasting English White. A Silken Spirit motif is hand-painted on the C-pillar in Ningye Purple and completes the Grace White coachline.

The motif continues into the cabin, where it is depicted in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner with 1,344 hand-placed fibre-optic ‘stars’ and 192 ‘shooting stars’. The centrepiece of the interior is a hand-painted Bespoke Gallery artwork. The composition presents a landscape painting on black leather, completed with the Silken Spirit motif embroidered in white and black thread, evoking the movement of flying apsaras – celestial beings in Buddhist culture, which are prominently portrayed in the mural art.

“To bring this sense of depth and rhythm to the Gallery, I adapted a Chinese technique known as reduction block printing, where the artwork is gradually pressed onto a canvas using the same block of wood, re-crafted between paint layers. Once each layer is applied, the block is carefully re-carved to add depth and detail with the subsequent colour. Reinterpreting this method by hand, I used a fine sable brush in place of carved wood, painting every single colour individually and consecutively, allowing the image to emerge across the surface. Tiny areas of unpainted leather are deliberately left exposed, creating the illusion of carved block printing.”
Chloe Dowsett, Bespoke Artist, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The seating is finished in Black and Cashmere Grey leathers – a colourway that is reversed for the front seats, creating two unique ambiences within the motor car. The front and rear doors also feature expansive Canadel wood panelling in Piano Black and Cashmere Grey respectively. The rear door panels incorporate the Silken Spirit motif inlaid in stainless steel, and the symbol also appears on the rear waterfall section between the two rear seats.


BLACK BADGE CULLINAN

Black Badge Cullinan Series II is presented in Danqian Pink, a hue which extends to the centres of the 23-inch Black Badge forged wheels. Silken Spirit motifs on the twin Coachline and C-pillar are presented in Black.

The front seats are finished in Blushing Pink leather with Placed Perforation, which extends onto the front doors. The pattern is designed to evoke the shifting cloud formations above the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and comprises 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimetre perforations.

In the rear, Navy leather with Blushing Pink piping and stitching is used to create a deeper, more immersive environment. The Silken Spirit graphic is inlaid in stainless steel on the Technical Fibre front fascia and the waterfall between the rear seats.

A Bespoke Starlight Headliner harmonises the front and rear colour themes. The Silken Spirit motif is rendered as an abstract illuminated graphic, which glows with a soft Blushing Pink light, complete with white shooting ‘stars’.


BLACK BADGE SPECTRE

This bold expression of Black Badge Spectre is presented in a dramatic Aero two-tone. The body is finished in Qingshan Blue – inspired by the mountain blues and verdant tones depicted in the Dunhuang murals – and the upper portion, together with Silken Spirit motifs on the C-pillar and Coachline, is presented in contrasting Diamond Black. The exterior is further dramatised by an Illuminated Grille, presented in Turchese.

The front seats are completed in Turchese and Black leathers, and the rear seats are presented in Black with contrast white stitching and piping. This unique ‘split’ extends to the leather centre console and lambswool carpets, which are Turchese and Black respectively.

The Silken Spirit motif appears on Turchese Illuminated Treadplates. Further illuminations include Starlight Doors and a Bespoke Starlight Headliner with 1,344 ‘stars’ and 192 ‘shooting stars’, each individually hand-placed.


LASTING LEGACY

The Chinese Mural Arts Bespoke Commissions represent a cultural dialogue between past and present, East and West, tradition and innovation. Through this trio, Rolls-Royce honours the relevance of ancient artistic legacies and the resonance of heritage as a source of inspiration for contemporary expressions of luxury. In doing so, they demonstrate the power of Bespoke in translating nuanced stories through design and craftsmanship, inviting future commissions that explore other cultural narratives with equal depth, care and imagination.

• Rolls-Royce presents one-of-one Phantom Dentelle
• Features original design themes drawn from handmade couture lace
• Gallery embroidery comprises more than 160,000 stitches layered across eight techniques
• Intricate lace-inspired artwork extends from the Gallery to rear seat embroidery
• Bespoke two-tone finish with a floral coachline motif and Rose Gold Spirit of Ecstasy
• Commission facilitated by Rolls-Royce’s dedicated Private Office Dubai

 
“We always say that inspiration for a motor car commission can be found anywhere, and after more than two decades, our clients constantly prove how true this is. This stunning Phantom Dentelle, commissioned through Private Office Dubai, is an homage to the exquisite handmade lace used in some of the world’s leading haute couture ateliers. Using the medium of embroidery, we translated this delicate material into our pinnacle product, which, in its uniqueness, beauty and craftsmanship, can be regarded as an authentic expression of haute couture.”
Michelle Lusby, Private Office Dubai Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce presents a one-of-one Phantom Dentelle, commissioned by a Middle Eastern client as a gift for their father. This deeply personal project was curated through the marque’s Private Office Dubai.

The inspiration for this subtle and elegant commission was a piece of couture lace. The fabric – delicate lace crafted using a rare ‘Leavers loom’ – featured three-dimensional floral elements and soft pearl-like details. Its intricate textures and gentle palette formed the creative foundation for both the interior and exterior treatment.

INTERIOR SUITE: EXQUISITE EMBROIDERY INSPIRED BY LACE
Unique to Phantom, the Gallery runs the full width of the motor car’s fascia and is specifically designed to display a Bespoke artwork. For this one-of-one Phantom, Bespoke designers created a floral composition inspired by couture lace. The embroidery layers multiple stitch techniques, thread densities and tonal blends – including Rose Gold, Sunrise and Oatmeal – to evoke the textures of petals, ferns and lacework.

A filigree lace-like base is formed using a triple-run stitch, creating a fine mesh structure. Over this, satin stitch shapes the floral elements with a soft, silk-like sheen, while raised accents echo the original pearl details, catching the light with subtle depth. In total, the piece comprises more than 160,000 stitches.

The Waterfall section between the rear seats continues the floral theme with a delicate embroidery echoing the botanical detail in the Gallery design and comprising around 70,000 stitches. The speaker grilles are finished in Rose Gold, subtly complementing the embroidery tones.

“The embroidery detailing in the Gallery and rear Waterfall is incredibly complex and designed to capture the soft lustre of pearls. It catches the light as you move around the motor car – or as the sunlight shifts while driving – like the shimmer of a couture gown under flashbulbs on the red carpet. It brings a remarkable sense of movement and theatre to something entirely still.”
Brienny Dudley, Interior Trim Centre, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The interior is completed with Sunrise and Grace White leathers, embroidered ‘RR’ monograms on the front and rear headrests, and Piano White veneer.


EXTERIOR COACHWORK: A BESPOKE HUE AND HAND-PAINTED FLOURISH
Phantom Dentelle’s exterior is presented in a two-tone Bespoke finish. The lower body is finished in Crystal over Arctic White; the upper body in Crystal over Palais Nemasker Dawn – a colour reserved for the commissioning client’s exclusive use. The double coachline, rendered in Sunrise, resolves with a hand-painted motif depicting a leafy branch with pearl ‘berries’, reflecting the artwork theme inside.

The motor car rides on 22” Fully Polished Disc wheels with body-coloured centres and Arctic White centre pinstripes. The polished Pantheon Grille is crowned with the Spirit of Ecstasy in Rose Gold; the same precious metal is used for the Bespoke engraved treadplates. 


PHANTOM DENTELLE: A PRIVATE OFFICE DUBAI COMMISSION
Phantom Dentelle was personally commissioned by the client through Rolls-Royce Private Office Dubai. This invitation-only space brings the Home of Rolls-Royce to clients across the region.

At Private Office Dubai, clients have direct, personal access to a Rolls-Royce Bespoke designer and a Client Experience Manager, with whom they can view, discuss, and commission their Bespoke masterpiece in the seclusion and comfort afforded them by the Private Office.

Throughout 2025 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is celebrating 100 years of its most famous nameplate – Phantom. To mark this auspicious milestone, every Rolls-Royce Phantom hand-crafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce this year will be completed with a special centenary chassis plaque. Rolls-Royce will also be honouring the occasion with a number of exciting activations throughout the year, including the announcement of special Bespoke commissions, attendance at key calendar events and exploring some of the fascinating stories that have built the Phantom legend in the worlds of music, film and art.

Please see below for the key dates in the calendar for Phantom’s centenary year:


JANUARY

OCTOBER

• 8 October: Shaping the World Through Bespoke – Phantom is the ultimate canvas for expression, as it has been for the last 100 years – this story explores some of the most extraordinary Phantom commissions in history.
• 22 October: A Defining Statement, 100 Years in the Making – as the Phantom nameplate celebrates its 100th anniversary, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pays tribute with the Phantom Centenary Private Collection, limited to just 25 examples.

DECEMBER

• 18 December: Celebrating the Centenary of an Icon: A Year of Phantom Stories  – Rolls-Royce reflects on a year of global celebrations marking Phantom's centenary.

• Rolls-Royce presents highly Bespoke Phantom ‘Cherry Blossom’ commission
• Inspired by ‘Hanami’, the Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms in the spring
• Client sought to capture the beauty of this natural spectacle to share with their family
• Client’s vision realised through 250,000 stitches and six months of development
• Starlight Headliner recreates cherry blossom with exquisite embroidery
• First-ever application of sculptural 3D embroidery in a Rolls-Royce motor car
• Rolls-Royce Phantom nameplate celebrates its centenary in 2025

“Cherry blossoms are cherished in Japan as a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life and the beauty of transience. With this magnificent commission, we translate an internationally renowned moment into our pinnacle motor car, Phantom, with exquisite embroidery comprising more than 250,000 stitches. For the first time at Rolls-Royce, we have applied three-dimensional embroidery that gives the falling flower petals a tactile, sculptural quality. Developed using ancient Japanese stitching techniques, this motor car represents a deeply personal memory for the client and demonstrates the power of Bespoke in uniting individual meaning, heritage craftsmanship and modern artistry.”
Martina Starke, General Manager, Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

As Sakura season arrives, blanketing various regions around the world in pink petals, Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars is proud to present Phantom Cherry Blossom. This magnificent one-of-one Phantom Extended commission is inspired by the fleeting beauty of the Sakura blooms and a Japanese client’s formative memories of this stunning natural spectacle.

In Japanese culture, cherry blossoms are a powerful symbol of nature’s rhythms, the arrival of spring and the beauty of impermanence. As Sakura blooms are short-lived, lasting only around a week, they serve as a poignant reminder to cherish the present and embrace life. This symbolism is deeply embedded in Japanese art, literature and philosophy.

Cherry blossoms are celebrated in the centuries-old tradition of ‘Hanami’, or 'flower viewing'. During Hanami, families and friends gather beneath the delicate pink blooms of cherry trees for picnics and celebrations, relishing the transient beauty of the season.

A client in Japan wished to capture their cherished Hanami memories, spanning both childhood and parenthood. They wished to create their highly Bespoke Phantom as a legacy and experience to be passed down through the generations in their family, evoking the same spirit as Hanami itself.


PHANTOM CHERRY BLOSSOM: A BESPOKE VISION BROUGHT TO LIFE

The design for Phantom Cherry Blossom was conceived three years ago, when Rolls-Royce artisans met the commissioning client in Japan to fully understand their vision. This elegant, exquisitely detailed motor car is a stunning example of Bespoke artistry, not only expressing the client’s personal ambition but also the peerless skill and commitment of the Bespoke Collective. Now delivered to its proud custodian in Japan, this one-of-a-kind masterpiece is a true reflection of their individuality and passion.


FLORAL SANCTUARY: EXPANSIVE 250,000-STITCH EMBROIDERY

Inside the motor car, intricate embroidery captures the sensation of sitting beneath a flowering tree during Hanami, just as the client envisioned. A Bespoke Starlight Headliner is adorned with an embroidered cherry bough, sprinkled with delicate white blossoms. The falling petal embroidery appears on the rear door panels and Privacy Suite partition between the front and rear passenger compartments. The design and development of this remarkable expression of contemporary craft spanned more than six months. The headliner required three weeks alone to embroider and exceeds 250,000 stitches.

As light plays across this expansive embroidery, it reveals the intricate detail and ingenuity required to bring it to life. The rich thread texture of the embroidered cherry tree is achieved using an offset tatami stitch, inspired by the ancient Japanese weave technique.

The embroidered branches appear to be intertwining, growing over and under one another. To achieve this effect, a single artisan meticulously aligned 11 individually embroidered frame sections to create a single, seamless graphic rising from the rear of the motor car and flowing forward over the rear passengers.

Finally, the headliner is embroidered with cherry blossom flowers, formed of individual satin-stitch petals designed to capture the light at different angles with a jewel-like quality. The petals can be seen throughout the rear cabin, falling onto the doors and division of the motor car’s Privacy Suite.


ROLLS-ROYCE FIRST: SCULPTURAL 3D EMBROIDERY

In a Rolls-Royce first, the interior is completed with three-dimensional cherry petal embroidery. These tactile, sculptural details grace the division, creating a striking contrast to the classic stitchwork of the falling cherry petals on the doors.

Creating these three-dimensional embroideries required specialists to pioneer a new technique, where the thread is layered upon itself to form a self-supporting structure. Each petal is then shaped and sculpted into its final form by hand before being stitched into place, individually positioned to complement the interior lighting and create soft shadow effects.


FLORAL INSPIRATION: AN ELEGANT BESPOKE STATEMENT

Extending the Hanami theme, a falling petal motif appears on the inner lining of the Bespoke umbrellas, concealed within the motor car’s doors. The exterior also features a subtle reference to the theme; the Crystal over Arctic White coachwork incorporates a distinctive hand-painted coachline that elegantly tapers midway along the rear passenger door and features a delicate cherry blossom motif – an elegant preview of the artistry within.

• Rolls-Royce unveils one-of-one Phantom Dragon, curated by the Private Office Shanghai
• Commission includes modern yet sensitive interpretations of Chinese dragon motifs
• Dragon-inspired marquetry in the Gallery comprises 297 individual pieces
• Unique Starlight Headliner abstractly captures two dragons engaging with a pearl
• Underscores the value of Rolls-Royce’s presence in East Asia and understanding of crucial market
• Marks the beginning of celebrations in the centenary year of Phantom
  
  

" One of the Rolls-Royce brand’s signature strengths is creating products that sensitively and respectfully integrate iconography from specific cultures, interpreted through our own innovative crafts and design language. Like every Bespoke motor car, this magnificent Phantom Extended is a testament to the skills and creativity of our Bespoke designers, engineers, and craftspeople. This commission features a Bespoke Gallery with a floating effect that makes the dragon appear as if it is formed from clouds of smoke—a design achieved through the intricate art of marquetry, one of the most demanding techniques applied in a motor car interior.

Phantom Dragon highlights the importance of our presence in China through the Private Office in Shanghai. Having a dedicated Rolls-Royce team in this region gives us a unique understanding of, and connection to, one of the world’s most significant luxury markets. Blending local Chinese culture with international aesthetics allows us to create truly unique and contemporary products with real depth and substance, like this extraordinary motor car.”
Martina Starke, Head of Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveils the one-of-one Phantom Extended created as a celebration of the Year of the Dragon. Commissioned by a discerning client from China, Phantom Dragon offers a contemporary rendition of the ancient Chinese legend of two dragons with a pearl – a motif with complex symbolism and great cultural significance, celebrated in art, architecture, and literature throughout East Asia. The theme stands as an embodiment of the success and personal philosophy of the commissioning client. This magnificent example of the marque’s pinnacle product provides a fitting conclusion to the lunar Year of the Dragon, as well as the beginning of the Phantom nameplate’s centenary in 2025.

At the core of this Bespoke commission is Rolls-Royce’s sensitive and deeply informed interpretation of traditional Chinese iconography, skilfully blended with the marque’s own distinctive creative handwriting. This melding of Chinese culture with international aesthetics is a major driver of the country’s luxury sector, particularly among younger consumers who are increasingly drawn to the Rolls-Royce brand.

Curated by Rolls-Royce creatives based in China, Phantom Dragon is a tribute to this enduring cultural symbol that also captures the commissioning client’s personal sensibilities and tastes. This commission also signals the wider value of the marque’s Private Office in Shanghai, which not only brings Goodwood to China but also brings Chinese culture and preferences to Goodwood.

"Our goal for this project was to express China’s most revered symbols and the client’s personal iconography impactfully yet respectfully, while also subtly incorporating Rolls-Royce’s design handwriting. In this motor car, our artisans have accomplished this using different mediums, capturing the rich legacy of the region, the client, and the Rolls-Royce brand.”
Shuai Feng, Lead Bespoke Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Private Office Shanghai


DANCE OF THE DRAGONS

In Phantom Dragon, Chinese iconography is creatively and respectfully integrated into core elements of the motor car’s interior.  The design theme is inspired by an ancient legend, dating back over 3,000 years, that tells of two dragons, protectors of the human realm, who were gifted a divine pearl by the gods for their good deeds. Rather than greedily claiming the treasure for themselves, the dragons deferred to one another – a scene that came to symbolise kindness and generosity of spirit. Moved by the dragons’ loyalty, the gods then bestowed upon them a second pearl, which the creatures absorbed before ascending as deities themselves.

While the dragons symbolise power and good fortune, the pearl is a symbol of purity and perfection. As these two elements are captured together, the interplay of the dragons signifies the harmonious balance of Yin and Yang – two complementary forces united in the pursuit of enlightenment and a fulfilling life.


TRADITIONAL MOTIFS

The Gallery, which runs the full width of the fascia, houses a Bespoke marquetry, made of 297 individual pieces and four different wood species. An artisan at the Home of Rolls-Royce spent three months creating this striking feature, which involves intricately cutting out veneer shapes, then assembling and fixing them by hand. The artwork represents the two dragons, enclosed within swirling clouds, guarding the pearl embodied by the Bespoke clock itself. The base layer is crafted from Smoked Eucalyptus; the outline of the shapes, only 0.5 mm wide, is rendered in Sycamore veneer and filled with Ash burr, carefully chosen for its natural grain that mimics the texture of the clouds. Black Bolivar veneer ‘shadows’ give the piece a sense of depth, making the dragons appear to be floating above the surface.

Exceptional woodcraft is expressed across the commission, including high gloss Smoked Eucalyptus elements, and Canadel door panels fashioned from natural open pore Smoked Eucalyptus. This is complemented by Ardent Red and black leathers on the front and rear reclining Serenity seats respectively, and completed with the client’s family name in ancient Chinese calligraphy, meticulously embroidered onto the headrests in contrasting cotton thread.

The theme continues with the stunning Bespoke Starlight Headliner depicting an abstract representation of two dragons, rendered in red and white. This majestic celestial composition comprises 768 red and 576 white fibre-optic lights, each individually hand-fitted and surrounded by 24 shooting ‘stars’.

Creating a bold contrast to the drama of the interior suite, the one-of-one Phantom Dragon is finished in Iced Diamond Black which creates a signature shimmering satin appearance.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates the 100th anniversary of Phantom in 2025
• The marque’s pinnacle product and its most famous nameplate, now in its eighth generation
• An unparalleled motoring experience, uncompromised by other considerations
• The ultimate blank canvas for exquisite Bespoke commissions

“One hundred years ago, Rolls-Royce launched the first motor car to bear what would become the most evocative and enduring nameplate in its history: Phantom. Through eight generations, Phantom’s fundamental role as the pinnacle Rolls-Royce motor car has always been the same: to be the most magnificent, desirable and above all, effortless motor car in the world – the very best of the best. In many respects, the history of Phantom is the history of Rolls-Royce: always moving with the times and its clients’ needs and requirements, transcending fleeting trends and providing the setting for the most remarkable executions of craft and artistry, all while resolutely refusing to compromise its core engineering and design principles. We’re proud to continue this tradition of excellence, elegance and serenity into the next 100 years.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

In 2025, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks the centenary of the launch of the first Phantom. Throughout its long history, the Phantom nameplate has been reserved for the pinnacle model in the marque’s portfolio – the very apex of excellence.

Each iteration, up to and including the eighth generation currently being handcrafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, has seen advances in design, engineering, materials and technology. Today, Phantom is the ultimate blank canvas for Bespoke commissions, where clients can bring their most elaborate, imaginative and personal visions to life. Inspiration for Bespoke commissions is everywhere, and Phantom’s scale, elegance, presence and adaptability enable it to be whatever its owner wishes it to be. Recent inspirations include haute couture (Phantom Syntopia), Chinese culture (Phantom Extended ‘Year of the Dragon’) and the marque’s own Spirit of Ecstasy Mascot (Phantom Scintilla).

Phantom has always had the same fundamental aim: to provide the most magnificent, desirable and, above all, effortless motor car in the world – the very best of the best. At the start of Phantom’s anniversary year, Rolls-Royce reveals the fascinating story behind its pinnacle product, and how it earned – and maintained – that reputation through a century of constant, often profound change.


A NEW BEGINNING

Rolls-Royce first earned the accolade of ‘the best car in the world’ with the 40/50 H.P., universally known as the Silver Ghost, launched in 1906. The key to its legendary reputation was Henry Royce’s principle of constant improvement to its underlying engineering, which he conducted on an almost chassis-by-chassis basis.

By 1921, Royce realised the Silver Ghost’s design was reaching the point where no further developments would be possible without compromising either smoothness or reliability – both by now essential elements of the Rolls-Royce character and legend. He therefore began work on its replacement.

“Rolls-Royce Ltd beg to announce that, after prolonged tests, they can now demonstrate and accept orders for a new 40/50 H.P. chassis. The 40/50 H.P. chassis hitherto manufactured by them will be sold as before… The original chassis of this type was the famous Silver Ghost, and to prevent confusion such chassis will be known as the Silver Ghost model, whereas the new chassis will be known as the New Phantom.”
Original Advertisement from The Times Newspaper, Saturday 2 May 1925

Despite being couched in terms that today seem rather quaint and stilted, this advertisement made history. It was the first public acceptance by Rolls-Royce that the outgoing model would be called Silver Ghost officially, rather than as a byname. More significantly, it was the first recorded use of the Phantom name.


THE GAME OF THE NAME

Although there is no specific documentary evidence, it seems safe to assume that the Phantom name was coined by Rolls-Royce’s energetic and ever-inventive Commercial Managing Director, Claude Johnson. It was he who recognised that naming the company’s products could act as a sales device, and it was his fertile imagination that produced the inspired sobriquet ‘Silver Ghost’ for the otherwise prosaically titled 40/50 H.P. in 1907. That same year, he christened another 40/50 H.P. ‘Green Phantom’, before bestowing the rather more evocative ‘Silver Phantom’ on two examples in 1909.

Johnson clearly understood the power of names like Phantom, Wraith and Ghost to convey the products’ supernatural quietness and ethereal grace; all have graced Rolls-Royce motor cars in the modern era for precisely the same reason. How different history would have been had one of his more fanciful efforts – The Dreadnought, The Cookie, Yellow Bird, The Elusive Pimpernel – been adopted instead.


THE BASIS FOR GREATNESS

The Times advertisement also assured readers the New Phantom would retain the “sweet running qualities always associated with Rolls-Royce products”. At this time, Rolls-Royce supplied only rolling chassis, with the form, styling and appointment of the motor car itself in the hands of independent coachbuilders, who created bespoke bodywork to the owner’s specification. Rolls-Royce offered the New Phantom in long-wheelbase form, suitable for formal saloon and limousine designs, and with a shorter wheelbase ideal for owner-driver motor cars with closed, open and ‘sportier’ coachwork.

Then as now, Phantom’s generous proportions enabled owners to specify almost any detail or indulgence they wished. Some clients asked for concealable writing desks or swivelling occasional seats in their long-wheelbase limousines, while owner-drivers are known to have requested safes, dedicated spaces to stow golf clubs and even, in one famous instance, a secret compartment in which to carry diamonds.

On 8 May 1925, The Autocar magazine published its review of the new model. “Few are the firms engaged in the manufacture of motor cars who enjoy quite such a reputation as Rolls-Royce Ltd,” it enthused. “Almost the conjoined names have become the household word for luxury, and every novelist worthy of the name imparts a distinguished air to any character by crediting him or her with the possession of one of the firm’s cars.” With Phantom, Rolls-Royce had clearly succeeded in not only maintaining, but furthering the qualities established and made famous by the Silver Ghost.


ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

Though undoubtedly gratifying, such encomiums did not distract Henry Royce. The design of the original New Phantom had closely followed that of its predecessor, Silver Ghost – so closely, in fact, that some modern enthusiasts refer to it as a ‘Super Ghost’. Over the next four years, Royce continued to refine his design until, in 1929, The Times carried a fresh advertisement announcing the arrival of Phantom II. The advertisement listed all the engineering improvements and upgraded components that justified its designation as an entirely new model.


VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE

Somewhat ironically, the only person who remained unimpressed was Royce himself, who insisted that even the short-wheelbase Phantom II was irritatingly oversized for his personal use. He therefore instructed his design team to develop a more compact, sporting Phantom II variant which he could enjoy driving across France to his winter home at Le Canadel on the Côte d’Azur.

The designers dutifully produced a close-coupled car, 26EX – ‘EX’ standing for ‘Experimental’ – on an adapted short Phantom II chassis. Records show that neither the Rolls-Royce sales department nor the factory were keen on the concept; indeed, had it not been intended as Royce’s personal transport, it might not have been built at all.

As it transpired, a highly successful continental sales tour demonstrated there was, in fact, great demand for a car capable of high-speed touring over long distances on the smooth, straight roads of Europe. Rolls-Royce successfully met this demand with the now highly prized Phantom II Continental – perhaps the only pre-Goodwood Phantom variant in which weight, wind resistance and other performance-related factors were afforded equal consideration with out-and-out passenger comfort.


A NEW POWER RISING

By the time of Royce’s death in 1933, the company was already only too aware that luxury car customers were seeking models that offered more power without sacrificing comfort or excellence. American competitors including Cadillac, Lincoln and Packard were responding with straight-8, V12 and even V16-cylinder engines, which were rapidly eclipsing the large-horsepower, in-line six-cylinder units that had served Rolls-Royce so well for so long.

Given this commercial pressure and the company’s proven experience in designing and building aero-engines, it was inevitable that the next Phantom would have a V12 engine. In accordance with tradition, Phantom III’s arrival in 1936 was announced in The Times, which informed the public that “many outstanding features distinguish this car from its famous predecessor the Phantom II”.

Chief among these was the new engine, with 12 cylinders “giving greater engine smoothness, flexibility, silence and acceleration” – all key requirements for Rolls-Royce’s fabled effortless progress. The new V12 engine was also more compact than the old straight-6, allowing a shorter bonnet and larger passenger compartment. Most importantly, however, it delivered the increased power customers demanded – 165 H.P. against the 120 H.P. of Phantom II, rising to 180 H.P. in later cars.

Comfort was further improved with independent front wheel suspension. “This is particularly noticeable in the back seats under all road conditions and is further enhanced by remarkable road holding qualities and stability on corners even at high speeds”, the advertisement noted, while Phantom III’s new chassis frame allowed for wider, more comfortable back seats.

And it wasn’t just passengers who benefited. As the advertisement pointed out, Phantom III made life more relaxing for owner-drivers and chauffeurs, too, explaining: “A modification in the position of the change-speed [gear lever] and brake levers gives easy entrance to the driver’s seat from the offside… the steering is lighter in operation, has a larger steering lock and the car is more easily manoeuvred by reason of the shorter wheelbase.”

Phantom III was suited to all manner of coachwork styles, and both owner-driver and chauffeured use. And while it was never able to beat its American rivals on price, such was Rolls-Royce’s reputation that it remained the only choice for those who wanted to experience the greatest possible comfort and be seen to be driving the very best.


A CHANGING WORLD

The Phantom name had graced the very best of the best cars in the world for some 14 years when war broke out in 1939. Rolls-Royce ceased all motor car production, and when peace returned in 1945, the company found itself in an entirely different world – but one it had anticipated and prepared for.

Rolls-Royce had correctly foreseen that under post-war austerity, it would need to make its motor cars less complex, easier to service, much less expensive to produce and able to use common parts. At the same time, it was adamant that there would be no reduction in quality.

Its solution was the Rationalised Range, which debuted in 1946 with Silver Wraith. Its new straight-6-cylinder engine was a backward step from the V12 engine of Phantom III, but relevant in straitened times. There seemed to be no place in the modern world for Phantom.


A ROYAL INTERVENTION

The Phantom story might well have ended there, but for two serendipitous events.

As part of the ongoing development process for the Rationalised Range, engineers produced four experimental EX cars on a 229.5-inch chassis with a straight-8 engine. One of these, fitted with a Park Ward & Co. limousine body, was officially named Silver Phantom (and unofficially known as Big Bertha). A smaller, lighter saloon version, known as the Scalded Cat, followed.

At the same time, the Royal Household was seeking to replace its ageing fleet of Daimlers – the marque it had favoured since the motor car was invented – but was unhappy with the range then on offer.

In 1950, Rolls-Royce was asked to supply a formal limousine for Royal duties. The company had long been keen to usurp Daimler in the Royal Mews, and gladly produced a ‘one-off’ straight-8 long-chassis limousine with coachwork by H. J. Mulliner. During manufacture, the car was given the codename Maharajah, and remains in active service at the Royal Mews under that name to this day.

When requests for similar motor cars followed from other Royalty and Heads of State, Rolls-Royce was happy to oblige. The company decided it would be fitting that for such prestigious cars to resurrect the Phantom name. Over the next seven years, the marque produced just 18 examples of Phantom IV, including a second motor car for the Royal Mews, a landaulette named Jubilee, delivered in 1954.


THE LAST HURRAH

The pinnacle Rolls-Royce experience became somewhat more widely available once again in 1959 with the launch of Phantom V – a splendid limousine fitted with coachwork by both the marque’s in-house coachbuilder, Park Ward & Co., and other independent companies, including James Young Ltd and H. J. Mulliner & Co. (Rolls-Royce would go on to acquire the latter, merging it with their own coachbuilder to form Mulliner Park Ward). Two motor cars, known as Canberra I and Canberra II, were built for Royal service, featuring transparent Perspex cupolas over the rear compartments and concealed lighting to better view the occupants on formal occasions.

After 13 years and 832 examples, Phantom V had received enough technical upgrades to be designated as Phantom VI. As with all its forebears, this new iteration prioritised comfort, with separate air conditioning systems for the front and rear compartments. Most of the 374 examples were limousines with coachwork by in-house Mulliner Park Ward Ltd., or James Young Ltd.: the last Phantom VI, a landaulette, was delivered to the Sultan of Brunei in 1993.

Phantom VI was the final body-on-chassis model Rolls-Royce ever produced, and its discontinuation effectively ended the tradition of coachbuilding until it was revived at Goodwood in 2017 with ‘Sweptail’.


PHANTOM REBORN

When the marque was relaunched at the new Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, a ‘Phantom-type’ model quickly emerged as the natural and obvious choice for its inaugural motor car. The design concept, for which legendary Rolls-Royce designer John Blatchley was consulted and of which he approved, included signature elements inherited from previous generations. These included a long wheelbase with the front wheels well to the fore and a minimal front overhang of the bodywork, a long bonnet comprised of a massive expanse of metal along the side, and a rising sweep of the door edge towards the front windscreen pillars.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ first Design Director of the Goodwood era, Ian Cameron, formed a specific team to create the interior design for the much-anticipated new model. Their remit was to express the ambience of past Phantoms and the traditional high-quality materials of coachbuilding – leather, wood, deep-pile carpeting – in a totally up-to-date way.

At one minute past midnight, on 1 January 2003, the first Phantom VII was handed over to its new owner. Unlike every Phantom that had gone before, it was built entirely in-house by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, with spaceframe bodywork to a single design rather than coachbuilt. In one important sense, however, it retained a link with its heritage, in that every motor car was hand-built by a team of skilled craftspeople. Furthermore, the marque’s Bespoke programme meant Phantom was effectively a blank canvas on which patrons could realise their own visions and desires.


THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES

Over its 13-year lifespan, Phantom VII cemented Rolls-Royce as the world’s pre-eminent super luxury motor manufacturer, and its own place as the marque’s pinnacle product. But just like their predecessors, Rolls-Royce’s designers and engineers understood that perfection is a moving target: that Phantom was never ‘finished’.

In 2017, Rolls-Royce presented Phantom VIII. This was the first Rolls-Royce to be built on the Architecture of Luxury, an advance on the all-aluminium spaceframe used on Phantom VII, and designed to underpin every future motor car produced at Goodwood.

Phantom VIII was specifically designed to be the ultimate canvas for Bespoke commissions. With this in mind, it is the only Rolls-Royce model to feature the Gallery – an uninterrupted swathe of glass that runs the full width of the fascia, behind which the client can display a commissioned work of art or design.

This singular focus has made Phantom the subject of some of the most technically ambitious and challenging Bespoke projects ever undertaken by the marque’s designers, engineers and specialist craftspeople. Commissions such as Phantom Syntopia, Phantom Oribe, Phantom Koa and Phantom ‘Inspired by Cinque Terre’ all incorporate features, materials and engineering innovations never seen before in a Rolls-Royce or any other motor car. Each is a unique, one-of-one creation that will never be repeated, echoing the very first Phantoms that were individually hand-built for their commissioning owners.


THE ESSENCE OF PHANTOM

For 100 years, the Phantom name has occupied a unique position in the Rolls-Royce product family and story. While the standards of quality, engineering and design are consistent across all Rolls-Royce motor cars, Phantom has always been the grandest, most impressive and, above all, most effortless motor car being built in series production by the marque at any given moment.

Through all its eight generations, Phantom has never been compromised by existing engineering orthodoxy, fleeting trends or development costs. From Henry Royce’s original New Phantom to today’s Phantom VIII, the essential purpose behind Phantom has always remained the same: to build the motor car that offers owner-drivers and passengers alike the most comfortable, satisfying experience available in the world at that moment in time – the unassailable pinnacle of luxury and motoring excellence.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reveals Phantom Scintilla Private Collection
• Inspired by the grace, dynamism and ethereal beauty of the Spirit of Ecstasy
• Spirit of Ecstasy figurine rendered in exquisite ceramic finish
• Recalls the inspiration for the figurine: the Greek marble sculpture ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace’
• ‘Celestial Pulse’ Gallery artwork and animated Bespoke Starlight Headliner capture the fleeting presence of the Spirit of Ecstasy
• Coach doors and seats feature embroidery comprising 869,500 stitches
• The most complex interior door design ever seen in a Rolls-Royce motor car
• Based on Phantom Extended, the ultimate canvas for Bespoke commissions
• All 10 examples allocated to clients worldwide through Rolls-Royce Private Office network

“Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.”
Claude Johnson, Managing Director, Rolls-Royce Limited – Original brief for a Rolls‑Royce figurine (1910)

"The unveiling of a Private Collection is always a landmark moment. These rare and collectable motor cars, limited to just a handful of examples worldwide, are true masterpieces. They illustrate the boundless ingenuity and skill of the creatives and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce and stimulate ideas among our clients for their own commissions. They also affirm Rolls-Royce’s status as an authentic luxury house. We do not simply build motor cars — we create rare, complex and exquisitely crafted super-luxury products that are highly prized by collectors today and will be cherished long into the future.

Crafting exquisite Bespoke products and shaping extraordinary experiences directly responds to the requirements of today’s super-luxury consumers. This approach will continue to shape our business. We will grow our global network of VIP-only Private Office outposts, where our designers collaborate directly with our clients to co-create the most extraordinary motor cars, wherever they are in the world. We will expand our home in Goodwood to grow the scale of our Bespoke offering, and we will continue to craft the most intricate and sophisticated experiences and Bespoke luxury goods in the world. Phantom Scintilla, which honours our enduring muse, the Spirit of Ecstasy, is the perfect expression of these principles."
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


For more than a century, the Spirit of Ecstasy has symbolised elegance and human achievement, inspiring countless works of art, from music to photography and moving image. In 2024, the year the marque celebrates its 120th anniversary, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pays homage to its timeless muse in a unique Private Collection, named Phantom Scintilla. Based on Phantom Extended – the ultimate canvas for personalisation – this magnificent collection celebrates the ethereal beauty, grace and legacy of the Spirit of Ecstasy.

Limited to just ten examples worldwide, Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla’s design evokes the wonder of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s fleeting presence: its exquisite interior features were inspired by the apparent movement of her robes, as the motor car glides by.

Graceful Bespoke embroidery flowing throughout the interior captures the Spirit of Ecstasy’s elegant dynamism, culminating in a complex Gallery artwork. Carefully curated design features allude to the figurine’s origins with their references to Parian Marble: it was in this famed material that, more than 2,000 years ago, an unknown genius of Classical Greece sculpted The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the statue that inspired Claude Johnson’s original idea for a Rolls‑Royce mascot.

Phantom Scintilla derives its name from the Latin word for ‘spark’ – a bright flash, witnessed only for an instant. This refers to Claude Johnson’s first flash of inspiration for a mascot, the aforementioned Greek statue, and captures the Spirit of Ecstasy’s ethereal grace – something glimpsed only for a moment as the motor car passes by, but which leaves a lasting impression.


A NEW CHAPTER TO AN OLD STORY

In 1910, Rolls-Royce Managing Director Claude Johnson commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a Rolls-Royce mascot. Johnson already had an inspiration in mind: on a trip to Paris, he had visited the Louvre and been greatly impressed by the Greek marble statue of a deity descending from the heavens – The Winged Victory of Samothrace, which dates from 190 BCE.

Sykes, however, felt the statue was too domineering to be a suitable subject. Having often travelled in Silver Ghosts, he believed a more delicate, ethereal figure would better express the marque’s grace, silence and subtle power. It is now generally accepted that he took his inspiration for what would become the Spirit of Ecstasy from Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montagu’s secretary and paramour. In creating Phantom Scintilla, the Bespoke Collective has reclaimed some of Johnson’s original inspiration, by introducing new materials and subtle references to the captivating vision of The Winged Victory of Samothrace.


MATERIAL MAGIC

The famed statue is sculpted in Parian marble, a fine-grained white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. Known for its purity and radiance, this material allows light to penetrate to a depth of several centimetres, giving it a lustre that appears to come from within.

For Phantom Scintilla, the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine has been given a ceramic finish that skilfully alludes to the texture of Parian marble, while retaining its familiar femininity and ethereality – a Rolls-Royce icon that finally unites the visions of both Johnson and Sykes.

“We were fascinated with the qualities of Parian marble, and this material became the subject of our research for many months. To create a clear and elegant connection to the famed statue, we developed a ceramic finish that captures the translucence and purity of this unique stone, and perfectly embraces the ethereal nature of our icon”.
Celina Mettang, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.


EXTERIOR: GREEK INSPIRATION

Phantom Scintilla’s exterior is presented in a two-tone Bespoke finish. The upper body is in Andalusian White, with the lower body in Thracian Blue, inspired by the colours of the sea around the island of Samothrace, whence the statue of The Winged Victory of Samothrace originates. A subtle metallic flake mimics the sparkle of sunlight on the water. The hand-painted double Coachline and Wheel Pinstripes in Spirit Blue complete the graceful exterior.


INTERIOR: EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT

The interior is filled with design elements, textures and a continuous graphic inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy’s expressive, dynamic form – the result of an intense collaboration between Bespoke designers and artisans. The graphic moves through the cabin, embracing the occupants in an uninterrupted flow of energy.

“We wanted to create a single graphic that almost appears as a watercolour artwork – we call it ‘painting with thread’. To create a luminescent effect, we used four different colours, thread thicknesses and stitch orientations. In doing so, we covered areas never explored in a Rolls-Royce before, achieving the most extensive density of embroidery ever seen in a Rolls-Royce motor car.” 
Katrin Lehmann, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The lead artisan tasked with bringing this idea to life, Brienny Dudley, experimented with a variety of stitches and hues before selecting the tatami stitch, which was applied over six layers, interlacing in varying degrees of density and complexity. The full interior composition comprises 869,500 stitches and takes over 40 hours to complete.

“Translating this design into a three-dimensional form was a wonderful creative challenge, requiring more than two and a half years of close collaboration with our Bespoke design team to achieve the right level of detail, texture and tactility in the embroidery. Having two canvases – leather and fabric – added another level of complexity, as these materials respond to stitching in different ways. 36 individually embroidered panels had to be carefully curated so that they aligned perfectly, creating a seamless, flowing motif through the interior suite.”
Brienny Dudley, Bespoke Craft Specialist, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The embroidered motif on the doors – the most complex door design ever seen on a Rolls-Royce – is made of 633,000 stitches combining Blue Grey, Arctic White, Spirit Blue, Powder Blue and Pastel Yellow thread, complemented by illuminated perforations. By night, the embroidery takes on a mesmerising, luminescent sparkle and appears to glow from within. The seats are upholstered in a twill fabric with a subtle reflective sheen, providing an additional complexity to the material interplay within the interior. 236,500 stitches applied in Blue Grey, Arctic White and Spirit Blue thread continue the complex graphic spanning across the four doors.


‘CELESTIAL PULSE’ GALLERY ARTWORK

The centrepiece of Phantom Scintilla is a Bespoke artwork in the Gallery which runs the full width of the front fascia. Entitled Celestial Pulse, the work consists of seven ribbons, each individually milled from solid aluminium, before being adorned with the same finely-grained ceramic finish as the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. The edges are polished to a mirror shine so that they catch the light, creating a sense of movement and fluidity.

Claude Johnson’s original brief for a Rolls-Royce mascot is displayed on an embossed plate concealed in the glove compartment. These words, written in 1910, wonderfully capture the essence of the Phantom Scintilla Private Collection: ‘Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace’.


‘FLEETING MOMENT’ STARLIGHT HEADLINER

Phantom Scintilla’s Bespoke Starlight Headliner features an animation inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy’s flowing gown. 1,500 fibre-optic ‘stars’, all placed and fitted by hand in a unique pattern, illuminate in sequence, adding to the sense of motion. The design is completed with a further 4,450 perforations deliberately made larger than usual to reveal glimpses of a metallic silver fabric beneath, creating a subtle interplay of light.


GRACEFUL DETAILS

The sense of movement continues on the rear picnic tables, with a delicate graphic capturing the Spirit of Ecstasy’s fluidity of motion. The motif is applied with the masking technique on top of the glossy iridescent surface, then hand-sanded and coated with a matte finish, creating the illusion of two subtle, shifting colours. The full wood set is rendered in Arctic White and finished with a lacquer mixed with iridescent metallic particles. To achieve the effect, craftspeople apply up to 19 coats of lacquer – a process that takes more than 190 hours per motor car.

The Private Collection name is engraved on the polished stainless-steel treadplates. As a finishing touch, each commission is supplied with a Bespoke car cover.


The Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla Private Collection is available exclusively through the marque’s international Private Office network. 

• Rolls-Royce unveils ‘Spirit of Expression’ Bespoke commissions of Ghost Extended, Phantom Extended and Spectre ahead of Auto China 2024 debut in Beijing
• Global creative collaboration between Goodwood-based designers and the Private Office Shanghai Bespoke designer
• Exterior colourways inspired by flora and scenery of remarkable global destinations frequented by Chinese clients
• Reflects China’s standing as one of the key markets for Rolls-Royce and the marque’s ongoing commitment to the region

“These unique motor cars have been designed and crafted for our clients in China, who see the world as their home and rightfully demand super-luxury products that reflect their personal tastes through finishes, materials and contemporary crafts. Each Spirit of Expression commission tells its own story, inspired by locations around the world that resonate with our clients in the region — from the beaches of Sicily to the sunset on Boracay Island. Our artisans have brought these concepts to life with exquisite Bespoke craftsmanship, including a unique celestial-inspired motif created using embroidery and stainless steel. These individual motor cars exemplify the power of our Private Office strategy. By placing Bespoke designers in super-luxury centres around the world, they are even better placed to translate regional preferences and codes of luxury into fabulously personal and emotionally resonant Rolls-Royce motor cars, creating ever-more value for our clients.”
Chris Brownridge, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is proud to unveil ##Spirit of Expression## – three magnificent Bespoke commissions of ##Ghost Extended##, ##Phantom Extended## and #Spectre, the first-ever creations to emerge from the Private Office Shanghai, opened last year. These striking Bespoke creations will make their public debut at the 18^th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2024), commencing on Thursday 25 April.

The ‘Spirit of Expression’ commissions perfectly embody the tastes of the younger progressive Chinese clients – global trendsetters who commission super-luxury products on their own terms and in their own image.

Each exterior colourway captures a fleeting moment in time from a number of remarkable destinations around the world frequented by clients from the Greater China region. These range from the vivid bloom of the Lantana flower in South America to the stunning sands of Sicily’s Cala Luna beach and the expansive sunsets witnessed on Boracay Island in the Western Visayas in the Philippines. Inside each ‘Spirit of Expression’ motor car, a recurring celestial motif celebrates the night sky above these extraordinary locations and the inspirational power of the stars.

Each of these one-of-one commissions has been envisioned as part of a global creative collaboration between the marque’s designers in Goodwood and the Bespoke designer based permanently in the Rolls-Royce Private Office Shanghai. Through the growing Private Office network – currently operating in Goodwood, Dubai and Shanghai, with further international launches planned for 2024 – Rolls‑Royce is immersing its talented creatives in luxury hubs around the world. Here, they can engage with the clients on an even deeper level, thereby elevating the marque’s Bespoke offering and experience still further, whilst also bringing essential regional insights back to the global headquarters at Goodwood.


ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM EXTENDED ‘MAGNETISM’

Representing a modern interpretation of Rolls‑Royce’s pinnacle model, the Phantom Extended ‘Magnetism’ commission reflects the magnetic ambiance of a beach bay under the night sky. The two-tone exterior coachwork is finished in Cala Luna Sand, inspired by the hue of the moonlit beach sands, and Kabira Blue, reminiscent of the profound intensity of the horizon when the vast sea meets the midnight sky. The exterior is completed with a double coachline hand-painted in Arctic White and Cala Luna Sand.

Inside, the celestial concept is brought into technicolour with a complex Starlight Headliner: 768 Galileo Blue and 576 White hand-placed ‘stars’ make up the motif, which becomes animated by a further eight ‘shooting stars’.

The rear waterfall is adorned with an intricate expression of the celestial motif inlaid in stainless steel. The motif also appears on the exquisite Gallery artwork, which is embroidered in Arctic White thread on a Navy Blue canvas using satin stitch technique. In total, the Gallery piece comprises 43,096 stitches, carefully placed to make the most of the interplay between light and shadow on the textured surface. The motif is also referenced on the passenger panel.

The front and rear reclining seats are trimmed in Blue Grey, Navy Blue and Arctic White leather with Arctic White contrast stitching, seat piping and headrest monograms. The door veneer is open-pore Obsidian Ayous – a contemporary, tactile finish that celebrates the wood’s natural grain.


ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE ‘ESCAPISM’

The bold colourway of Spectre ‘Escapism’ recalls the tropics of South America, whence the inspiration for this motor car is drawn. The two-tone exterior is finished in celebratory Lantana Red, referencing the vivid red tones of the Lantana Flower, whose vibrant bloom is believed to bring good luck. The upper section and coachline are rendered in a more subdued Tempest Grey. The 23" seven-spoke part-polished wheels have centres painted in Lantana Red, matching the surface above. The exterior coachwork treatment concludes with a softly illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy figurine.

Inside, the interior is presented in Selby Grey, Purple Silk and Sunset leathers. Sunset is also selected for the seat piping, contrast stitching and headrest monograms. Above, the Starlight Headliner features 960 fibre-optic ‘stars’ in the Sunset hue, completed with eight white ‘shooting stars’, formed with 192 fibre-optic lights. The Obsidian Ayous veneer extends to the spokes of the Purple Silk steering-wheel, which is complemented by purple instrument dials.


ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST EXTENDED ‘EXPRESSIONISM’

Rolls-Royce Ghost provides the purest blank canvas for Bespoke personalisation. The expressive nature of Ghost is unleashed with the ‘Boracay Blue’ exterior colour of the ‘Expressionism’ commission, evoking the sunsets over Boracay Island. This vivid Bespoke colour captures unique hues witnessed during the transition from sunset to twilight, when the sky appears to become one with the Sulu Sea. This is accentuated with a single hand-painted Lime Green Coachline, subtly referencing Boracay Island’s rich, tropical flora and fauna. The exterior is resolved with part-polished 21-inch alloy wheels incorporating Orbit Grey centres and Lime Green pinstripes, shod in White pinstripe tyres.

Inside, the seats are trimmed with Black and Arctic White leather with Lime Green accents. The latter hue also appears in the seat and door piping, contrast stitching and headrest monograms.

The inner door pockets are embroidered with a celestial motif, rendered in Lime Green. To add texture and depth to this elegant expression of contemporary craft, the marque’s artisans used two different, contrasting stitching techniques. By carefully alternating the direction and angle of the stitch, the embroidery accentuates the curve of the pocket, creating a subtle three-dimensional effect. A total of 104,268 stitches are used across all four doors.

Above, the Starlight Headliner is presented in a vivid, abstract wave pattern, like silk in the wind, mimicking the embroidered pattern on the doors. The design is created with 520 Lime Green and 520 White ‘stars’ with eight White ‘shooting stars’ that follow the curvature of the design.

The ‘Spirit of Expression’ Bespoke commissions will be on public display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2024), which takes places in the capital’s China International Exhibition Centre (CIEC) from Thursday 25 April until Saturday 4 May 2024.

• Rolls-Royce presents four ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke commissions – three Phantom Extended and one Cullinan – created to mark the Lunar New Year, beginning on 10 February
• A magnificent international celebration of Chinese cultural heritage, destined for clients residing around the world
• Meticulously executed details inspired by a traditional dragon symbol including a unique hand-painted artwork on the front passenger panels, each example taking over two weeks to create
• First-ever depiction of a dragon in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner, formed by 677 ‘stars’
• Delicate embroidery on headrests captures dynamic appearance of the dragon – each one comprises 5,449 stitches and took over 20 hours to complete

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars leads the luxury sector in creating products inspired by international cultures and traditions, incorporating designs, motifs, materials and colours that resonate with and have real personal meaning for our clients. These Bespoke creations, inspired by the Year of the Dragon in 2024, celebrate the international reach and influence of Chinese culture, which transcends national boundaries. Hence, these magnificent motor cars are destined for clients based across three continents. These creations are both a powerful expression of our respect for Chinese culture, and a contemporary, minimalist statement in line with trends we see among luxury consumers worldwide.”
Jonathan Simms, Head of Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents four magnificent ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke commissions to mark the Lunar New Year, which begins on 10 February 2024. Designed and hand-crafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, these rare and beautiful Bespoke creations – three Phantom Extended models and one Cullinan – are a celebration of Chinese culture through Bespoke artistry. Just as Chinese culture transcends national boundaries, the destinations for these highly Bespoke motor cars span the world.

The commissions draw inspiration from the dragon, an enduring and international symbol of power, success and prosperity. For the ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke commissions, the Rolls‑Royce Bespoke Collective created a modern, minimalistic expression of the dragon never previously seen in a Rolls-Royce, while remaining faithful and respectful to the original form.


REINTERPRETING AN ICON: THE ART OF SIMPLICITY

Three of the ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke commissions include fascia panels adorned with highly contemporary artworks reinterpreting the dragon form. Individually hand-painted by one dedicated Rolls-Royce artist, each is a distinctive exploration of the colour red, which represents prosperity and good fortune in Chinese culture. Each of the three artworks is the result of over two weeks of detailed work.

To create this complex, three-dimensional motif, the artist used multiple hues of red, applied on top of each other in four individual stages. First, the initial outline of the symbol was painted using a ‘feathering’ technique to create a flame effect, as if the dragon were suspended in fire, reflecting its festive, celebratory nature. This was followed by three further layers in darker shades of red, in which the artist added more details and depth. Each of these colours was individually blended from different proportions of red, white, yellow and brown: this development process alone took three days to complete. The four layers combine to create a 3D effect so realistic that the artwork appears to have been carved into the fascia.

To achieve such fine detailing, lacquer was meticulously applied after each layer of paint. Lacquering is a delicate process, especially on a white background, since any imperfection – a stray particle of red paint, for example – would become instantly visible. The Rolls-Royce artist spotlessly cleaned and finely sanded every completed layer before each lacquering stage.


INTERIOR SUITE: A MINIMALIST APPROACH

The dragon motif extends discreetly throughout the motor car’s interior. It is elegantly depicted in Phoenix Red stitching on the headrests of each of the four seats, providing a bold contrast with the seat leather, which is presented in either Black or White. To create a dynamic appearance of the dragon, giving the impression of continuous movement, the artisans had to precisely align the stitch direction and adjust stitch density. Strategic variation in stitch angles along the tail enhanced the overall flow, creating a sense of fluidity in the design. Each embroidery comprises 5,449 stitches and took around 20 hours to complete.

In three of the commissions, the rear Piano Black picnic tables incorporate a minimalist representation of the circular Chinese zodiac calendar in inlaid stainless steel. The names of the animals representing each year are inscribed in traditional Chinese calligraphy, with the dragon highlighted in gold: the central dragon motif is also depicted in gold. For the fourth motor car, a Bespoke artwork featuring the dragon is inlaid in the Piano Black veneer in stainless steel.

The most dramatic expression of the mythical creature is the Bespoke Starlight Headliner, specially created for these commissions and the result of three months’ design and development work. Above the driver and passenger seats, 677 individually placed fibre-optic ‘stars’ form an abstract dragon motif, surrounded by a further 667 lights – positioning them all perfectly by hand took over 20 hours of work. The motor car destined for the Rolls-Royce Private Office Shanghai features a unique expression of the Bespoke Starlight Headliner incorporating red ‘stars’ in a bold and contemporary reference to the symbolism of red in Chinese culture.

Each Phantom Extended commission is completed with a Gallery artwork, carefully protected behind an application of pure glass, that runs uninterrupted across the fascia. Crafted from carbon fibre, it evokes dynamism and motion, complementing the dragon artwork. The interior is completed with Bespoke lambswool carpets, perfectly colour-matched to the leather trim.


EXTERIOR COACHWORK

The Bespoke designers created unique colourways for the different models: a duotone Cherry Red with Crystal finish over Selby Grey with a Crystal finish for the Cullinan; and a two-tone Silver and Cherry Red or monolithic Black with a Crystal finish for the Phantom Extended motor car commissions.

All four commissions feature a Bespoke coachline, hand-painted in Phoenix Red, that subtly incorporates a dragon motif. Each dragon is orientated to face right, which symbolically represents the East – the direction of the rising sun.

“Our aim was to create a modern interpretation of the dragon capturing its essence as a symbol of power. The design evokes a sense of motion and energy, expressing the dragon as a driving force, all rendered with a depth and complexity to reflect its commanding spirit and presence. It was an inspirational journey for our Bespoke Collective to reinterpret such a significant icon; our Bespoke artisans added their own subtle dimension and character to the dragon expression, showcasing how a single design can be transformed through different mediums and craft techniques.”
Rebecca Davies, Bespoke Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

• Rolls-Royce presents a one-of-one Bespoke Phantom ‘Inspired by Cinque Terre’, celebrating the beauty of the Italian Riviera and its winemaking traditions
• Hand-painted Gallery artwork captures the vibrant colours and renowned architecture of the five cliffside fishing villages
• Grapes motif embroidered to rear doors and inlaid on picnic tables pays homage to the region’s fabled viticulture
• Bespoke Starlight Headliner features an intricately embroidered map of Italy with five gently glowing stars precisely positioned to represent the five historic Cinque Terre villages

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to present Phantom ‘Inspired by Cinque Terre’ – a magnificent, one-of-one Bespoke motor car that captures the enchanting allure and fascinating viticultural heritage of the fabled Italian Riviera.

The Cinque Terre – Italian for 'Five Lands' – lies on the rugged coast of Liguria in northern Italy. Perched on the cliffside, the centuries-old fishing villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are internationally famous for their steeply terraced vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean – a true marvel in the world of winemaking.

The area’s stunning vineyards are celebrated in intricate Bespoke features throughout this exceptional motor car. The exterior is finished in a deep, rich Ligurian Blue, further accentuated with a hand-applied double coachline in Navy Blue and Jasmine, completed with a delicate grapes motif.

The timeless interior, combining Grace White and Navy Blue leather with Jasmine accents, is adorned with a delicate grape-branch embroidery on the rear doors. Each piece comprises 9,215 stitches made using two different techniques. The grapes are embroidered in satin stitch, with the threads carefully aligned according to the angle at which light strikes the surface to give each individual grape a lifelike tone and lustrous quality. For the grape leaf, the Bespoke Collective employed a flatter tatami stitch, which provides a textural contrast and enhances the embroidery’s tactile qualities.

The grapes motif is also captured in an intricate inlay on both picnic tables, made with stainless steel and gold plating. The surfaces were first painted in Milori Blue with a subtle sparkle, giving the colour depth and vibrancy. Next, the inlays were precisely applied by hand and sealed with a clear lacquer. Finally, the surface was meticulously sanded and hand-polished to produce a smooth, seamless finish.

Overhead, the Bespoke Starlight Headliner is enriched with a map of Italy, embroidered in 14,338 individual stitches. Five glowing stars precisely positioned by hand at the edge of the coastline represent the Cinque Terre villages. Finalising the design took more than a month, with the Bespoke Collective producing numerous iterations to determine the optimum line weight for the embroidery: wide enough to allow the thread to shimmer, yet sufficiently delicate to render Italy’s entire outline in minute and perfect detail.

The Gallery within the motor car’s expansive fascia houses a spectacular, specially commissioned artwork, which captures the colours, architecture and vibrant character of Cinque Terre. Representing an imagined amalgamation of elements from all five cliffside villages, the composition was first sketched digitally, then airbrushed by hand using water-based acrylic paint to achieve an incredibly fine level of detail, before being finished with multiple coats of clear lacquer. The painting's focal features are carefully positioned within the Gallery to ensure their exquisite details can be admired easily by all the motor car's occupants.

A final flourish lies inside the glove compartment, which contains silver debossing depicting the five villages.

Phantom ‘Inspired by Cinque Terre’ has taken its place in the commissioning client’s collection. As a true one-of-one commission, it will never be replicated.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showcases contemporary expressions at Festival of Speed
• Collection presented on Festival’s Laundry Green, adjacent to Goodwood House
• Rolls-Royce Spectre, the marque’s first fully-electric car, will be on display at the event
• Rolls-Royce Spectre will take to the fabled Hillclimb

“Each year automotive enthusiasts enjoy the ultimate celebration of motorsport at the prestigious Festival of Speed, set in the magnificent grounds of the historic Goodwood House. This event, with its proximity to the Home of Rolls-Royce, is always an important occasion in our annual calendar. This year, however, is of particular significance – it marks the first year that our all-electric, ultra-luxury, super coupé, Spectre, will be on display at the Festival of Speed. Spectre is the most anticipated Rolls-Royce ever, and we are very proud to present this transformative motor car at this year’s event. Alongside Spectre, we are delighted to showcase a vibrant and captivating assemblage of motor cars, created especially for this year’s Festival of Speed. We are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with esteemed clients, valued dealer partners and media friends during this remarkable occasion."
Boris Weletzky, Regional Director, United Kingdom, Europe and Central Asia


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will celebrate a highly contemporary presence at this year’s Festival of Speed. Displayed on the Festival’s Laundry Green, adjacent to Goodwood House, a beautifully commissioned Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan and Spectre will each provide a unique, exquisite expression of the marque’s peerless craftsmanship. The marque’s presence at this year’s event comes as the company celebrates 20 years of production at the Home of Rolls-Royce, at Goodwood.


ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars made a historic announcement that would shape the marque’s history forever. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars declared its commitment to electric technology both by announcing Spectre, an all-electric super coupé, and that by the end of 2030, the marque’s entire portfolio would be fully electric. Since this significant moment in the storied history of Rolls-Royce, Spectre has been on a remarkable journey, including completing a highly demanding testing programme, spanning 2.5 million kilometres. Last October, Spectre was unveiled to the world at the Home of Rolls-Royce in West Sussex, and response from the world’s opinion leaders across the globe has been unequivocally positive. The first customer deliveries will occur in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Now, for the first time ever, Rolls-Royce Spectre will be presented at this year’s Festival of Speed. Presented in two-tone Chartreuse and Black Diamond, this expression of the marque’s genre-defining motor car exudes cool modern luxury. To embolden the exterior and highlight Spectre’s dynamic presence and prowess, twenty-three-inch wheels are fitted to the motor car – the first time in almost one hundred years that the marque has equipped wheels of this stature and size to a two-door coupé. Chartreuse interior appointments echo the exterior hue, whilst Grace White and Peony Pink create a calming and serene aesthetic to the cabin.  

In addition to Spectre’s presence on the stand, Rolls-Royce Spectre, will ascend the famous Hillclimb course at Goodwood during the Festival’s Supercar Run.


ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

Occupying a truly unique position at the apex of luxury, Phantom Extended knows no discerning rival. Instead, with its cossetting interior suite, imperious design, and almost boundless scope for personalisation, Phantom defines the barometers of luxury, and therefore will rightly resume pride of place on the stand on the Laundry Green.  

Inspiration for the commissioning of a Rolls-Royce comes from a variety of sources, and Rolls-Royce’s highly talented Collective of artisans, designers and engineers are in constant admiration, intrigue, and awe of clients’ wishes, dreams and visions for their motor car.

For this year’s Festival of Speed, inspiration has come from the world of yachting, a popular pastime amongst Rolls-Royce’s illustrious clientele. A befitting exterior colour – Submariner Blue – was selected for this unique commission. The maritime connotations in this colour name are not coincidental: Submariner Blue is a very rich colour, mimicking the deep hues of the ocean.

Inside Phantom’s inviting cabin, the nautical theme continues, with the steering wheel, seat belts and front interior predominantly finished in Navy. In contrast, the rear interior is finished in Selby Grey, with a stitching in Sunset.

Phantom offers patrons an unprecedented opportunity: a chance to showcase eclectic works of art, sculpture, or objects of self-expression in the Gallery. This unique single piece of uninterrupted glass, spans the entire fascia and means patrons can enjoy, admire, and appreciate their favourite artwork from the sanctuary that is Phantom’s sumptuous cabin. For this nautically-inspired commission, an embroidered gallery, recognisant of the weave pattern on yacht rigging, has been created.

Bespoke is Rolls-Royce; an ethos which permeates every commissioned creation, from exquisite motor cars to luxurious accessories. This extends from glamorous cellarettes and champagne chests, to personalised umbrellas, and picnic hampers. For the Festival of Speed, Rolls-Royce presents a striking Bespoke luggage collection in Navy and White, perfectly complementing the nautical theme.


ROLLS-ROYCE CULLINAN

Rolls-Royce’s highly skilled artisans, designers and engineers have taken inspiration from the world of pop-art, the famed art movement that emerged and flourished in America and Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, to create a unique expression of Cullinan for this year’s Festival. Presented in Gunmetal, with a double Coachline and Coachline Motif, finished in Phoenix Red and Serenity Green – this expression of the world’s most desirable SUV conveys the contemporary yet luxurious essence that exists at the very heart of the marque. Striking Red brake callipers, echo the Phoenix Red Coachline and confidently resolve the exterior.

Whilst the combination of Gunmetal with a bright Coachline sets the tone of this expression, it is perhaps the interior of the car that is the true pièce de résistance. An eye-catching geometric Red pattern, replicated throughout the car, creates a bold and dynamic aesthetic, and demonstrates the extensive scope of marque’s Bespoke capabilities.


ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

Launched in 2020, Rolls-Royce Ghost is the latest iteration of the marque’s most successful product and for this year’s Festival of Speed, a truly stylish expression of Ghost has been created. Presented in Iced Arctic White, this motor car exudes luxury, style and grace, whilst demonstrating the extensive scope and skill of the marque’s exterior surface centre. Inside, Black and Iceland Moss interior appointments create a vibrant aesthetic, whilst the Mandarin seat piping adds an additional splash of colour.

In addition, a Rolls-Royce Ghost, presented in Salamanca Blue, has been selected as Course Car and a Cullinan, in Dark Emerald, chosen as a Safety Car.

• Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended celebrates UK public debut at Salon Privé London
• An elegant Ghost will also be showcased at the event

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to return once again to one of the UK’s most exclusive concours events, Salon Privé. In recognition of the event, our talented Collective of designers, engineers and artisans, has created two remarkable commissions — a Phantom Extended, presented in Belladonna Purple and a Ghost in Sagano Green. These two vibrant motor cars will be on display for the duration of the event at the Royal Chelsea Hospital. I am looking forward to meeting our esteemed clients, dealers, friends of the marque and media at this year’s gathering. Their passion for unique luxury experiences and magnificent creations is stronger than ever, as demonstrated by these vivacious and spirited commissions.”
Boris Weletzky, Regional Director UK, Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


From 20^th April 2023, patrons of luxury will convene at Salon Privé, a highly exclusive Concours d’Élégance, in the grounds of Royal Chelsea Hospital, London. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will showcase two special commissions at the event – Phantom Extended and Ghost. Each of these commissions is indicative of Rolls-Royce’s peerless fluency in Bespoke and demonstrates the extensive scope of the marque’s craft, design and engineering competencies.


ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM SERIES II

Last year, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced a new expression for Phantom and Phantom Extended — subtle, ‘light touch’ aesthetic enhancements to the world’s most luxurious motor car. The iconic Pantheon Grille has been further enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille, giving the motor car a new assertive modernity. The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and delight to Phantom's night-time presence.

Phantom Extended offers the indulgence of enhanced rear seating space with no compromise to Phantom’s driving dynamics. This motor car is an exquisite sanctuary, a heaven of serenity swathed in sumptuous design — a place where ideas flourish, greatest achievements are made and thoughts form. It is truly luxuriance expanded.

Following its global launch on the French Riviera last summer, Phantom Extended will make its UK public debut at this year’s Salon Privé in London; an exclusive Phantom Extended has been curated in recognition of this moment. Conveying the creativity, imagination and tradition that exists at the heart of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a vibrant Belladonna Purple exterior is balanced by a Black leather interior with Grace White accents.


ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

Launched in 2020 Rolls-Royce Ghost, is the latest iteration of the most successful product in the marque’s storied 119-year history.

The exterior’s clean and simple form provides the perfect, pure canvas for personal expression. This particular commission is finished in Sagano Green and an Arctic White single coachline elegantly completes the exterior. Inside, the Serenity Green leather on the secondary panels, seat piping, seat belts and indicator stalks, echoes the exterior hue. Spanning the fascia and topping the centre console between the front seats is Obsidian Ayous with a rich open-pore texture that introduces a natural aura to Ghost’s contemporary cabin.

• Rolls-Royce presents Phantom Syntopia, the most technically complex Bespoke Phantom ever produced
• Haute Couture-inspired masterpiece created in collaboration with innovative fashion designer and Couturière Iris van Herpen
• Two luxury houses collaborate to push the boundaries of innovation, craftsmanship and luxury
• Interior features three-dimensional textile sculptures capturing the movement of flowing water
• Unique ‘Weaving Water’ Starlight Headliner is the most complex in Rolls-Royce history
• Exclusive Gallery artwork hand-crafted by specialists at the Home of Rolls-Royce and Iris van Herpen's Amsterdam atelier
• First Rolls-Royce to use a Bespoke scent to create a truly immersive experience
• Based on Phantom Extended, the ultimate blank canvas for Bespoke commissions
• Iris van Herpen will design a one-off Haute Couture garment to match Phantom Syntopia

“Phantom Syntopia is the most ambitious, singular and highly Bespoke Phantom we have ever created, and a clear statement of Rolls-Royce’s standing as a true luxury house. Building on two decades of joint undertakings with the world’s most celebrated design houses, artists, horologists and jewellers, Phantom Syntopia secures Phantom’s standing as the ultimate blank canvas for Bespoke personalisation. In collaborating with internationally renowned designer and Haute Couturière Iris van Herpen, we once again redraw the boundaries of innovation, craftsmanship and Bespoke possibility; not just for a motor car but across the wider luxury sector.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“For this special collaboration I was inspired by the concept of ‘Weaving Water’ and transformed the sense of being in movement into an immersive experience of fluidity inside the Phantom. I wanted this to become a state-of-the-art experience being overwhelmed by the forces of nature. The powerful movement of the Phantom is woven into the shifting three-dimensional waves inside the car to embody the ingenuity of nature.

“When I met the Bespoke Collective, I discovered that the world of Rolls-Royce is very similar to Haute Couture. Every garment I create is a one-off, tailor-made to my clients’ individual measurements, just like every Rolls-Royce. My clients come to our atelier in Amsterdam for fittings, just as Rolls-Royce clients are invited to Goodwood throughout the design and craft process. On many levels, this collaboration was a natural symbiosis.”
Iris van Herpen


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today unveils Phantom Syntopia, an intricate, Haute Couture-inspired masterpiece created in collaboration with renowned Dutch fashion designer and Haute Couturière Iris van Herpen. Based on Phantom Extended – the ultimate blank canvas for personalisation – it is the most technically complex commission ever undertaken by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. Now, after four years of continuous development, this extraordinary and unique creation is complete; it will soon take its place in the private collection of discerning patrons of the brand.

Phantom Syntopia takes its name from Iris van Herpen's landmark 2018 collection, designed on the principles of biomimicry in which art is inspired by patterns and shapes found in nature. Like the collection, which comprises a series of highly sculptural garments brought to life through movement, Phantom Syntopia seeks to represent the elusive, ethereal beauty of fluid motion in solid materials through its ‘Weaving Water’ theme.

“From the very beginning, this truly was a meeting of minds: two luxury houses that share the innovative vision and ambition to transcend the boundaries of luxury design,” says Gavin Hartley, Head of Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Together, we further explored the potential of Phantom as a perfect canvas for individualisation. Phantom Syntopia literally takes Rolls‑Royce interior design into a new dimension with its immersive, sculptural elements, reinterpreting the elusive fragility of nature’s forms in a perfectly engineered reality.”



EXTERIOR COACHWORK: IRIDESCENT MAGNETISM

To create the stunning, shimmering exterior, the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective developed a one-off Liquid Noir paint. Iridescent in sunlight, it reveals Purple, Blue, Magenta and Gold undertones when viewed at different angles. To achieve this effect, the marque’s darkest solid-black paint is overlaid with a finish incorporating a mirror-like pigment, selected for its colour-shifting properties. To add a subtle, elegant shimmer, the team developed a brand-new technique for applying pigment to the clearcoat – a process that took several months, including over 3,000 hours of testing and validation alone.

On closer inspection, the motor car’s bonnet is seen to feature a subtle rendering of the Weaving Water motif that appears throughout the interior, produced by carefully redistributing the pigment during the finishing process.


INTERIOR SUITE: THREE-DIMENSIONAL ART

Phantom Syntopia’s interior suite incorporates magnificent features which were co-created in a creative and technical meeting of minds by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective and Iris van Herpen. Some interior elements were handcrafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce by the company’s leading craftspeople working alongside members of Iris van Herpen’s team, while others were created in Iris van Herpen's Amsterdam atelier, alongside her Haute Couture garments.

On opening the magnificent coach doors, the eye is immediately drawn to the Weaving Water Starlight Headliner, the most technically challenging version of this signature Rolls-Royce feature ever produced. It was crafted using a single sheet of flawless leather, selected from over 1,000 hides. Precise symmetrical cuts reveal a silver ‘liquid metal’ texture made from woven nylon fabric underneath, used in Iris van Herpen’s ‘Embossed Sounds’ collection, giving the Headliner a three-dimensional appearance. It is finished with 162 delicate petals made of glass organza, applied by members of Iris van Herpen’s Couture team who travelled to Goodwood to undertake the work – a process that took nearly 300 hours. In addition, 187 of the 995 sparkling fiberoptic ‘stars’ were individually placed by hand alongside the artwork; illuminating sequentially, starting from the rear and moving to the front, they create a feeling of movement. In total, the entire Headliner alone involved almost 700 collective hours of work.

The ‘Weaving Water’ theme continues throughout the unique artwork in the Gallery, which runs the width of the Phantom’s fascia. Combining traditional Haute Couture techniques and innovative visual forms, this highly expressive work includes a further 85 petals, which were also attached by hand by Iris van Herpen’s team working at Goodwood, representing almost 60 hours’ painstaking work.

The design to be found on the picnic tables and the passenger panel just below the Gallery mirrors the Weaving Water artwork on the bonnet. The motif was achieved by combining multiple coats of paint and lacquer containing different quantities of glass particles. First, the surfaces were covered with a black paint mixed with 0.9% glass particles. Then the artisans applied the Weaving Water motif with a clear coat mixed with 1.4% of shimmer – an extraordinarily complex process that took over three weeks to complete. Before commencing the work, the Exterior Surface Centre team had spent four months perfecting the formula, running nine trials before identifying the ideal proportion of glass particles: across the entire car, precisely one tablespoon has been used.


NEXT CHAPTER IN TEXTILE EXPLORATION

Phantom Syntopia continues the Bespoke Collective’s exploration of textiles. In homage to Rolls-Royce's heritage, this unique motor car recalls an era where a driver’s seat was trimmed in hardwearing leather and the rear compartment in luxurious, inviting fabrics. The front seats of Phantom Syntopia are finished in Magic Grey leather, distinguished by its lustrous finish. The rear seats are upholstered with a specially created silk-blend fabric, featuring a distinctive pattern which recalls the patterns cast by light reflecting on water at night.

The seats are quilted with a Weaving Water motif, inspired by a tufting technique often employed in fine furniture-making in which embroidery is applied to the reverse side of the textile. This creates a three-dimensional depth while achieving a smooth, seamless, uninterrupted surface.

“The result of four years’ continuous development, Phantom Syntopia is a magnificent testament to the skill, talent, passion for materials and commitment to excellence of our exceptional Bespoke Collective team,” says Jonathan Simms, General Manager, Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “To bring the client’s vision to life, our engineers and craftspeople pushed their own limits and challenged existing notions of what’s possible in their pursuit of perfection. Phantom Syntopia is the most technically complex commission we have ever created and it was an exceptional experience to work alongside and collaborate with the incredible team at Iris van Herpen's atelier.”


AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: STIMULATING ALL SENSES

In keeping with the highly innovative approach taken with Phantom Syntopia, it is the first Rolls-Royce motor car to incorporate a Bespoke scent, creating a truly immersive expression of luxury. It was developed by an expert perfumer – now affectionately known as ‘the Nose of the Bespoke Collective’ – in close collaboration with the clients. Designed to create a lasting memory, the fragrance is subtle and perfectly complements other aromas arising from the materials used in the car.

The Bespoke fragrance expert tested numerous combinations before settling on the perfect blend. The core scent is cedarwood and as part of this project’s constant quest for the ultimate in personalisation, the cedarwood used was carefully sourced specially from the clients’ home region. The scent’s base combines powdery notes of Iris, obtained using a fluid extraction technology, with added hints of leather, finally blended with rose from Patagonia and a mild lemon.

The specially-developed scent-releasing mechanism is housed within the headrests. This patented technology, which incorporates innovative materials originally used in the field of medicine, ensures the fragrance is released in suitably delicate doses for a long-lasting, sophisticated sensory experience. The development process took more than two years, including rigorous testing in both very hot and very cold temperatures, to ensure the scent maintains its distinctive profile in all conditions.


PINNACLE LUXURY MEETS HAUTE COUTURE

For a truly Haute Couture experience, Iris van Herpen will design a one-off garment especially for the clients of this transformative commission. The sculptural design of the dress echoes the Weaving Water theme explored in Phantom Syntopia’s Starlight Headliner, featuring an elegant application of the ‘liquid metal’ fabric and the glass organza petals, laser-cut and hand-stitched in a pattern resembling undulating waves. This exquisite garment, reflective of Iris van Herpen’s newly developed Haute Couture techniques, is expected to take around six months of work, including pattern development, crafting and applying the petals, embroidery, fitting and tailoring.

Phantom Syntopia will take its place in the clients’ private collection in May. As a true one-of-one commission, Rolls-Royce has undertaken that it will never be replicated.

• Rolls-Royce celebrates the first 20 years of production at its Goodwood manufacturing centre
• A story of continuous progress and evolution, told through 20 individual models
• Each created and handmade at the Home of Rolls-Royce since 2003
• Includes EX experimental cars, which revived a naming convention last seen in the 1950s
• Describes an arc of technical innovation and responses to changing client requirements
• Leads to the new all-electric era ushered in by the Rolls-Royce Spectre

“Rolls-Royce has always stood for innovation and progress, constantly pushing technical and creative boundaries in the relentless pursuit of perfection demanded by its co-founder, ##Sir Henry Royce##. Our remarkable record of creating 20 different models in our first 20 years at the Home of Rolls-Royce is a direct result of that restless, adventurous spirit. Each of these models is a magnificent achievement in itself; together, they demonstrate our unique understanding of – and ability to respond to – our clients’ changing needs, tastes and desires over time.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars began full-scale manufacturing at Goodwood, it produced just a single model: the original, seventh-generation Phantom. The first completed motor car was handed over to its new owner in a special ceremony at one minute past midnight on 1 January 2003.

Since that historic moment, no fewer than 20 different models and variants have been created and handmade at #Goodwood – equivalent to one for every year. Today's Rolls-Royce model family reflects two decades of continuous innovation and progress in design, technology, materials and methods, as the marque seeks to satisfy its clients' ever-changing needs, tastes and desires.

Phantom, and its siblings Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé, were followed by the more approachable Ghost, which went on to become the best-selling model the marque has ever produced since its foundation in 1904. The product family grew further with Wraith (2013) and Dawn (2016), respectively the most powerful and seductive models in the marque’s portfolio; they were joined in 2018 by Cullinan, the 'Rolls-Royce of SUVs', which is now ranked among the world's most desirable and in-demand luxury products.

With the exception of Phantom, all models in the current product family are available as Black Badge variants. Created for a new breed of client who desired a more subversive, rebellious expression of the Rolls-Royce brand, this permanent Bespoke series now accounts for more than a third of the marque’s total output.

Since 2003, the Home of Rolls-Royce’s design and engineering teams have produced a number of experimental motor cars. In keeping with tradition, these were given the ‘EX’ designation, used until the 1950s by Rolls-Royce engineers to maintain secrecy during testing and development, and the distinctive red-on-silver 'RR' badge. Never intended for series production, they were fundamental to the process of creating some of the most technically significant and commercially successful products in the marque's history.

Two Coachbuild masterpieces that represent the ultimate expression of Rolls-Royce's Bespoke capabilities also grace the list. Individually commissioned and entirely hand-built, they echo the coachbuilding traditions of the marque's early years, while employing the very latest in contemporary design, engineering, manufacturing and craft techniques to create true works of art.

The first 20 years at #Goodwood have culminated in the launch of Spectre. The first all-electric Rolls-Royce in history, this landmark motor car also marks the beginning of a new technological era, in which every new Rolls-Royce model will be fully electric from 2030 onwards. With series production yet to begin, Spectre is not strictly among the 20 cars produced between 2003 and 2023, so does not appear in the list that follows. However, it is both the next evolutionary step in the model family's development, and the technical and philosophical foundation for all that will follow in future.

This remarkable period in the marque’s history has seen the creation of a countless deeply personal, complex and beautiful expressions of the marque’s motor cars. While it is nearly impossible to edit a selection of the best of the last twenty years, here are some truly exemplary examples:

20 CARS FOR 20 YEARS

1. Phantom, 2003
The original 'Goodwood Phantom' was the seventh generation to wear what is now the longest-established nameplate in automotive history. With its marriage of technology, comfort, performance and the signature 'Magic Carpet Ride', it set a new standard for every model that has followed.

2. 100EX, 2004
Produced to mark the centenary of the first meeting between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, this was the first Experimental Car produced by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars under BMW Group ownership. Powered by an extraordinary 9-litre V16 engine, it was never intended for production, but was the direct forebear for what would become the celebrated Phantom Drophead Coupé.

3. Phantom Extended, 2005
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2005, Phantom Extended was 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the 'standard' Phantom. This created additional legroom in the rear cabin, making this model especially popular with clients who prefer to be chauffeur-driven.

4. 101EX, 2006
Like 100EX, this experimental prototype was built on a shortened version of Phantom's aluminium space frame, with the body panels constructed in carbon-fibre composite. It would find enduring life and global fame in its eventual production guise as Phantom Coupé, powered by the iconic 6.75-litre V12 engine.

5. Phantom Drophead Coupé, 2007
One of the most sought-after models ever produced at Goodwood, the Phantom Drophead Coupé stunned the world on its debut. With distinctive styling derived from 100EX (see above), its defining feature is the interior wood veneering that flows around the cabin into the teak tonneau cover, inspired by a racing yacht deck.

6. Phantom Coupé, 2008
With its pillarless construction, this was a true hardtop two-door coupé – the first Rolls-Royce of its type to be produced in more than two decades. Like its drophead sibling, Phantom Coupé incorporated many of the design features and construction techniques developed on the experimental 101EX.

7. 200EX, 2009
Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009, 200EX was the experimental car that responded to client feedback for a more approachable and driver-orientated Rolls-Royce.

8. Ghost, 2010
Designed for a new generation of ascendent Rolls-Royce clients, Ghost immediately won praise for its simple, contemporary design and effortless, dynamic performance. To date it is the most commercially successful model in Rolls-Royce history.

9. 102EX, 2011
Known as the Phantom Experimental Electric (EE), this one-off electric prototype version of Phantom began Rolls-Royce's exploration into suitable technology to power future generations of its motor cars. The world’s first super-luxury battery electric vehicle, it toured the world gauging reactions from clients, enthusiasts, the media and the wider public.

10. Ghost Extended, 2011
Responding to feedback from clients who prefer to be chauffeur-driven, Rolls-Royce introduced an Extended version of Ghost, offering additional space and comfort for rear-seat passengers while maintaining the motor car’s more focussed driving characteristics.

11. Wraith, 2013
The fastback Wraith was intended as the ultimate gran turismo; a car that embodied the bold, pioneering spirit, sense of adventure and love of speed that inspired the marque's co-founder, The Hon Charles Stewart Rolls.

12. Dawn, 2016
The definitive super-luxury four-seater convertible, Dawn was designed to enable four adults to travel sociably together in complete comfort. The roof is a design and engineering masterpiece: dubbed 'the Silent Ballet' the mechanism operates in complete silence in just 22 seconds, and at cruising speeds of up to 50km/h; with the roof closed, the interior is as silent as a Rolls-Royce Wraith.

13. Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Ghost, 2016
The Black Badge family introduced the world to the marque’s enfants terribles, subverting perceptions of what a Rolls-Royce ‘should’ be. These variants are more powerful and specifically engineered to deliver an even more direct, engaging driving experience, while still offering near-limitless opportunities for Bespoke personalisation. In Black Badge guise, both Wraith and Ghost received additional torque, unique air-suspension set-up and drive shafts, Intuitive Throttle Response and crisper, more urgent 8-speed automatic transmission. The result was an even more agile and involving motoring experience, without compromising the intrinsic elements of the effortless Rolls-Royce ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.

14. 103EX, 2016
Perhaps the most radical experimental car ever produced at Goodwood, Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100, codenamed 103EX, presented the marque’s uncompromised view of the future of luxury mobility. Fully electric, with a completely autonomous drive and enhanced artificial intelligence, it made an unequivocal statement about Rolls-Royce's future direction, both in terms of electric power and effortless, highly personalised travel.

15. ‘Sweptail’, 2017
Rolls-Royce revived the art of coachbuilding with the magnificent ‘Sweptail’, described at the time as ‘automotive Haute Couture’. Inspired by coachbuilt Rolls-Royces and racing yachts of the 1920s and 30s, this unique two-seat coupé featured a panoramic glass roof and a pair of attaché cases concealed behind the coach doors.

16. Phantom 8, 2017
No nameplate occupies a more revered place in the pantheon of great cars and indeed, luxury goods as Phantom. The task to re-invent it for a bold, new era was therefore approached with exquisite care. The result was a Phantom that responded to the changing sensibilities of a new generation whilst maintaining the iconic presence that ensures its ongoing status as the “Best Car in the World”.

17. Cullinan, 2018
Cullinan is truly the ‘Rolls-Royce of SUVs’, designed and built to take younger, successful high-net-worth individuals to the ends of the Earth in ultimate comfort. With its ‘effortless, everywhere’ capabilities, endless Bespoke possibilities and unique lifestyle features – including the Recreation Module – it has become one of the most desirable luxury goods on the planet.

18. Black Badge Cullinan, 2019
Cullinan revelled in its new, darker persona, which included a more powerful 6.7-litre V12 engine, black 22-inch forged alloy wheels, Pantheon grille and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, plus the first painted brake callipers ever fitted to a factory-delivered Rolls-Royce.

19. New Ghost, 2020
When it came to present a new Ghost, Rolls-Royce responded to the requirement from a new ascendent generation of successful women and men for a motor car, perfectly aligned with new codes of luxury. The result is an aesthetic that prioritises minimalist design and celebrates material substance. The motor car was also engineered to possess an engaging and dynamic character with no compromise to the serenity and comfort in the rear suite.

20. Boat Tail, 2021
The Boat Tail commissions took Rolls-Royce Coachbuild into new realms of complexity and audacity, in a demanding technical and creative project that lasted almost four years. A genuine objet d'art, this entirely handcrafted motor car demonstrated the marque's commitment to coachbuilding as a central part of its future direction and strategy.

• Rolls-Royce reveals Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ at a gala event in Dubai, UAE
• A series of six one-of-one Phantom Extended Series II motor cars, representing an unprecedented convergence of fine art, design, technology and craftsmanship
• Created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, resident Bespoke designer in the Private Office Dubai and dealer partners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with world-renowned British artist Sacha Jafri
• Each car includes a unique Gallery artwork, hand-painted by Jafri, inspired by one of the five traditional elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air – plus a sixth, Humanity
• At stage one of its journey, the Series has raised in excess of $1 million for charity; with a unique fundraising NFT in each motor car creating ‘the Rolls-Royce that keeps on giving’

"Bespoke IS Rolls-Royce, and our Bespoke Collective’s skills, artistry and reputation are unrivalled. As this amazing project demonstrates, the world’s leading artists now actively seek opportunities to work with us, extending and informing their own practice and creating motor cars that are works of art in their own right. With his wonderful hand-painted Gallery pieces, Sacha Jafri provides an extraordinary demonstration of how Phantom Series II provides the perfect blank canvas for Bespoke commissions. We’re delighted to see these motoring masterpieces come to life after a remarkable journey of collaboration, creativity and craftsmanship. We’re also thrilled that the project has fulfilled its original, primary purpose, and raised such a significant sum for worthy causes. I would like to congratulate everyone involved, both at Goodwood and here in the Middle East, on this inspiring achievement.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


Rolls-Royce has unveiled its unique Bespoke series Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ at a private gala ceremony in Dubai, UAE.

This unprecedented project, initiated by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi, comprises six Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Series II motor cars, each one entirely individual and featuring its own specially-commissioned artwork, hand-painted by one of the world’s most influential living painters, British artist Sacha Jafri, who is based between Dubai, London, and New York.  

These stunning works of art are displayed in the Gallery, the unique glass-enclosed space running the length of Phantom's fascia. Each is inspired by one of the five traditional elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air. The sixth, Humanity, references Sacha Jafri's best-known work, ‘The Journey of Humanity’, which holds the official Guinness World Record for the largest painting ever produced on canvas.

“Through my work I aim to combine the power of art with a stripped-back essence of expression, love, empathy, and intention, to inspire a more conscious and intention-filled humanity, striving for a reconnected world; reunited by the common goal of a more hopeful and sustainable future for our planet,” said Sacha Jafri, talking about the project.

Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ was designed, developed and hand-crafted by the Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, in collaboration with the resident Bespoke designer in the Rolls-Royce Private Office in Dubai. The project began in late 2020 and has taken two years to complete.

As well as their individual Gallery artworks, the cars feature a number of additional Bespoke elements reflecting Rolls-Royce’s unrivalled capabilities. These include Jafri’s personalised Heart-motif in the hand-painted Coachline, and a unique Six-Elements engraved base for each car's Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

Michelle Lusby, Bespoke Lead Designer based at the Rolls-Royce Private office in Dubai, says, “For us as Bespoke designers, it’s a wonderful privilege to work with a world-renowned artist like Sacha Jafri. We saw this project as a unique opportunity for an exchange of ideas between the art world and our own specialisms in design, materials and craftsmanship; that sense of discovery and shared inspiration really shines out from these amazing cars.”

Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ was born out of a conversation between Sacha Jafri, who frequently donates his works, or the proceeds from them, to charity, and César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa. Together, they developed the idea of creating six individual motoring masterpieces, which could become a means to donate funds for charities operating in the fields of health, sustainability and education.

Accordingly, each car features not only its own original Jafri artwork, but also its own unique NFT, which the owner may sell independently if they choose to do so. With every trade of the NFT, a royalty will be paid into a digital wallet, raising funds for the future charitable donations. The owner can view the NFT using a bespoke Jafri Heart-motif QR code embedded within their motor car’s glove compartment.

Sacha Jafri commented, “It has been an absolute honour working with the Rolls-Royce team and their Bespoke Designers to create such a unique project. It’s a proud moment, to see my Heart-Logo along the coachline of each of the six cars in this stunning Rolls-Royce series, the first bespoke artist-created series for Rolls-Royce, with the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ uniquely featuring my depicted six elements around its base. However, I am most fulfilled by the immediate excitement and interest in this series, the elite group of owners and philanthropists now dedicated to our cause, and the creation of the ‘Rolls-Royce that keeps on giving’, forever raising money and awareness for the charitable concerns that are closest to my heart.”

At the unveiling, it was announced that the project, at stage one of its journey, has already substantially exceeded its initial $1 million target, with all six motor cars allocated to customers in Dubai and the wider Middle East region.

César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa, says, “I am delighted with the success of this project. We and our dealer partners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi embarked on an amazing journey with a specific goal, which I am delighted we have not only achieved, but have surpassed. It was all made possible by the unique collaboration between Sacha Jafri and our own Bespoke Collective. It has been a true meeting of minds, with a gifted multi-award-winning artist and some of the world’s most talented designers and craftspeople working together to explore art as a means of inspiring greatness and bringing about lasting change.”

• World-renowned artist, Sacha Jafri, crafts six hand-painted Galleries for unique one-of-one Phantom Series II motor cars, themed around the Six Elements
• Expressed aim of collecting $1 million for charities spanning three sectors: Education, Health, and Sustainability
• ‘‘The Rolls-Royce That Keeps On Giving’’: each Phantom Series II will have a unique NFT embedded within it, which can be sold to raise additional funds raised for charitable foundations

"‘Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ is an idea that was born during an inspiring phone call between Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa and the boundary-pushing creativity of Sacha Jafri. Through the collaboration between the Rolls-Royce dealer partners in the UAE and a contemporary artist beyond compare, art and craftsmanship have converged into a deeper, breathless expression of matter and meaning.

“Raw elemental power, encapsulated within pure artistic expression. ‘The Six Elements’ elevates the nascent legacy of the Phantom Gallery, commissioning an artist of utmost acclaim to distil the most potent components of nature: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Air – alongside a ‘sixth element’: Humanity – within the best car in the world.

“We understand that Rolls-Royce motor cars are designed for the few, but we are mindful of the many. That’s why Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ will raise $1 million for charity. Beyond that goal, the six utterly unique Phantoms will keep on giving beyond the initial charitable donation, thanks to a unique NFT initiative, providing even more value for the cause.”
César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi, are inspiring greatness at its best by collaborating with the Dubai-based world-renowned contemporary Artist Sacha Jafri for the inception of ‘The Six Elements’ Phantom.

These six one-of-one Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II motor cars will each feature a unique, painted Sacha Jafri Gallery, inspired by the one of the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air, with Humanity as the ‘sixth element’. The project has the expressed aim of raising $1 million for charity, with associations to be announced later this year. The chosen beneficiaries will be Humanity-centric, spanning three sectors: Education, Health, and Sustainability.

Selected for his inimitable vision, style and use of colours, Jafri is crafting a unique Gallery for each Phantom Series II, themed around the Six Elements. The principle of adding Humanity as an element builds on the ethos of the British artist’s works around the five traditional elements. The underlying message is the need to reintroduce a sense of humanity to the world and to find balance within ourselves.

For Sacha Jafri, each of the elements evokes different emotions, spirit, energy and purpose. Fire represents passion and belief. Fire is balanced by earth, which represents grounding and roots. Air is the essence of life, enabling us to breathe. Wind enhances our feelings of freedom, whilst Water, supports our lyricism and fluidity. Humanity brings love, embrace, and the linking of souls.

“The six Rolls-Royce Phantoms will embody the emotion of each elemental force. The artistic journey begins and ends with emotion and intention, fuelling my inspiration to create the colour palette of the ‘Six Elements’. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Air are enhanced by the addition of a ‘new element’, Humanity – the very essence of life itself.

Rolls-Royce is a brand of intention, excellence, power, detail and passion – a brand that has been on a similar journey to my own. It has set new levels of achievement, with pioneering accolades yet to be surpassed. By embracing empathy, we are able to reconnect the spirit of our world, in connection with our Elements and the souls of not only the individual, but of the very idea of universal consciousness.

We are embarking on a journey that aims to continuously fulfil those values, keeping our intentions pure and driven, eternally. This commission is indicative of these principles, not only incorporating art for the sake of aesthetic inspiration, but also a nurturing of the soul, an uplifting of the spirit, and the embodiment of a true charitable cause.”
Sacha Jafri, Artist

THE ROLLS-ROYCE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

The Rolls-Royce Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ motor cars will also feature a unique digital element. The marque is simultaneously launching "The Rolls-Royce That Keeps on Giving” NFT initiative, which includes six individual flythrough animations.

Each time any of the six NFTs are traded, a royalty of 20% will be donated to the chosen charity. The six distinct one-off NFTs are linked to each of the six Phantoms, however, owners can sell their NFT separately if they choose to do so. These NFTs will be uniquely embedded within the glove compartment of each Phantom Series II, enabling each of the six owners to view their NFT experience whilst sat within their car.


ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM: A NEW EXPRESSION

The eighth generation of Phantom was unveiled in 2017.  When creating this new expression, Phantom Series II, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers were guided by the requests of clients, who implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, Phantom Series II is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.

Utterly unique to Phantom, the marque offers an extraordinary art-within-art canvas: The Gallery. Running the entire length of the fascia and conceptualised to house Bespoke creations with an uninterrupted glass enclosure. In this instance, these ‘Six Elements’ Phantom Series II motor cars were designed at the Home of Rolls-Royce around Jafri’s hand-painted galleries.

• Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II makes UK public debut at Salon Privé, Concours d’Élégance
• A highly Bespoke Black Badge Ghost will also be showcased at the event
• Black Badge Ghost will lead 120-mile Tour Privé around the Cotswolds on 30^th August 2022

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to return once again to Blenheim Palace for Salon Privé. Salon Privé is an important event in the luxury calendar, making it the perfect place for the Phantom Series II, the marque’s magnum opus, to make its UK public debut. We will also showcase a highly Bespoke Black Badge Ghost at the event. I look forward to meeting our esteemed clients, friends of the marque and media at this year’s gathering.”
Boris Weletzky, Regional Director UK, Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


From 31^st August 2022, luxury car aficionados will convene at Salon Privé, a highly exclusive Concours d’Élégance, in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. In recognition of this gathering, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will showcase two highly Bespoke commissions at the event – Phantom Series II and Black Badge Ghost. Each of these commissions is testament to Rolls-Royce’s peerless fluency in Bespoke and indicative of the extensive scope of the marque’s craft, design and engineering competencies.


ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM SERIES II

Phantom occupies a unique position, at the apex of the luxury world. It represents the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce design, engineering, and craftsmanship.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently announced a new expression for Phantom Series II. The eighth generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In creating this new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is not about what should be changed, but rather what should be preserved and protected.

The most obvious and important feature to be retained is Phantom’s commanding presence. This has been further enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille.

A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent when viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature debuted and popularised in Ghost. The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and delight to Phantom's night-time presence.

Phantom’s side profile retains Rolls-Royce’s signature short front and long rear overhang, long wheelbase and broad c-pillar, the latter giving greater privacy for occupants. The silhouette preserves the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the tapering rear tail. The ‘split-belt’ line begins at the front fender and curves gently towards the rear door, emphasising the car's long dash-to-axle proportions, before falling gently towards the lantern-like rear lamps. The heavily undercut 'waft line' creates a strong shadow, visually signalling the marque's unequalled ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.

The side profile is further enhanced with a suite of new wheels. A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets is available to commission in a fully or part-polished finish. Alternatively, Phantom may be graced with a truly elegant disc wheel, recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars. This disc wheel is produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer, perfectly encapsulating the sense of flight on land.

Responding to Phantom clients who have previously requested a darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen surround and side frame finishers, these may now be commissioned. This aesthetic now enables Rolls-Royce to transform Phantom into the lightest of light or the darkest of dark appearances.

For this year’s Salon Privé, a highly Bespoke Phantom has been commissioned, presented in a classic Rolls-Royce two-tone colorway with Black over Monteverde green, with a Peony Pink coachline. Inside, a Scivaro Grey interior is offset by Peony Pink. The Obsydian Ayous open pore wood and canadel paneling present a contemporary yet warm look and feel.


ROLLS-ROYCE BLACK BADGE

Launched in 2016, Black Badge represents a subversive alter ego of the Rolls-Royce brand. Designed with more torque, control and power, Rolls-Royce Black Badge is for those who reject conformity and live on their own terms. It is for the innovators, trailblazers, rule-breakers — and above all — those who dare to be different. This permanent Bespoke series, which is available for Wraith, Dawn, Cullinan and Ghost, marries a noir aesthetic and highly contemporary interior materials to a more urgent, dynamic personality. For Salon Privé 2022, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents the most potent expression of a Rolls-Royce to date, Black Badge Ghost.

A vibrant St Tropez exterior finish was selected to signify the dramatic intent of this Black Badge Ghost commission. A striking combination of Scivaro Grey, Charles Blue and Mandarin confidently resolve the aesthetic interior.

As in previous years, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will lead the Tour Privé. For 2022, this rolling concourse will incorporate a 120-mile tour of the Cotswolds, led by Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost.  Presented in a vivacious Twilight Purple, the signature Black Badge design flourishes, including a carbon fibre Spirit of Ecstasy, and 21-inch Black Badge wheels embolden the exterior aesthetic. Inside, Black leather creates a dramatic and bold impression, while Tailored Purple on the secondary panels and inner door panels, echo the exterior hue.

• Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II debuts in North America
• Phantom Series II revealed at the brand’s presence at ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’, a showcase event during Monterey Car Week 2022
• Bespoke Phantom Series II based on the ‘Maverick’ Bespoke commission persona
• Illuminated Fascia and Starlight Headlights bring to life the Rolls-Royce ‘Light-Touch’
• Design features a hand-applied Peony Pink coachline and 3D milled, stainless steel wheels
• Bespoke Phantom Series II includes the first ever Gallery embroidered in Scivaro Grey with Peony Pink thread

"Phantom represents the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Phantom Series II showcases the ultimate potential of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design Collective. The artisans at The Home of Rolls-Royce, in Goodwood, are the best at combining metal, wood, leather, and a myriad of materials into a commission that represents the personality of each of our patrons. Designed to be the ultimate blank canvas for Bespoke, we are excited to see how each of our American clients interprets Phantom for themselves as they create a Bespoke commission that expresses their own character, desires, and interests.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös , Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showcases Phantom Series II for the first time in North America at ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’. The stunning commission was unveiled by Rolls-Royce Motors Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös. Phantom Series II, the newest expression of the marque’s pinnacle motor car, proposes the broadest range of Bespoke opportunities ever offered by the House of Rolls-Royce.

The designers at Rolls-Royce created Phantom to provide the ultimate ‘blank canvas’. To demonstrate the power of Bespoke design with Phantom Series II, the unique Bespoke commission showcased at The Quail has been coined ‘Maverick’ by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke designers.


“Each commission represents a distinct design reflecting an aspect of what Phantom means to its ultimate owner. Many Phantom owners achieve their success through new ideas, unconventional methods, and their own relentless self-belief. The ‘Maverick’ Bespoke persona demonstrates how Phantom adapts to the modern age, asserting a creative, independent character.”
Jonathan Simms, Head of Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


Phantom’s new expression features two unique Bespoke elements, utilising light and extending the impact of the iconic Starlight Headliner to the exterior. The Pantheon Grille is now illuminated, with each metal vane specifically finished to provide a subtle glow. The headlights are graced with 580 intricate laser-cut bezel starlights. Combined, these create a visual connection with the iconic Starlight Headliner inside and add to Phantom's nighttime presence.

The exterior is finished in a classic Rolls-Royce two-tone colourway with Black over Monteverde green highlighting a bold, hand applied Peony Pink coachline. The coachline set against the darker colours draws inspiration from the interior colour design. Upon opening the coach doors, one encounters an interior suite of Scivaro Grey offset by a vibrant colour pop from large swatches in Peony Pink. The Obsydian Ayous open pore wood and canadel panelling present a contemporary yet warm look and feel. The Gallery in this special commission features a world first with a unique embroidery design finished in Scivaro Grey with a Peony Pink thread.

The Phantom Series II ‘Maverick’ commission is part of the 2022 Pebble Beach Collection and features a personalised treadplate which reads, ‘Pebble Beach 2022’ Special Commission. The Collection is further complemented with the first ever Black Badge Cullinan in Forbidden Pink and a world premier for a new finish, Ghost in Crystal over Sagano Green. These commissions are offered exclusively through authorised Rolls-Royce Motor Cars retailers and will be on display throughout the weekend of festivities for Monterey Car Week 2022.

Journalists from the world’s leading luxury media will enjoy a rare encounter with the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II at a spectacular event on the magnificent French Riviera, beginning today, 6 June 2022.

Phantom Rendezvous, the Global Press Drive for the new Phantom, takes place at the Maybourne Riviera Hotel in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, situated on the spectacular Mediterranean coast and overlooking Monaco. Invited guests from around the world will have the opportunity to drive, and be driven in, the newest incarnation of the marque’s pinnacle product, officially unveiled in mid-May.

The guests will also be able to view two magnificent Bespoke Phantoms, exhibited on the lawn of the Maybourne Riviera hotel. Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of the coveted precious metal, platinum, echoes the marque’s formative days with front seats finished in fine Rolls-Royce leather, and those in the rear upholstered in luxurious fabric. The Great British Phantom, a playful nod to the marque’s more patriotic clients, is finished in striking Magma Red and features a Bespoke artwork in the Gallery, inspired by the Union Flag.

Rolls-Royce Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of the luxury world. In line with clients’ expressed wishes, Phantom Series II incorporates only light-touch visual and aesthetic enhancements. By way of example, a subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy figurine more prominent when viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, while the headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights – adding further surprise and delight to Phantom’s night-time presence.

The French Riviera has been associated with Rolls-Royce since the first part of the 20^th Century, when the Côte d’Azur established itself as the favoured haunt of actors, artists, musicians and other wealthy luminaries of the Belle Epoque. There is also a potent historical resonance for the company: in 1912, Sir Henry Royce built a villa, La Mimosa, in the village of Le Canadel, where he subsequently spent every winter until his death in 1933.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II
• Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include 'light-touch' visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback
• New ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ feature seamlessly links Phantom with the marque's private members' Application, Whispers
• Launch is commemorated with a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino

“Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of the luxury world. As our pinnacle product, it represents the very best of Rolls-Royce design, engineering and craftsmanship – a perfect blend of vision, creativity, the finest materials, skill, patience and precision. With Phantom Series II, we have retained and carefully protected everything our clients love about this superlative and luxurious item; subtle, yet meaningful enhancements reflect their evolving tastes and requirements.

“Phantom has always been viewed as the 'best car in the world': our Bespoke capabilities mean that, for our clients, it can be the best car for their world, too.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime, ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty and luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.

The eighth-generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In creating the new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.


A NEW EXPRESSION

The most obvious and important feature to be retained is Phantom’s commanding presence. This has been further enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille. This gives Phantom a new and assertive modernity, reflecting its driver-focused character.

A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent when viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature debuted and popularised in Ghost. The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and delight to Phantom's night-time presence.

Phantom’s side profile retains Rolls-Royce’s signature short front and long rear overhang, long wheelbase and broad c-pillar, the latter giving greater privacy for occupants. The silhouette preserves the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the tapering rear tail. The ‘split-belt’ line begins at the front fender and curves gently towards the rear door, emphasising the car's long dash-to-axle proportions, before falling gently towards the lantern-like rear lamps. The heavily undercut 'waft line' creates a strong shadow, visually signalling the marque's unequalled ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.

The side profile is further enhanced with a suite of new wheels. A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets is available to commission in a fully or part-polished finish. Alternatively, Phantom may be graced with a truly elegant disc wheel, recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars. This disc wheel is produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer, perfectly encapsulating the sense of flight on land.

Responding to Phantom clients who have previously requested a darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen surround and side frame finishers, these may now be commissioned. This aesthetic now enables Rolls-Royce to transform Phantom into the lightest of light or the darkest of dark appearances.

Phantom’s sumptuous interior remains almost unaltered: the steering wheel has been made slightly thicker, providing a more connected and immediate point of contact for the owner-driver.

Phantom and Phantom Extended have distinct characters of their own, representing two different seats of power. Phantom is now predominantly favoured by the ever-increasing number of clients wishing to be in the driving seat themselves. For those preferring to command the road from the rear seat, Phantom Extended offers the definitive super-luxurious chauffeur-driven experience.


ROLLS-ROYCE CONNECTED

Now, Phantom includes the debut of ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’. This enables the owner to send an address directly to the motor car from Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private-members’ Application, providing seamless navigation to an event, restaurant, dealership or even the Home of Rolls-Royce itself.

‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ also displays the motor car’s location, security status and current 'health' condition on Whispers; at the touch of a button, the owner can contact a preferred dealership for any servicing requirements or information about the car.


THE ‘POLES OF LUXURY’

As the marque's pinnacle product, Phantom attracts an elite stratum of Rolls-Royce clients. Established and successful, at the top of their field and often in the public eye, these are determined and demanding people. It is no coincidence that Phantom attracts the most ambitious and challenging Bespoke commissions ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce.

The resulting creations − each an artistic masterpiece in its own right − illustrate a broader truth: since its inception, Phantom has always been whatever the client wants it to be; not only the ‘best car in the world’, but the best car for them and their world.

Self-evidently, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Phantom client. Spanning the ‘poles of luxury’, they may be ever-younger or older, modern or traditional, self-made or from long-established wealth. Their commissions reflect a full spectrum of interests and influences. At one extreme, Phantom takes on a subversive, almost rebellious character – youthful, dynamic and daring. At the other, Phantom transforms into an ode to luxury grandeur and timelessness.

The challenge of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective is to accommodate this vast expanse of client characteristics and desires in one pinnacle product. The eighth-generation Phantom has thus been deliberately designed to offer a ‘blank canvas’ for Bespoke personalisation, capable of becoming whatever the client wishes it to be, and a true reflection of their individual style and character.

Phantom's great strength and appeal is that it allows clients to position themselves anywhere between these 'poles of luxury', defining luxury on their own terms. And wherever that point happens to lie, they have the assurance that Phantom itself is − technically, materially, aesthetically and dynamically − still the 'best car in the world'.

PHANTOM PLATINO: THE RETURN OF FINE TEXTILES

To mark the introduction of Phantom Series II and to illustrate Rolls-Royce's Bespoke capability, the marque has created a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of the coveted and precious metal, platinum.

Phantom Platino continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration into fabric interiors, a story which began in 2015 with the launch of Serenity, a truly Bespoke Phantom with a hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk interior. Heralding the next step in this significant journey, Phantom Platino introduces materials other than leather, an area of exploration for Rolls-Royce and a move that demonstrates a greater acceptance of alternative interior upholsteries.

Echoing the marque’s formative days, the front seats of Phantom Platino are finished in fine Rolls-Royce leather, while those in the rear are upholstered in fabric.

The beautiful tone-on-tone of Platino's interior is achieved by combining two differing fabrics; one created in an Italian mill for its durable yet luxurious appearance, the other derived from bamboo fibres, selected for its lustrous finish.

Both materials share an original repeating pattern based on an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy. In the silken textile, the design is smaller and woven into the fabric to create a more visually stimulating finish. It also appears in Phantom’s Gallery, right in the occupant's line of sight, and on key touchpoints such as the armrest and centre console. The bamboo fabric is embroidered with larger icons, presenting a tufted appearance commonly found in interior design. This more resilient material is placed on the lower elements of the interior where they will need to withstand most contact.

The same design also appears on Phantom’s dashboard timepiece. The surround is made from a 3D printed ceramic, a truly contemporary execution of a traditional material. Set into an iced finish woodset, the tonal properties of the interior take Phantom to a beautiful and unsurpassed level of opulence.

The largest canvas in Phantom is the Starlight Headliner. In a unique design created especially for Rolls-Royce Platino, the ‘stars’ are placed to draw the eye rearwards, with whimsical shooting stars following the sweeping arc of the pattern.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, says, “We are acutely conscious of our clients' esteem for and love of their Phantoms. They felt it could not be improved; but while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of absolute perfection.

“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing’.”

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai showcases Bespoke Carbon Veil Gallery
• Bespoke Gallery consists of 150 carbon fibre layers
• Designed by Rolls-Royce, realised by artist and sculptor Alastair Gibson
  
  
  

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai is accustomed to innovative artforms, and the new Carbon Veil is an exquisite addition to the Phantom Gallery. The construction technique, which involves applying 150 carbon fibre sheets, is genuinely ground-breaking; the result is ultra-stylish, contemporary and beautiful, and perfectly attuned to the aesthetic sensibilities of the Emirate of Dubai.”
Mamdouh Khairallah, General Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC


“It required a huge amount of experimentation to produce the Carbon Veil Gallery. The main challenge in creating the shape was ensuring that the weave of the carbon fibre remained horizontal and parallel throughout. It had to be perfect – because this is a Rolls‑Royce.”
Alastair Gibson, carbon fibre artist and sculptor


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC, is delighted to present a truly remarkable example of Bespoke artwork created for the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom. The Carbon Veil has been specially developed for the Gallery area in the fascia, a feature unique to Phantom, where owners can choose to display an original work of art or design.

The Carbon Veil, which took two years to create, is made from carbon fibre. For most automotive applications, just three or four layers are used. For Rolls-Royce Phantom, no fewer than 150 sheets were permeated with resin and compressed to form a single, solid billet.

The work was commissioned and designed by the Rolls‑Royce Bespoke Collective based at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, and realised by artist and sculptor Alastair Gibson, who combines knowledge and expertise gained in Formula 1 to create his carbon fibre masterpieces.

The Carbon Veil introduces a highly contemporary note to Phantom’s interior, with sharp, angular surfaces and the distinctive woven surface synonymous with innovation, technology and performance. Depending on the client’s preference, the carbon fibre is finished in either clear or matte lacquer which brings out the weave pattern and protects it from harmful ultra-violet rays. The whole piece is sealed under a single pane of glass.

Each Phantom Gallery is individually assembled in the Clean Room at Goodwood. Completed in 2020, this medical-grade facility provides a 100% sterile environment where Bespoke items and other delicate components can be produced entirely free of dust and particles.

The gunmetal exterior is bolstered with an iced finish with gunmetal contrast bonnet, while the coachline and waftline are accented in a vivid mandarin orange. At the helm of the bonnet proudly stands the Spirit of Ecstasy crafted from carbon fibre.

Within the interior, the anthracite brightwork provides moments of contrast, along with the colour-keyed rotary controls and leather detailing. The dark tones and light leather flourishes beautifully accent the Veil Gallery upon the Phanton’s fascia. The flawless Black Pack elements on the exterior include an alluring black trim on the windows, the grille and the exhausts.

The Gallery is a space protected behind glass. This space affords the opportunity to introduce sharp and aggressive forms, which are unprecedented for a vehicle interior. The design of the faceted milled carbon fibre sculpture was originally inspired by the angular, aggressive, stealthy shapes of the 118 WallyPower.

The very attitude and nature of the Gallery has been extended to the other Bespoke details on both the exterior and interior of the Phantom it resides within. With a highly contemporaneous edge, the vehicle exemplifies the spectrum of Bespoke potential, with Phantom as a canvas quite like no other.

Alastair Gibson’s artwork is highly prized by collectors in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and in his native South Africa, and can be viewed in galleries around the world.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Singapore unveils ‘one of one’ Phantom Orchid
• Created by the marque’s Bespoke Collective at Goodwood in collaboration with artist Helen Amy Murray

The ‘one of one’ Rolls-Royce Phantom Orchid has been designed for Singapore. The orchid was selected as an inspirational theme for resilience, beauty and strength. Orchids have long been a focal point for art through the ages, but this is the first time they have been chosen for a Rolls-Royce commission. The orchid is the most coveted of ornamental plants: elegant, exotic, graceful yet hardy.


BESPOKE COLLABORATION
The combined talent of the Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce saw designers, craftspeople and artisans collaborate over a period of two years to create a masterpiece of this stature.

“Phantom Extended, our pinnacle motor car, was chosen to be the ‘blank canvas’ for this commission,” said Michael Bryden, Lead Designer, Rolls-Royce Bespoke. “Our concept envisaged a balanced yet progressive design, which echoes the values of the Singapore region. The orchid is seen in many facets of Asian life, a reminder that the resilient adapt and thrive regardless of the evolving environment. Phantom is the only motor car in the world to feature the Gallery, a space that enables one to exhibit art, sculptures, or objects of self-expression in the sanctuary of Phantom’s interior. For Phantom Orchid, we collaborated with award-winning artist Helen Amy Murray to create a unique, hand-sculpted silk artwork. The delicate materials and techniques that were deployed in the creation of this piece are protected behind an application of pure glass, that runs uninterrupted across the fascia of Phantom. Finished in an elegant blend of Grace White, Havana and Smoke Grey with Dark Olive stitching, the interior evokes the calm and serene nature which is inherent to the character of Phantom.”


HAND-SCULPTED ART
Helen Amy Murray and her team have undertaken pioneering bespoke work with Phantom’s Gallery – a wholly contemporary and luxury reinterpretation of a motor car’s fascia and instrument panel area.

Helen was inspired by several kinds of orchids, including the Singapore Orchid, spending over 200 hours relentlessly refining her design and artwork with a team of six.

“I started by focusing on the actual orchids, which promptly led me to realise that colour was key to capturing the essence of the species. I have created artworks featuring orchids in the past, but my idea for the Gallery was to create something in realistic full colour, which pushed us to refine our digital printing skills,” explains UK-based artist and textile designer Helen Amy Murray, adding that her work is usually more neutral and tone-on-tone: “This more recent return to colour was exciting!”

Murray started by illustrating the design by hand before creating a digital version that she could print directly onto the silk crepe satin. The final part of the process involved a meticulous hand-sculpting of the flowers, releasing layers of fabric to create a 3D effect.


ORCHID SANCTUARY
Within the interior, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer Yohan Benchetrit applied his talent to the Bespoke orchid-inspired Picnic Table Inlays in the rear of the suite which, when opened, gracefully reveal a beautiful layer of orchids set into Piano Black veneer. He added Bespoke treadplates emanating a similar theme sans text to welcome the owner and passengers into the motor car. The interior suite meanwhile was furnished with elegant, natural colours which provide a soothing ambience akin to an Orchid Sanctuary.


RESPLENDENT EXTERIOR
To complete this special ‘one of one’ Phantom, a unique paint was specially created  using the latest paint technology. Arctic White was chosen as the base colour, while a tint of violet was added, inspired by orchids. Combined with fine glass particles through a special process, the result is a stunning pearlescent appearance. Under bright light, the paint technology creates a shimmering effect like no other, changing as an observer views the motor car from different angles. An eye-catching single coachline on either side of Phantom incorporates a Bespoke motif, inspired by an orchid, completing the theme.

“It draws parallels with the Singapore I know; a thoroughly modern garden city merging nature and technology effortlessly in its make-up,” says Bryden, who has not only spent time in Singapore but designed the now famous, ‘one of one’ ‘SG50 Bespoke Ghost’, created to celebrate the country’s 50^th Anniversary. “It was the first time we had produced a motor car to celebrate such an occasion, so I am again delighted to have participated with Yohan and the Bespoke Collective here in Goodwood to create another masterpiece for Singapore.”

Just as it takes patience, time and dedication to grow an orchid, similarly, crafting a Rolls-Royce is a process that requires time and passion — but with an end result that more than justifies the wait.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars creates magnificent Bespoke Phantom Oribe
• Exterior and interior designed and handcrafted hand-in-hand by bespoke specialists from Rolls-Royce and Hermès, using materials, techniques and know-how from both houses
• Commissioned by Japanese entrepreneur, art collector and supercar enthusiast Yusaku Maezawa
• Fully Bespoke two-tone MZ Oribe Green and cream exterior finish inspired by colours in the client's world-class collection of ancient Japanese ceramics
• Envisioned by the client as a 'land jet' to complement a recently commissioned private aircraft

“This magnificent expression of our pinnacle product represents a landmark for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, bringing together two houses with more than three centuries’ combined experience and heritage. It is the result of a deep, genuine collaboration between the Houses of Rolls-Royce and Hermès, in which designers, materials specialists and skilled craftspeople worked side by side to create a truly one-of-a-kind Phantom. It has been an extraordinary privilege to unite on such a creatively challenging, technically demanding commission and bring our client’s remarkable vision so beautifully to life.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“We are really delighted to see this bespoke car come to life after a remarkable journey of creation and craftsmanship conducted hand in hand with both of our houses. We are proud to have contributed to creating a unique and contemporary expression of our client’s vision, thanks to our spirit of innovation, the quality of our materials and the know-how of our craftsmen, who have developed, amongst other things, unique stitching and upholstery techniques for the interior of the car and a hand painting technique for a bespoke gallery. It has been a real pleasure to work alongside the Rolls-Royce experts and to see how this car expresses all the values that Hermès cherishes every day.”
Axel de Beaufort, Design and Engineering Director, Hermès Bespoke Division

"This unique Phantom is a fusion of East and West, ancient and modern, serenity and exhilaration. It was a great creative and cultural exchange working with Hermès; we learned a great deal from each other. It is always a pleasure when a client brings us a bold, clear and imaginative vision, and a great thrill to see it realised so perfectly."
Michael Bryden, Lead Designer, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has co-created a magnificent Bespoke Phantom in a unique collaboration with Hermès. Designed and handcrafted by a combined team of Bespoke specialists at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex, and Hermès in Paris, Phantom Oribe reflects the personality and passions of its owner, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. The client envisioned the car as a 'land jet', bringing the serene exclusivity of private air travel to the road. 

The car's striking two-tone exterior matches the characteristic green and cream glazes of antique Japanese Oribe ware, of which Maezawa-san is a prominent collector. The upper part is finished in Oribe Green, a fully Bespoke colour created exclusively for the client; in an unusual move, Rolls-Royce has made the paint available for use on the client’s private jet the Phantom will be paired with. Developed over many months by specialists in the Surface Finish Centre at Goodwood, it perfectly captures the lustrous, deep-green glaze that characterises these 16^th century ceramics. The effect is beautifully completed by the cream-white lower section.

The Oribe ware-inspired colourway harmoniously continues through the interior, created and realised through a true meeting of minds between Hermès designers and craftspeople in Paris, and the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople at Goodwood in West Sussex. Together, they applied their shared expertise and ingenuity to ensure every individual component embodies the finest traditions of both houses.

The interior is finished predominantly in Hermès Enea Green leather, extending to details that include the immediate touch-points of the client; for example, the steering wheel, duchess handles, gear selector and the rotary controls for the motor car’s climate settings.

The Hermès leather flows around the upper instrument panel, interior pillars and parcel shelf. It also enrobes less visible surfaces including the glove compartment and luggage compartment lining, centre console, decanter stowage compartment and Champagne cooler. In a sign of the project's truly collaborative nature, and the two makers' mutual esteem, the glove compartment lid is embossed with the signature Habillé par Hermès Paris.

Delicate Hermès piping adorns the headrest cushions and calf supports of the rear seats, while soft Seashell White accents and matching lambswool floor mats create a sense of light and space throughout.

The interior is also replete with examples of Rolls-Royce Bespoke design and handcraftsmanship. Wooden speaker frets, for example, are formed by meticulously perforating the Open Pore Royal Walnut veneer applied to the doors, creating a seamless, textured aesthetic and delicate haptics. Open Pore Royal Walnut is additionally applied to the centre and rear consoles and picnic table backs; in another first for Rolls-Royce, the interior features Hermès ‘Toile H’ canvas on the door armrests, centre and rear consoles and, most notably, the signature headliner.

Hermès brings its distinctive equestrian heritage and innovative craftsmanship know-how to the car, with the leather upholstery created using stitching and edge-painting techniques originally employed by master saddlers. For Phantom’s Gallery, a feature unique to Rolls-Royce, that runs the length of the motor car’s fascia, Hermès commissioned an artwork based on a design by the celebrated French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron (1905–1988) who created many of the House's iconic scarves. The work, inspired by the famous Hermès horse motif, is hand-painted on Open Pore Royal Walnut and is presented as though staged in an art gallery, behind glass.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös added, “This majestic and tasteful Rolls-Royce Phantom demonstrates what is possible when talented people from two of the world's great houses work closely together alongside a far-sighted, inspirational client like Maezawa-san. It is a meeting of minds, expertise, visions and skill that represents the very best of our respective craftspeople and capabilities."

• Highly Bespoke Phantom Collection Car debuts in Shanghai’s fashion district
• Immersive ‘Journey of Time’ experience curated for clients to appreciate Tempus
• Clients able to enjoy and commit to Tempus via marque’s WeChat channel

“Rolls-Royce has enjoyed considerable growth in the Chinese market during 2020, delivering an historic performance in its Bespoke personalisation business and introducing innovative new ways to engage with its clients. It is with great pleasure that we introduce the Phantom Tempus Collection to our Chinese clients in Shanghai’s fashion district. We have introduced access to our products in innovative ways, including via WeChat, befitting the agility and creativity of the Rolls-Royce brand.”
Leon Li, Director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Greater China.

“Phantom Tempus is a motor car for those who shape the world as they seek their own place in the universe. They understand that whatever our individual gifts, talents and opportunities, we are all gifted time – and it is up to us to make the most of every precious moment. With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which the strictures of time no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock. Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by time; the outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection made its China debut in Shanghai on 16^th April 2021. This Bespoke masterpiece, which is inspired by time and the infinite reaches of the universe, is limited to only 20 examples worldwide.

The debut of the Phantom Tempus Collection in China also includes a unique experience, the ‘Journey of Time’, enabling clients to appreciate the Collection from the marque’s official WeChat account, as well as commit to commissioning one of these highly exclusive products.

For the Phantom Tempus Collection debut in China, Rolls-Royce created an experiential exhibition, offering a unique tour through a ‘Space Capsule’. This immersive installation provides a vivid illusion of time standing still where guests will experience a sensory feast with customised audio and visual interactions. This includes the provision for guests to create personalised ‘Tempus’ music with highly contemporary touch controls.

This unique installation is situated at the bustling Plaza 66 in the fashion district of Shanghai’s city centre.

PHANTOM TEMPUS COLLECTION

Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, resides at the apex of luxury world. Producing a Collection Car is always a seminal moment for the marque. With the Phantom Tempus Collection, the sources of inspiration are on an appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way to see the universe.

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

In the Phantom Tempus Collection, this remarkable force of nature is rendered as a centrepiece in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner consisting of fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery, creating the unique and beautiful Pulsar Headliner.

Another aspect of time – the illusion of its standing still – is captured in the ‘Frozen Flow of Time’ Gallery. This unique artwork is housed in the fascia from which the clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations. A single billet of aluminium is milled to form 100 individually contoured columns, representing the 100 million year period of a rotational spin of a pulsar star. Each column is black-anodised and hand-polished to reflect the light. As the eye travels along it, the whole structure, though entirely solid, appears to ripple and flex.

A description of the Gallery can be found on an engraved plaque in the glove compartment, together with a quotation from Albert Einstein, "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion".

A swirling, twisting pattern of stars is presented on the interior of the doors. Created by hundreds of illuminated perforations, additional perforations in contrasting leather add a greater depth and detail to the effect, providing an atmospheric aura even when not illuminated.

The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is presented in a new Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, created to embody the darkness and mystery of space. The paint incorporates jewel-like blue mica flakes, which glitter and glint as they catch the light, representing the stars. This effect is highlighted by black exterior detailing.

Gracing the bonnet of the Phantom Tempus Collection is the Spirit of Ecstasy, now in her 110^th year, personalised with a unique date and location of particular significance to the client. A marriage, the birth of a child or even a major business success, can be engraved as a timeless reminder on the base of the iconic figurine.

The unique online presentation of the Phantom Tempus Collection, via Rolls-Royce’s WeChat account, showcases the marque’s Bespoke capabilities and reflects Chinese patrons’ preferences for increasingly digital experiences.

• Privacy Suite offers peerless acoustic and visual security for passengers
• Electrochromatic glass enables instant and total rear suite isolation
• Intercom allows on-demand communication with chauffeur
• Highly connected entertainment via two 12-inch monitors featuring screen mirroring

THE LUXURY OF PRIVACY

In this highly connected digital age, privacy is an increasingly scarce luxury. Indeed, its rarity has elevated completely assured seclusion to a high luxury product. In this spirit, Rolls-Royce Phantom clients – powerbrokers, titans of business and entrepreneurs – were drawn to the marque to create a space that affords them effortless privacy and unparalleled indulgence.

The response was Phantom Privacy Suite. A discreet sanctuary in which world-changing decisions can be considered or historical agreements negotiated with the comfort of complete confidentiality. Enabled using advanced technologies and executed with the exceptional material quality and artisanal finesse expected of the marque, Privacy Suite has subsequently become the standard bearer for those wishing to operate without the threat of intrusion in an increasingly exposed world.

THE LUXURY OF TECHNOLOGY

Phantom Privacy Suite draws on the fundamental link between luxury and technology at Rolls-Royce, enabled by the marque’s Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople. The integration of electrochromatic glass allows the front and rear cabins to be visually separated at the touch of a button. Rear passengers are granted the ability to see through the glass and on to the road ahead, or instantly transform the glass to opaque for absolute privacy. Further powered privacy curtains and rear privacy glass close the loop, ensuring that there is no line of sight to the rear suite.

Privacy Suite uses additional acoustic damping to increase the sound isolation in Phantom, already considered to be the world’s most silent motor car. To deliver the highest possible levels of acoustic insulation, a frequency-specific compound inhibits the transmission of conversations in the rear cabin to the front. To communicate with the client’s chauffeur, the marque’s engineers integrated an intercom system, controlled by the rear passenger at the push of a button. Should the chauffeur need to speak with the rear passenger, they are able to ‘call’ occupants in the Privacy Suite, who can choose to answer or reject the communication.

In addition, a large aperture controlled solely by the rear passenger allows documents or other objects to be passed easily between the front and rear. When open, the aperture is discretely illuminated to ensure passengers are satisfied with the nature of the documents or objects before they are received.

CONNECTIVITY FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND OPERATIONS

A rear theatre entertainment system is also integrated into the Privacy Suite, allowing passengers to review presentations, review live news items or simply control their music library. Two high-definition 12-inch monitors are linked to the Phantom’s suite of fully connected software; an HDMI port allows passengers to mirror the screens of their personal devices and a USB port can be used to store audio files to the on-board 20GB hard drive. This complex execution of craftsmanship and technology is effortlessly controlled from the rear centre console and, combined with the starlight headliner and clock, creates an unmatched and highly secure ambience for passengers.

• New Collection of the marque’s pinnacle Phantom limousine
• Design concept inspired by time, astronomical phenomena and the infinite reaches of the universe
• New Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, incorporates mica flakes that produce a subtle sparkling effect, mimicking stars in the night sky
• Completely reimagined Pulsar Headliner combines fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery
• Phantom’s Gallery features 100 individual columns, milled from a single billet of black-anodised and hand-polished aluminium
• Hundreds of illuminated perforations form swirling, twisting patterns in the door linings
• Spirit of Ecstasy is personalised with a significant date and location of the owner’s choosing
• Production limited to just 20 examples, all already allocated to clients around the world
• Hand-painted Tempus Champagne Chest accompanies Collection

“The events of the past year have caused many people, not least our clients, to re-evaluate their sense of, and relationship with Time. At a moment in history when so much in life seems ephemeral, our patrons are seeking solace in the unique timelessness, longevity and permanence offered by a Rolls-Royce motor car.

It is thus the perfect moment for Phantom Tempus Collection – a magnificent incarnation of our pinnacle product, inspired by a mysterious celestial phenomenon and Time, which Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds in human history, defined as a persistent illusion.

As we all know, Time never stands still, waits for no one. Hence, we manage it, guard it, account for it, weigh and measure it to its smallest fraction. With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which those strictures no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock. Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by Time; the outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten.

Phantom Tempus is a motor car for those who shape the world as they seek their own place in the universe. They understand that whatever our individual gifts, talents and opportunities, we’re all given Time – and it is up to us to make the most of every moment.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, which resides at the apex of the luxury world, has today become the subject of an exclusive and rare collection, the Phantom Tempus Collection. This arresting new iteration of Phantom is inspired by Time – how it passes, and how it can be made seemingly to stand still.  The Collection is strictly limited to just 20 examples, all of which have already been allocated to clients.

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

In Phantom Tempus, this remarkable force of nature is rendered as a centrepiece in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner consisting of fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery, creating the unique and beautiful Pulsar Headliner.

Another aspect of time – the illusion of its standing still – is captured in the ‘Frozen Flow of Time’ Gallery. This unique artwork is housed in the fascia from which the clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations. A single billet of aluminium is milled to form 100 individually contoured columns, representing the 100-million-year period of a rotational spin of a pulsar star. Each column is black-anodised and hand-polished to reflect the light. As the eye travels along it, the whole structure, though entirely solid, appears to ripple and flex.

A description of the Gallery can be found on an engraved plaque in the glove compartment, together with a quotation from Albert Einstein, "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion".

A swirling, twisting pattern of stars is presented on the interior of the doors. Created by hundreds of illuminated perforations, additional perforations in contrasting leather add a greater depth and detail to the effect, providing an atmospheric aura even when not illuminated.

The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is presented in a new Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, created to embody the darkness and mystery of space. The paint incorporates jewel-like blue mica flakes, which glitter and glint as they catch the light, representing the stars. This effect is highlighted by black exterior detailing.

Gracing the bonnet of Phantom Tempus is the Spirit of Ecstasy, now in her 110^th year, personalised with a unique date and location of particular significance to the client. A marriage, the birth of a child or even a major business success, can be engraved as a timeless reminder on the base of the iconic figurine.

As a finishing flourish, a unique accessory has been developed to accompany the Collection. Based on the widely acclaimed Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest, the Tempus Champagne Chest incorporates a distinctive element of the Collection. A pulsar artwork is hand-painted onto the table, below which, the perfectly appointed chest houses thermal flasks for chilling both champagne and caviar, four hand-blown crystal champagne flutes arranged to evoke the cylinders of a V12 engine and a fine mother-of-pearl caviar spoon.

In response to continuing travel restrictions and limitations on face-to-face interactions in dealerships, Rolls-Royce has created a Virtual Reality presentation for Phantom Tempus, accessible via the Google Cardboard app. Providing patrons with a fully immersive, 360° walkaround of the Collection’s interior and exterior, clients are able to relish Phantom Tempus’ extraordinary presence at a time to suit them, wherever they are in the world.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, concludes, “Phantom is our pinnacle product, so producing a Collection Car is always a supremely important moment for us and our clients. With Phantom Tempus, our sources of inspiration are on appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way we see the universe and our place within it. That all 20 cars have already been reserved indicates that these are themes that truly resonate with our patrons around the world.”

• First ever Bespoke Koa Wood Phantom Extended
• Naturally harvested Koa Wood sourced from rare private collection in Hawaii
• Bespoke Commission inspired by family Koa Wood rocking chair
• Exterior hue colour-matched to rare 1934 heritage car
• The Koa Phantom is the fifth Rolls-Royce to join The JBS Collection of Jack Boyd Smith, Jr. in Elkhart, Indiana

“It is our honour to present Jack Boyd Smith, Jr. with his latest Rolls-Royce Phantom. This Bespoke creation joins a collection of truly notable and historic motor cars. The Koa Phantom demonstrates the extraordinary skill of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective – a precious and rare example of a naturally sourced material, Koa Wood, is masterfully incorporated into Phantom’s contemporary interior. It took more than three years for this commission to come to life and we are delighted that it will take an important place in The JBS Collection of Jack Boyd Smith, Jnr.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

In a world often dominated by luxury commodities designed for mass consumption, the commission of a Bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended exemplifies the notion of true luxury. A collaboration between the client and Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design team prompts a union of master craftsmanship with the finest materials, resulting in the creation of a deeply personal legacy. For the ultimate car enthusiast, Jack Boyd Smith, Jnr., this personal legacy is a Bespoke Phantom Extended featuring an unusual example of a rare species of Koa Wood.

Following three years of intense collaboration with the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, consisting of designers, engineers and craftspeople based at the Home of Rolls-Royce in England, Mr. Smith’s vision was realised. The Bespoke commission reflects both his personality and his love and passion for unique vintage motor cars. The one-of-a-kind creation joins his personal collection of more than 60 unique motor cars in The JBS Collection Museum. A great investment of time has enabled Mr. Smith to create a truly unique commission, one that undoubtedly will become a future classic.

The Koa Phantom is the first Rolls-Royce Phantom that incorporates Koa Wood, a rare species of tree that grows only on Hawaiian soil. The inspiration derives from Mr. Smith and his wife Laura’s love for the warmth and character of Koa Wood, having spent significant amounts of time in Maui, Hawaii. His ongoing connection to the Koa species is rooted deep within his family, as a Koa Wood rocking chair has been a centrepiece in their home for many years. Mr. Smith was determined to bring this warm, familiar atmosphere to the interior of his Rolls-Royce commission.

As they embarked on the creation, Mr. Smith quickly learned that his non-negotiable design would require allowing the craftspeople time to perfect their art.

The unique Koa tree grows only in Hawaii and is protected in Hawaiian State and National parks. Koa Wood can only be harvested from private agricultural land and owing to the very specific growing conditions required, to find such a unique log from this extremely limited resource, is truly rare. A Rolls-Royce Wood Specialist described the find as a ‘one in a million chance’. Some aspirant brands use more commonly available Koa Wood specimens, but for Rolls-Royce, only the finest example of this extraordinary species would do. Mr. and Mrs. Smith patiently waited for three years for their perfect veneer, as the Rolls-Royce Wood Specialist negotiated with a supplier for a highly prized log from his own, personal collection. This specimen displays a unique depth of character rarely seen, with a figure in the grain that creates the effect of velvet. The craftsmen and women of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Woodshop embraced the challenge of preserving this rich textural finish in a prized Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended.

The Koa Phantom exterior shines a deep blue by day, but by night, is hidden in the darkness. The Bespoke ‘Packard Blue’ hue is colour-matched to Mr. Smith’s 1934 Packard Twelve Coupe, a rare motor car in his personal collection. Creating an exact match to an 80 year-old finish was no small feat, and even included shipping parts from vintage cars to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood. After testing on more than 40 test panels, the formula was finally deemed a perfect match. An elegant hand-painted coachline in Dove Grey runs the length of the deep, dark blue Phantom, matching the wheel centre pinstripes. The driver’s door bears the personalised initials “JBS Jr” while the passenger door bears the initials of Mrs. Smith, “LAS.”

On opening the coach doors, a personalised treadplate reads, ‘Hand-built in Goodwood, England for Laura & Jack Boyd Smith, Jr.’ Across Phantom’s fascia lies the Gallery – an uninterrupted piece of glass behind which clients can commission unique works of art and design. For the Koa Phantom, the wood itself takes centre stage, preserved and exhibited at the heart of the car, showcasing its natural beauty.

Koa Wood embellishes the Dove Grey leather interior that is matched to the Packard Twelve and offset by Navy Blue highlights and piping. Above, a Bespoke handcrafted starlight headliner consisting of 1,420 fibre-optic lights on navy-blue leather, depicts the constellation of the night sky above Cleveland, Ohio, on Mr. Smith’s date of birth.

The Rolls-Royce monogram on the headrests is matched to the exterior finish while the rear compartment is adorned with a Champagne fridge, accompanied by a pair of crystal champagne flutes and decanter, engraved with the clients’ initials.

A hand-crafted Koa Wood Picnic Hamper completes this unique commission. Koa Wood, saddle leather and stainless steel are meticulously crafted in a process that takes more than 500 hours to complete. The saddle leather trim and interior leather is Dove Grey, matched to the interior of the one-of-a-kind Bespoke Phantom. Stainless steel features on both the exterior and interior of the hamper; with plaques that read, ‘Laura & Jack Boyd Smith, Jr.’  The hamper includes hand-made wine glasses and decanters from the Ajka Crystal factory in Hungary, famed for its traditional techniques. The stainless-steel cutlery is hand-made in England. The 12-piece set is produced to the highest standards by expert craftspeople using traditional polishing and grinding techniques – a tribute to British steel heritage. Wedgwood porcelain plates add a final flourish to the hamper.

As creators of the most celebrated objects in the world, Rolls-Royce is the epitome of Bespoke. Each motoring masterpiece is a canvas for creativity, bringing unparalleled Bespoke capability to life. Today, Abu Dhabi Motors welcomes Rolls-Royce Phantom ‘Iridescent Opulence’, a fine example and testament to this statement. Featuring a Bespoke Gallery, which debuted as a concept in 2017 designed by Swiss-based Nature Squared, ‘Iridescent Opulence’ is a meaningful and substantive expression of art, design and engineering excellence.

“The Gallery in Rolls-Royce Phantom is a unique space that provides the perfect stage to showcase artworks. ‘Iridescent Opulence’ by Nature Squared is a brilliant example of what can be commissioned and displayed in that space. I’m delighted to unveil Phantom with ‘Iridescent Opulence’ Gallery here in Abu Dhabi with our partners Abu Dhabi Motors.”
César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East and Africa.

“Spectacular Bespoke commissions and collection cars reaffirm Rolls-Royce’s status as the world’s foremost manufacturer of luxury products and with Abu Dhabi being one of the strongest markets for Bespoke Rolls-Royce models in the region, we are extremely excited to be revealing this masterpiece at Abu Dhabi Motors.”
Tarek Moataz, Brand Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi Motors.

THE GALLERY
An understanding that the marque’s patrons are increasingly collectors of fine and contemporary art led the Rolls-Royce Design Team to create a space in which to curate and to commission, to exhibit, admire and reflect. A space aptly named ‘The Gallery’, is an application of glass that runs uninterrupted across the fascia of Rolls-Royce Phantom, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork within your car. Assembled in a highly technical Clean Room at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England – a sterile environment within which delicate and highly Bespoke items can be assembled, from a simple application of wood or metal, to a more complex use of materials not normally viable in an automotive context –  ‘The Gallery’ extends the patron’s experience of curation with the marque to a new realm.

IRIDESCENT OPULENCE
Designed by Swiss-based Nature Squared, an established materials specialist which creates astoundingly beautiful finishes using the latest technology to transform sustainable natural materials, their work can be found in the upper echelons of many industries where a desire to be surrounded by objects of outstanding natural beauty prevails. Echoing the views of Rolls-Royce, Nature Squared embraces artisanal skills which are the antithesis of mass production and for their Phantom Gallery commission, was inspired to work with items that have until now been impossible to incorporate into a motor car.

Feathers, which exude luxury, are a bold and progressive aesthetic to incorporate into an automotive context. Extensive research was carried out to identify a sustainable species of bird with a rich dense plumage which would provide an opulent interior to adorn Phantom’s Gallery. Over 3,000 tail feathers were selected for their iridescence, individually shaped to accentuate the sheen and rich hue of the natural feathers and hand-sewn onto an open pore fabric in a design that originates from the heart of ‘The Gallery’, the clock. Additive manufacturing as used to emulate the musculature of a natural wing to bring life to the creation, creating an atmospheric artwork that brings both movement and fragility to this Gallery. Additionally, the clock alone is a work to be revered. The centrepiece is inlaid with a Mother of Pearl surround, which emphasises the lustrous texture of the feathers.

Making the opportunity to exhibit works of art and design within a motor car itself a reality, patrons can immersive themselves in ‘Iridescent Opulence’ at Abu Dhabi Motors, a masterpiece through which the marque once again showcases its unique storytelling characteristics.

• A Rose, bred exclusively for the marque by award winning British breeder Philip Harkness, grows only at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex
• The Rose debuted in a one-off design for Phantom’s Gallery, the stage for individual works of art in the flagship’s dashboard, protected by an uninterrupted pane of glass
• The Rose later acted as inspiration for an extraordinary Bespoke commission, consisting of over one million stitches, in a one-of-a-kind Phantom
• Rolls-Royce releases a new, extended film of The Rose Phantom 

This year more than ever, as we have been confined to our homes while the natural world flourishes around us, we are reminded of the wonders of nature. Spring is a time of hope and optimism, when bird song crescendos and flowers greet us with heady scent and vibrant colour. As we approach the first ever online RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Rolls-Royce looks a little closer to home and reflects on a Bespoke and storied rose, preparing for an abundant bloom. 

In the courtyard of the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, a rare flower — the Phantom Rose — is cultivated. Bred solely for the marque as a source of inspiration, Rolls-Royce’s Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence is the only place in the world where this rose can be found.

British Rose breeder Philip Harkness, of the award winning Harkness Roses, bred the Phantom Rose especially for the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. His family has been breeding roses since 1879, establishing a tradition of beautiful blooms associated with the Harkness name. Today, plants and flowers bred by Harkness Roses remain a constant favourite on the international horticultural scene, winning gold at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show more than 25 times in the last 50 years. 

On commissioning the rose, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer Sina-Maria Eggl, commented, “The rose had to embody Rolls-Royce’s poise, elegance and allure. The result was a very pure, delicate but voluminous white flower: sensual, but strong in presence, with an alluring aroma and extra winter durability.”

The Phantom Rose grows in a specially designed bed, fringed with lavender, running alongside the reflection ponds adjacent to the marque’s award winning Sir Nicholas Grimshaw plant. Indeed, it is no coincidence that both Rolls-Royce associates and the marque’s Bespoke Designers can view the rose bed through the plant’s floor-to-ceiling glass as they work.

The Phantom Rose is a blousy, creamy-white flower, offering a full bloom of 50 petals and a rich perfume. Harkness describes it as a quintessentially English rose, which took eight years to develop. It was, he says, a labour of love. “A rose has the ability to captivate you on many levels. It is a thing of beauty, it can stimulate the senses with wonderful perfume, the soft touch of the petals or the rasping pain from a thorn. It touches our emotions, signifies love and appears in some of our finest poetry. How can a simple flower live up to this expectation? The rose that Rolls-Royce has commissioned makes easy work of the task. Observe the glory of the bloom. There can be few more enjoyable experiences, thanks to the unending generosity and diversity of nature captured in one single rose.”

In 2017, an iteration of the rose debuted in a one-off design for Phantom’s Gallery. The Gallery is protected by an uninterrupted piece of glass that spans the width of the marque’s flagship, behind which a recess presents an up-lit stage, becoming an area for patrons to embrace the unique storytelling characteristic of the marque. 

Stems of the rose were flown to awaiting master artisans from world-renowned porcelain manufacturer Nymphenburg, Bavaria, Southern Germany. Here, the rose was examined in its varying stages, from bud to full bloom, before being crafted by hand for the Gallery in the finest black and white porcelain ever created by the company. The development process alone lasted three months in order to achieve the same level of delicacy as the Phantom Rose itself.

More recently, the Phantom Rose acted as a primary point of inspiration for Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer Ieuan Hatherall. It was here that an extraordinary Bespoke commission began, consisting of over one million stitches, for a Swedish entrepreneur with a passion for flowers. The Phantom Rose is illustrated in varying stages of maturity in the finest embroidery throughout the interior of a highly unique, one-of-a-kind Phantom.

Ieuan Hatherall commented, “There is a transcendent beauty when a rose garden is in full bloom. The commissioning patron wanted to create that same feeling of awe; an abundance of flowers to lift the spirit and celebrate nature’s decadent beauty.”

Ahead of the first ever online RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 18-23 May, Rolls-Royce releases an extended interview with the commissioning patron of The Rolls-Royce Rose Phantom. Click here to view the extended film. 

Rolls-Royce’s flagship, Phantom, has within it, an interior space which spans the dash facia and which is enclosed by a sheet of glass. This unprecedented space is called the Gallery. It provides clients of the marque the unique opportunity to commission and display, within their Phantom, highly personal works of art. Positioned front and centre, the Gallery becomes a focal point for Phantom’s interior.

Dr. Esther Mahlangu, the globally celebrated South African artist, has been commissioned by a South African patron of Rolls-Royce to create a unique work of art for the Gallery of a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce Phantom. Dr. Mahlangu, the visual artist from the Ndebele region and respected South African cultural ambassador, becomes the first artist to create an artwork in this way. This unique motor car is named, ‘The Mahlangu Phantom’ in the artist’s honour.

César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East and Africa, commented, “I am delighted to unveil ‘The Mahlangu Phantom’, a striking expression of contemporary African art. The Gallery is a unique environment for patrons of our marque to express personal and often highly creative artworks and we are indeed honoured to showcase Dr. Mahlangu’s work in this Phantom’s serene interior.”

Considered, in South Africa, as a national treasure, Dr. Mahlangu has devoted her life to sharing her cultural heritage through vibrant geometric abstract paintings and murals inspired by the Ndebele ethnic group. The 84-year-old is one of Africa’s most revered living artists and her works can be found in many important museums, corporate and private collections around the world.

With the goal of preserving her cultural heritage, Mahlangu founded an art school at her home in the Mpumalanga province where she mentors young artists in the traditional style of Ndebele design. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of ‘The Mahlangu Phantom’ will be donated to the school and will be used to support a retrospective exhibition that will narrate her fascinating life story and celebrate her invaluable contribution to contemporary African art.

“Dr. Mahlangu has been painting the bright, geometric, abstract artworks for which she has become so globally acclaimed since she was 10 years old. We are excited to have been appointed to curate this important Retrospective exhibition that will celebrate and honour Dr. Mahlangu and her important contribution to contemporary African art,” says Craig Mark, Director of The Melrose Gallery, Dr. Mahlangu’s global representative.

In celebration of this unique commission, Rolls-Royce has produced an insightful film to showcase Esther Mahlangu’s work and cultural heritage.

An enchanting new Rolls-Royce Phantom has been commissioned by a Stockholm-based entrepreneur with an extraordinary passion for flowers. The patron, with a wife and two of four children named after flowers, challenged the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective comprising designers, craftspeople and engineers, to envision a car that immerses its occupants in a beguiling floral scene. The result is a sanctuary of true luxury, a vision of flowers, created with a million embroidered stitches.

Torsten Müller Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “The Rose Phantom is a stunning iteration of a contemporary Rolls-Royce. Our extraordinary craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce have achieved, with this car, something which can only be described as sublime. The work of our Bespoke Collective is the best in the world. When I look at creations like this car, it is with a sense of pride that I know that these skills could not be replicated anywhere else in the world. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest Rolls-Royce Phantoms of its generation.”

The Rose Garden at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, served as the primary point of inspiration for Ieuan Hatherall, a Bespoke Designer for Rolls-Royce. This Rose Garden is the only place in the world that the Phantom Rose is grown. Bred exclusively for Rolls-Royce by British Rose Breeder Philip Harkness of Harkness Roses, the Phantom Rose grows in the courtyard of the marque’s Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence at Goodwood in West Sussex, England.

Ieuan Hatherall commented, “There is a transcendent beauty when a rose garden is in full bloom. The patron wanted to create that same feeling of awe; an abundance of flowers to lift the spirit and celebrate nature’s decadent beauty, in the Rose Phantom’s serene interior.”

The Peacock Blue exterior of the Rose Phantom is punctuated with a Charles Blue twinned-coachline that intertwines organically like the stem of a rose, combining to introduce the rose motif, an indication of both the colours and the treatment within. The wheels echo the design and are embellished with a twinned pinstripe, also in Charles Blue.

On opening the coach doors, one first encounters the embroidery on the inside of the rear doors, but it is not until entering the rear cabin that one fully encounters the extraordinary extent of the satin stitch creation. The Phantom Rose is illustrated in varying stages of maturity, from bud to full bloom, in an asymmetrical design that appears to grow across the roof lining, from the rear of the car. The marque’s fabled starlight headliner illuminates the scene as the roses are interspersed with individually placed fibre-optic lights.

In the rear compartment, Serenity Seating with a soft calf rest cushion adopts the inverted colour-way of the exterior as sumptuous Charles Blue leather is accented with Peacock Blue piping. From here, one can admire Phantom’s Gallery, created as a centrepiece of the interior. Stems of embroidered roses climb through the glass fronted fascia, providing a spectacle for the motor car’s occupants.

At the request of the patron, colour is introduced in the form of Peacock and Adonis Blue butterflies, imbuing movement to the elegant motif. The patron’s family also played a creative role; his wife designed the umbrellas whilst his daughter, Magnolia, defined the exterior hue of this Phantom. The patron commented, “I wanted to have flowers and roses everywhere. It became an amazing piece of art.”

For further imagery and film, please follow this link. To hear the patron discuss his inspiring journey, please click here.

Charity Auction to Benefit (RED)’s Fight to End AIDS

Online Bidding Open December 4 – 13 on Sothebys.com

• The House of Rolls-Royce marks 115 years of luxury with spectacular Red Phantom commission to benefit the global AIDS charity (RED).
• Rolls-Royce partners with acclaimed contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas who will create a unique artwork and custom wrap using Phantom as her canvas for the winning bidder.
• The exclusive online auction launches 04 December 2019 with Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s.
• Bidding for the Red Phantom will be hosted on sothebys.com and will close on 13 December.
• The Red Phantom will be revealed during a gala event at One Thousand Museum during Art Basel in Miami Beach.
• Download Release and Images

The House of Rolls-Royce today revealed images of a Bespoke Red Phantom, commissioned to benefit (RED), the global charity and its fight to end AIDS. First sketches of the red-themed creation were revealed by the world’s leading luxury manufacturer seven months ago at the Sotheby’s Galleries in New York City. The Bespoke Phantom will be unveiled at a gala event at the One Thousand Museum in Miami, on Wednesday 4 December, as Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s launch an exclusive online auction which will run until 13 December 2019 on sothebys.com. Proceeds from the auction, after costs, will benefit (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.

The successful bidder will have the unique opportunity to collaborate with one of the world’s most respected contemporary artists, Mickalene Thomas. The artist will create a custom wrap for the exterior of the motor car, based on an original work of art inspired by the Red Phantom for the collector. When the digital hammer falls, the ultimate bidder will be the proud owner of the Red Phantom, a personalized artwork by Ms. Thomas and the honor of having supported (RED) in its mission.

“It is an honor and privilege to present this one of a kind commission created at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England,” commented Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas. “Every member of our team is deeply inspired by this world-class commission and equally by the importance of the cause that it was created to support - (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.  We are proud to partner with Mickalene Thomas, Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s to achieve an outstanding result from this auction.”

Jennifer Lotito, Chief Operating Officer, (RED), commented, "We’re so grateful to Rolls-Royce for donating profits from the Red Phantom to help with the fight to end AIDS. We need all forces mobilized against this pandemic which is the leading cause of death among young women. We also want to thank Mickalene Thomas for her creative genius and support of this auction to help the Global Fund eradicate AIDS."

I am honored to collaborate with such an esteemed group of partners as (RED), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s in the global fight to end AIDS. To be able to share my creative vision in a way that impacts such a noble cause feels powerful and inspiring to me and I am sure to the ultimate winning bidder who is coming together with these amazing organizations to change the world,” said Mickalene Thomas.   

Phantom’s exterior hue features a Bespoke finish of Crystal over Magma Red. Particles of crystal captured in the final layers of finish creating a luxurious luminescence. The handcrafted Bespoke leather interior in Brilliant Arctic White is offset by bright Mugello Red highlights overseen by the iconic and colorful Mugello Red ‘Shooting Starlight Headliner.’ Housed within a single-piece glass fascia and extending across the instrument panel, the Gallery design, ‘Red Regatta Sails,’ is constructed of Bespoke Mugello Red leather. 

Please visit the exclusive online auction at sothebys.com from 4-13 December to bid on this unique Phantom.

About (RED)® 
(RED) was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands that contribute proceeds from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund.

To date, (RED) has generated more than $600 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. 100 percent of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted over 140 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services. For more information, please see www.red.org

About the Global Fund
The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. As an international organization, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries. In partnership with governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases, we are challenging barriers and embracing innovation.

About Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971, Camden, New Jersey) is best known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. She makes paintings, collages, photography, video, and installations that draw on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Blurring the distinction between object and subject, concrete and abstract, real and imaginary, Thomas constructs complex portraits, landscapes, and interiors in order to examine how identity, gender, and sense-of-self are informed by the ways in which women are represented in art and popular culture.

Thomas holds an MFA from Yale University (2002) and a BFA from Pratt Institute (2000). She has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions around the world, including at the Aspen Art Museum; The Bass, Miami; Brooklyn Museum; Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans; Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis; Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art; L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, Monaco; and Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus. Thomas also has an immersive two-story installation on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art through May 2021.

Mickalene Thomas is currently the subject of solo presentations at The Bass, Miami, Baltimore Museum of Art, and Contemporary Art Center New Orleans. Her work is held in the permanent collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as the Hammer Museum and Smithsonian American Art Museum, among many others. For more information, visit www.mickalenethomas.com.

About RED Phantom
This very special Red Phantom has been designed to benefit (RED)’s fight to end AIDS.  Proceeds from the auction, after costs, will benefit the global charity.

The commission design, by the world-renowned Bespoke Design Collective in Goodwood, England, Home of Rolls-Royce stands alone as a natural authority. Designers have carried the powerful Red theme throughout the design in subtle and luxurious style. This Red Phantom makes a statement, especially upon its arrival.

The Bespoke color is Crystal over Magma Red.  Particles of crystal have been captured in the final layers of finish to give it a luxurious luminescence. Recently created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, the finish is comprised of five layers, each hand-polished for more than five hours. The vehicle’s wood veneers were expertly selected and finished by hand with six coats of lacquer to ensure a perfect finish.

The handcrafted Bespoke leather interior is created from 9 hides of hand-selected and drum-dyed leather with a color scheme of Arctic White with Mugello Red highlights. And overhead the new owner will enjoy a newly designed icon of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a Mugello Red Shooting Starlight Headliner with 1,600 fiber optic lights extending the entire length of the interior.

The new Phantom introduced a Bespoke opportunity previously unseen in luxury motoring to showcase a new level of interior artistry and craftsmanship. Housed within a single-piece glass fascia and extending across the instrument panel in the Red Phantom, the Gallery delivers visual and emotional elements that are unique to Phantom. The Gallery is constructed of Bespoke Mugello Red leather design entitled ‘Regatta Sails’ assembled in a clean room environment. This commission features custom treadplates commemorating the 115th Anniversary of the world’s premier name in luxury

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Studio-quality design
The marque had a clear brief when it began designing Bespoke Audio for Phantom: to integrate studio quality audio into a motor car. Indeed, the men and women who created Bespoke Audio for the brand’s flagship benchmarked the system against a recording studio’s playback room rather than systems created for automotive applications.

However, configuring an audio system for a motor car is significantly more challenging than creating an audio system for a static, purpose-built facility because external disruptions such as road surfaces, wind buffeting and ambient noise corrupt audio quality dramatically. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ response was to build the environment the audio system was destined for in tandem with the audio system itself.

The Architecture of Luxury
Only the Architecture of Luxury, the marque’s proprietary spaceframe, could allow the brand to meet its brief. Aluminum was selected as it has a higher acoustic impedance than steel, reducing external noise entering the cabin. Further optimising the material’s acoustic properties is the construction technique; engineers eschewed traditional methods, instead introducing extrusions and complex internal structures to both improve the rigidity of the motor car and minimise flat, resonant surfaces. The largest ever cast aluminum joints in a body-in-white and double-skinned bulkhead and floor sections better insulate sound; measures that both isolate external noise and optimise the performance of sound inside the cabin.

Designers also gave the acoustic performance of the bass speaker special consideration at the architectural stage. Exceptional low frequency performance is engineered into the very fabric of Phantom as it incorporates a resonance chamber into the body’s sill section; the frequency response of the Bespoke Audio speaker component defined the chamber’s size and shape. In essence, the motor car itself is a subwoofer.

The world’s most silent automotive soundstage
In addition, Phantom is equipped with 6mm thick acoustically dampened glass, which combines double-glazing with infrared and UV protection and high-strength laminated safety glass. 130kg of dense, high-absorption sound insulation is installed throughout the motor car. Its extensive application in the headliner, doors and boot cavity drastically reduce reverberation.

Rolls-Royce also worked closely with its tyre partner to invent ‘Silent-Seal' tires, which feature a specific foam layer placed inside the rubber carcass that reduces overall tyre noise by 9db compared with a standard alternative. When Rolls-Royce’s acoustic test engineer first reviewed results road and vibration tests, the sound levels were so low they paused to check their instruments were calibrated correctly. Once readings were taken it was noted that the Rolls-Royce Phantom is the most silent car in the world.

Unrivalled control
A powerful amplifier controls 18 channels (one for each speaker), providing a 1300-watt output. State-of-the-art optimisation technology and high precision magnesium-ceramic compound speaker cones enable near-infinitesimal changes in sound with an outstanding frequency response.

Two active microphones in the cabin also enable an adaptive function, detecting the absence or over emphasis of frequencies before triggering the amplifier to adjust the loudness of certain frequency ranges to counteract it. The Bespoke Audio system makes the most of the highest quality, uncompressed dynamic rate music providing an exceptional listening experience.

Perfected by ear
To finely tune the Bespoke Audio system, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars depends on the most sensitive of instruments – the human ear. This helps to judge the more intangible, subjective elements of audio, such as timbre, pace and responsiveness.

Thousands of miles are driven to ensure Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ systems are the very best, listening to a wide range of music – from house to heavy metal, and trap to techno. Only when the engineers can truly ‘visualise’ musicians playing around them do they sign off the sonic delivery.

These factors contribute to a uniquely Rolls-Royce standard of sound for patrons of the marque, many of whom are themselves musicians and will settle for nothing less than perfection.

A mobile recording studio
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has contributed to the mythology of contemporary music culture since the dawn of Rock & Roll. More than half a century later, this love affair endures and many of the world’s most prestigious recording artists continue to connect with the marque as a symbolic expression of success.

In 2018, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced a remarkable collaboration with Mercury Music Prize and MOBO award-winning musician Joseph Junior Adenuga, better known by his stage name Skepta, who conceived and recorded a track in its entirety from inside a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Mr Adenuga was inspired by the phenomenal serenity afforded to those who are conveyed in Phantom, recording ‘Skepta RR’ while being chauffeured along the banks of Lake Lucerne and through the mountains of Switzerland.

Testing
Rolls-Royce’s audio experts drew on their own eclectic music tastes in establishing the parameters for the Bespoke Audio system. Played in a high-quality, ‘lossless’ format, the following tracks form a unique playlist for Rolls-Royce, specially curated by the company’s audio engineers to test the range and resolution of the Bespoke Audio system:

1. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here [1975]
2. From Here to Eternity – Giorgio Moroder, From Here to Eternity [1977]
3. Across the Lines – Tracy Chapman, self-titled [1988]
4. Sad But True – Metallica, self-titled [1991]
5. Bembe / Abakwa – Terry Bozzio, Solo Drum Music II [1992]
6. Klangfarben Melodie – Terry Bozzio, Solo Drum Music II [1992]
7. Know Your Enemy – Rage Against the Machine, self-titled [1992]
8. Fistful of Steel – Rage Against the Machine, self-titled [1992]
9. Passion - Gat Décor (Naked Edit) [1992]
10. Where Did You Sleep Last Night? – Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York (Live) [1993]
11. Stimela (The Coal Train) – Hugh Masekela, Hope (Live) [1994]
12. Hotel California – The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (Live) [1994]
13. Paranoid Android – Radiohead, OK Computer [1997]
14. Lyric Lickin – Del The Funky Homosapien, Future Development [1997]
15. Insomnia – Faithless, Insomnia [1995]
16. Raining in Baltimore – Counting Crows, Across a Wire: Live in New York City (Live) [1998]
17. Safe in New York City – AC/DC, Stiff Upper Lip [Deluxe Edition] [2000]
18. Scrappy – Wookie, Wookie (Deluxe Edition) [2000]
19. Marionette – Mathew Jonson [2004]
20. Intro – Nemesea, Pure: Live @ P3 (Remixed & Remastered) [2012]
21. Bass Solo – Nemesea, Pure: Live @ P3 (Remixed & Remastered) [2012]
22. Drum Solo – Nemesea, Pure: Live @ P3 (Remixed & Remastered) [2012]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed today the ‘Pebble Beach 2019 Collection’. Inspired by the hills, sand and sea surrounding Pebble Beach, this year’s collection is the most colorful yet. The Collection includes 13 beautiful Bespoke Commissions, offered exclusively for the clients attending Monterey Car Week 2019, and will be revealed at a series of exclusive activities hosted by the luxury brand throughout the week.

The collection is headlined by the brand’s flagship, Phantom. Rolls-Royce Bespoke designers have cloaked this Phantom in a shimmering Black Diamond and Gold Bespoke exterior. The interior features the Rolls-Royce Phantom Gallery, an individuality available in no other motor car in the world, designed to house personalized art making the Phantom an extension of its owner’s art and design collection. The ‘Best Car in the World’ raised the bar of luxury with the introduction of the new Rolls-Royce ‘Architecture of Luxury’ which delivers the ‘Magic Carpet Ride’, defining Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. 

Cullinan marks its second year at Pebble Beach with some of the most extensive Bespoke designs in the ‘Pebble Beach 2019 Collection’. The four vehicles on display during the week feature colors including Burnout Grey, Black Green, Iced Gunmetal and Galilea Blue. The iced finish showcases one of the most popular innovations from the paint specialists at Rolls-Royce. The subtle finish offers the solid effect of matte colors with an elegant shine. Color innovations are nothing new to a design group that has built finishes using glass, silver, gold and even diamonds for Bespoke Commissions.

The ‘Pebble Beach 2019 Pastel Collection’ – Black Badge goes beyond Black
Following recent years of alternating drought, fire and rain, the Monterey Peninsula this year is awash in seas of colorful wildflowers. Highlighting this year’s debuts are a trio of Bespoke motor cars showcasing the creative color capabilities of the artisan designers in Goodwood, Home of Rolls-Royce. The Pastel Collection draws upon painter’s palette of colors from this year’s ‘wildflower superbloom’ on the Monterey Peninsula. The collection includes three one-of-one Black Badge Commissions adding new colors to the Rolls-Royce Bespoke palette and reaffirming the idea that a Rolls-Royce Black Badge doesn’t have to be black.

The collection starts with Ghost Black Badge in Light Green Solid, a new Bespoke exterior finish. The pastel green represents the rebirth of the flora on the peninsula following the years of drought and fire. The hand-crafted leather interior is Black with a striking Serenity Green splash highlighting the iconic Black Badge technical Fiber.

The drophead creation among the collection is Dawn Black Badge in Coral Solid which showcases the Bespoke finish that can only come after seven coats of paint and more than nine hours of hand polishing in the Surface Finish Centre at the Home of Rolls-Royce, Goodwood. The new pastel color carries over to the Bespoke Aero Cowling, giving Dawn a colorful yet aggressive exterior. The Dawn Black Badge interior is finished in Artic White and Sunset carrying over the visual imagery of the blooming northern California hills and valleys.

The final piece of the trio is Wraith Black Badge in Semaphore Yellow, a bright and sunny finish for the most powerful member of the Rolls-Royce family. Wraith Black Badge features a Selby Grey and Lemon interior with the iconic Rolls-Royce Black Badge Starlight Headliner. The ‘Rolls-Royce 2019 Pastel Collection’ presents Black Badge unlike you’ve ever seen before.

This collection showcases the alter ego of Rolls-Royce Bespoke as the brand highlights the potential of its Black Badge Bespoke offer. The combined skills of the Bespoke craftspeople from the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, and the rebellious spirit of Black Badge has propelled the brand into the 21^st century appealing to the risk-taker who is not afraid to embrace a bold and progressive statement of true and modern luxury, in an aggressive form. All Black Badge commissions feature a stunning technical fiber fascia and interior accents as well as custom Black Badge Bespoke Starlight Headliners and Bespoke ‘Pebble Beach 2019 – special commission’ treadplates.

“Every year, thousands of Rolls-Royce patrons come together for Monterey Car Week. It’s one of our most important family gatherings around the world, especially for our American owners. This year we present the largest offering of Rolls-Royce motor cars ever and in the most vivid Bespoke colors and configurations in history. Each and every commission has been created by the designers and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, working with the finest leather, wood and precious materials. It’s thrilling to introduce the 2019 Pebble Beach Collection as the world gathers to view the classics the brand has created over the past 115 years.” Martin Fritsches, President of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America.

The full family on display
The full collection of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars on display includes one Phantom, four Cullinans, four Dawns, two Ghosts and two Wraiths. The special vehicles will be on display at ‘Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’ as well as at the exclusive Rolls-Royce Villa in Carmel. 

An application of glass runs uninterrupted across the fascia of the New Rolls-Royce Phantom, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork, within your motor car. An understanding that the marque’s patrons are increasingly collectors of fine and contemporary art has led the Rolls-Royce Design Team, fronted by Design Director, Giles Taylor, to create a space behind this glass, in which patrons can commission and curate art, a space aptly named, ‘The Gallery’.

“As patrons increasingly commission a Rolls-Royce for its aesthetic power, they trust in the knowledge that only the finest materials fashioned at the hands of a collective of skilled artisans will produce a motor car that transcends its primary role as a means of conveyance, to become a meaningful and substantive expression of art, design and engineering excellence. ‘The Gallery’ is an innovation that furthers Rolls-Royce’s unparalleled Bespoke capabilities. Patrons are now invited to commission artworks for their own personal Gallery within Phantom, in essence, bringing art, within art.” Torsten Müller Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said.

Rolls-Royce’s standing as creator of the most celebrated objects in the world is informed by an intimate understanding that true luxury is personal. This philosophy has driven the marque’s collective of designers, artisans and engineers to constantly evolve the canvas from which patrons of luxury can express their tastes and lifestyle requirements.

An intrinsic part of the Rolls-Royce Design team’s responsibility is to understand and immerse themselves in a world of luxury far beyond automotive horizons. Drawing inspiration from the worlds of fashion, art and design, the collective continually examines the work of experts in their fields, furthering skills and knowledge in order to push the boundaries beyond the limitations car designers are usually confined to.

In conceiving ‘The Gallery’, the design team has done just this. ‘The Gallery’ is a space in which to curate and to commission, to exhibit, admire and reflect. A pure application of glass runs uninterrupted across the fascia of the greatest luxury item in the world, an innovation that furthers Rolls-Royce’s unparalleled Bespoke vision and mastery of materials and craft.

“The reduced and symmetrically balanced line-work of Phantom’s instrument panel frames a generous and beautifully simple application of glass. It runs, uninterrupted, across the fascia, emphasising a sense of width. Positioned front and centre, it is the focal point of the interior of New Phantom, providing a perfect stage for artworks. This treatment of glass enables an unprecedented opportunity for the protection and presentation of works of art, which is why, we have rather aptly named it, ‘The Gallery’.” Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said.

From a simple application of wood or metal, to a more complex use of materials not normally viable in an automotive context and enhanced by incorporating relief, ‘The Gallery’ extends the patron’s experience of curation with the marque to a new realm.

In this spirit, Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer and Creative Lead Designer of ‘The Gallery’ Artist Commissions, has invited artists and master artisans from around the world to interpret ‘The Gallery’.

The result? A collection of unique and artistic creations, free from the constraints of automotive design, to inspire the marque’s patrons, in a way that only Rolls-Royce can.

Thorsten Franck
Digital Soul
A truly Bespoke commission, Thorsten Franck’s Rolls-Royce Phantom Gallery, Digital Soul, is an artistic interpretation of its Patron’s DNA. Thorsten, from Munich, Germany, is a product designer who acts as a conduit between computer-generated design, additive manufacturing and hand-craftsmanship.  

Thorsten’s fusion of human endeavour with technology results in a work which juxtaposes the pre-disposed expectations of additive manufacturing and computer generated design by creating an alluring and visually complex fascia for New Phantom, adapting the use of technology to render an artwork as unique as a fingerprint.

Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer and Creative Lead Designer for ‘The Gallery’ artist commissions, identified a unique skill in Thorsten Franck; the ability to transcend product design, creating  work which not only embodies the characteristics of contemporary art, but which enters the realms of jewellery, sculpture and architecture; a discipline made possible only by the use of cutting-edge technology
Thorsten Franck begins by capturing the patron’s character in a unique algorithm. This data is then transcribed using the art of 3D printing, forming the largest piece of 3D printed stainless steel featured in a production car, made possible only by this use of additive manufacturing.

Here, traditional artisanal craft blends exquisitely with tomorrow’s production methods. More than one day of polishing produced a work worthy of being plated in nearly 50g of 24 carat gold. The work interacts with the changing light of the day, reflecting brilliance whilst casting shadows. The visual characteristics of gold ensure each observer’s experience will be a personal one dictated by their physical position in Phantom and the strength of the sun’s rays or soft glow of the up-lit stage lights on the gold, set within ‘The Gallery’.

Alex Innes, commented, “Thorsten Franck was selected for his ability to meld craft with technology, bringing with him a new medium of generated craft which is made possible only by the use of technology. Thorsten’s work furthers the expectations of the use of technology by creating a precious luxury item as Bespoke as the Phantom in which it resides. His progressive depiction of an owners’ unique DNA is both avant-garde in its design and compelling in its beauty.”

Thorsten Franck said of the commission, “Additive manufacturing is often viewed as a convenience or solution. My work embraces this technology and manipulates it to produce a unique work of art that could not be created by man alone. I have mapped an algorithm to interpret your soul. The visual aesthetics of gold change throughout the day by reflecting the light; there is life in this sculpture.”

Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg
Immortal Beauty
A truly individual rose, conceived and bred exclusively for Rolls-Royce in the English countryside by award-winning Harkness Roses, was flown to the Nymphenburg Palace in Bavaria, Southern Germany, to awaiting master artisans from world-renowned porcelain manufacturer Nymphenburg. Here, the rose was examined in its varying stages, from bud to lush flower in full bloom, and crafted freely by hand in the finest of porcelain for the elegant sanctuary of ‘The Gallery’.

Founded in 1747, Nymphenburg porcelain graces the greatest residences and collections of the world’s most prominent families. These extraordinary pieces are collected and coveted in the knowledge that their craftspeople have been afforded nearly 300 years to perfect their art.

For this collaboration, a new porcelain formula was developed in the manufactory in Munich, Germany. The development process alone lasted three months in order to create porcelain as fine as the petal of the rose itself. The range of roses depicted shows the varying stages of the life of this rose, with some of the most elaborate blossoms consisting of up to 80 individual elements freely shaped by hand.

The delicate aesthetic is accented in a contemporary way by the marriage of black and white, a pairing uniquely perfected for this artwork. Until now, the processing of white and black porcelain paste has been strictly separated in the manufactory’s production process, as even the smallest residue of black paste on a craftsperson’s tools, invisible to the naked eye, leads to impurities that only become visible after firing. Black porcelain had previously been held for the preserve of casting, meaning the black paste had to be developed to ensure it was as malleable as its white counterpart. For this unique design, white and black paste has been created in parallel, in the same soft state, at the workstation of Anton Hörl, a master craftsman for Nymphenburg for over 40 years.

But each individual blossom only acquires its final appearance when it is fired. Since the porcelain changes during the firing process, and also shrinks by 17 per cent, individual firing supports have had to be made.  Also made from porcelain, these supported the blossoms and leaves, preventing the draw of gravity. The white and black bisque porcelain has been fired in a single process for the first time, requiring the expert knowledge of the Nyphenburg kiln foremen, who have developed a process with different firing curves, which achieve an optimal result in just one firing process.

Anton Hörl, Master Porcelain Maker, Nymphenburg, commented, “Nature is simply perfect and imitating it is a challenge. We as artists have to ensure that our emulation does nature justice. I wanted to feel the tension of each individual blossom. The observer must be able to recognise not only the variety, but also its unique character.”

The rose, bred for Rolls-Royce by Philip Harkness of Harkness Roses, was developed for its strength, resilience and intricate bloom. The flower is large, opening from a plump rounded bud into a large cupped bloom. The rose is strong with an admirable resistance to disease.

Sina Maria Eggl, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer, said, “Our search for the quintessential English rose led us to award-winning Harkness Roses. Here we collaboratively bred a rose worthy of its newly found immortal being. Nymphenburg and Rolls-Royce engaged in an artistic dialogue, allowing an advancement of existing methods of manufacture and shifting the limits of what’s possible.”

Rose breeder Philip Harkness of Harkness Roses, added, “A rose has the ability to captivate you on many levels. It is a thing of beauty, it can stimulate the senses with wonderful perfume, the soft touch of the petals or the rasping pain from a thorn. It touches our emotions, signifies love and appears in some of our finest poetry. How can a simple flower live up to this expectation? The new rose that Rolls-Royce has commissioned makes easy work of the task. Observe the glory of the bloom. There can be few more enjoyable experiences, thanks to the unending generosity and diversity of nature captured in one single rose.”

Helen Amy Murray
Whispered Muse
British artist Helen Amy Murray reinterprets an icon. On visiting the Home of Rolls-Royce, Helen encountered the figurine of the Spirit of Ecstasy which led her to an exploration of the line drawings of its creator, sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes. The Spirit of Ecstasy, based on Sykes’ original bronze statue ‘The Whisper’, has graced the prow of every Rolls-Royce motor car since 1911 and in doing so, has become a muse to artists around the world for over 100 years.

Helen is an artist with a natural affinity with fabric. Her work masterfully sculpts textiles, most frequently leather, suede and their faux counterparts, into unique three-dimensional decorative surfaces and compelling works of art. With a wide portfolio ranging from large-scale wall hangings to unique pieces of furniture, Helen’s work captivates in its sculpted textural form.

With a Masters Degree in Textile Design from London’s Central St Martins, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Colour and Trim Designer, Cherica Haye, was perfectly placed to collaborate with Helen. Together, they experimented, developed and refined various iterations of this Gallery’s design.

Helen has skilfully created a work for New Phantom’s Gallery with a dual illusion. On first glance, a serene landscape emerges from a delicate organic form. The sculpted silk appliqué provides a mesmerising aesthetic with a linear style, from which, on closer examination, a subtle draped female form appears, the wing of the elusive Spirit of Ecstasy. Even then, she appears shrouded in mystery, with the design only hinting at her form through the delicate silhouette of the line of her neck that emerges from the edge of ‘The Gallery’.

By creating different planes to the design through directional sculpting, Helen has created individual contours, beautiful in their own right, that fuse together to form a larger cohesive figural form.

Helen Amy Murray, artist, said of the design, “I was inspired by the ethereal quality of the illustrations of The Spirit of Ecstasy by Charles Sykes. They led me to incorporate the female form into my work; I wanted my Gallery commission to look soft and organic. The subtle spacing of lines brings the draped figure into perspective.”

Cherica Haye, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Colour and Trim Designer commented, “The Spirit of Ecstasy extends her graceful wing to enrapture her passengers and convey them to a serene sanctuary, where the whisper of flight imbues calmness and tranquillity in Helen Amy Murray’s Phantom Gallery. A true connection can be felt between Helen’s materials and the subject, enhancing the graceful ambience of the Phantom’s calm interior.”

Based Upon
A Moment in Time
“The sweet spot of luxury is a beautiful crafted object, but somehow at the core of the object, is something that is personal to the client.” Ian Abel, Co-founder, Based Upon.

It is a resonant understanding of this belief that led Rolls-Royce to Based Upon, a collective of artists located in the heart of London’s East End. A desire to commission an item so personal it becomes a treasured legacy, surpassing superficial material acquisition to become true luxury, is epitomised in A Moment in Time. The work beguiles, speaking of the perceived control on time that Phantom commands. Time stands still as you encounter the presence of the motor car.

Considered storytelling is at the heart of Based Upon’s ethos.  The collective journeys the world uncovering rich narratives to inform works ranging from public sculpture to finely crafted surface applications for private residences, which have aesthetics at the fore, blurring the lines of function and meaning.

Personal significance lies at the core of both Based Upon and Rolls-Royce’s endeavour. The former, with tales of the patron interwoven to the heart of its being, the latter, an item which transcends its original role, to become an aesthetic representation of personal endeavour.

On exploring the foundations of the world’s most celebrated brand, Based Upon uncovered a marque that was founded on experimentation, bold excitement and a desire to accomplish feats that were deemed impossible. “This, excited us”, commented Ian Abell, Based Upon’s co-founder.  “When you get a brand like Rolls-Royce that has a brand value that’s so heavy and so weighty in the consciousness of design, of luxury, of Britain, of innovation, combined with The Gallery’s specific brief and parameters of project, we got excited with that.”

“The spirit of Rolls-Royce, namely, speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace…”, the prose of Claude Johnson, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce at the time of the Hon. Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce. Based Upon sought to encapsulate this spirit which is still found at the heart of the marque today, alive in the Spirit of Ecstasy as she graces the prow of each motor car made at the Home of Rolls-Royce.

This led to Based Upon’s interpretation of New Phantom’s Gallery. Lex Welch, Co-founder of Based Upon, commented, “We tried to capture a moment as though the Spirit of Ecstasy’s shawl was allowed to drape over the car at high speed, capturing that moment that leaves time standing still, as the Spirit of Ecstasy trails all in her wake.”

The creation of A Moment in Time is as remarkable as its muse. A swath of silk was pulled through a tank of water, weighted and suspended, controlling this moment. Captured on camera, the resulting fluid form was then analysed by the Rolls-Royce Design team and the artists of Based Upon, before being remastered in clay. A malleable wax sculpture was then reworked to optimise the impact of ‘The Gallery’s’ space. This final interpretation was machined from a solid billet of aluminium, polished to accentuate the curvature of the alluded fabric.

Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer, said of the collaboration, “Based Upon incorporate the essence of true luxury into every element of their work. From the research and development, to materials and execution, theirs is a perfect art of intellect and skill, melded with an abundance of creativity. Their interpretation of ‘The Gallery’ is a truly emotive adaptation of the presence of Phantom.”

Richard Fox 
Astrum
Phantom has been the canvas for some of the most opulent expressions of true luxury in recent years. From handwoven, hand-embroidered and hand-painted silk, to elaborate depictions of cityscapes made from thousands of individually set pieces of marquetry, Phantom embodies the Bespoke wishes of patrons like no other.

British Designer and Goldsmith, Richard Fox, has himself been part of Phantom’s rich history. The allure of gemstones and the desire of Phantom’s patrons to furnish their interior cabin with precious metals and captivating stones has led Richard Fox to embellish many personal Rolls-Royce commissions with precious and semi-precious jewels including diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies and Tanzanite.

Astrum, meaning star, constellation, glory, immortality and Heaven, was a concept produced by Alex Innes of Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design and Richard Fox of Fox Silver for New Phantom’s Gallery.

Inspiration was sought from artists who had explored the starburst formation in both the natural and man-made world. Sea urchins and plants, explosions and skyscapes, all had influence on Astrum’s final design.

A star burst emanates from a centrally placed single brilliant cut diamond, encased in platinum. Each solid silver spear, filed, soldered, shaped and hand-polished, has been created to carry pear-cut amethysts, evoking a precious jewel-like quality to the artwork. The backing has been engraved with a guilloche effect, a technique found in the finest of jewellery, formed to incorporate the curvature of the dashboard and to provide visual depth to ‘The Gallery’. A rich amethyst lacquer, named Violet de Nuit, is used to reflect and intensify the colour of the stones carried at the ends of the spears.

The clock, viewed by many patrons as the jewel of the interior, carries an additional guilloche design in sterling silver with the same amethyst tint complementing that of the main body of work. Fine wires have been laser-welded to the spears, positioned so the stones stand proudly against the resplendent backdrop.

Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer, said of the commission, “Richard Fox’s work can be found in some of our recent most highly Bespoke iterations of Phantom. It is fitting therefore that he has turned his hand to ‘The Gallery’, a space in which patrons are invited to commission unique works of art, to bring objet d’art to the centre stage of their New Phantom.”

Richard Fox MDes RCA commented, “The Gallery offers patrons of Phantom an unparalleled level of Bespoke opportunities. The use of natural gemstones and a brilliant cut diamond will bring movement to ‘The Gallery’, as light refracts, accentuating the depth of the design. This work brings an entirely new interpretation of diamonds to the dashboard.”

Nature Squared
Iridescent Opulence
Wings of flight transcend the worldly stage to cosset Phantom’s occupants in rich, iridescent, sumptuous luxury.

Swiss-based Nature Squared creates beautiful things for beautiful spaces. Applying heritage artistic crafts to ethically sourced and sustainable natural materials, Nature Squared embrace technical innovation to transform nature’s beauty. In a move that echo’s the views of Rolls-Royce, Nature Squared embraces artisanal skills which are the antithesis of mass production. Their work can be found in the upper echelons of many industries where a desire to be surrounded by objects of outstanding natural beauty prevails.

Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer and Creative Lead Designer of the artistic Gallery commissions, commented, “Nature Squared is an established materials specialist which creates astoundingly beautiful finishes using the latest technology to transform sustainable natural materials. A desire to redefine expectations of the use of these natural sources leads Nature Squared to an unrivalled realm with luxury at its core.”

For their Phantom Gallery commission, Nature Squared was inspired to work with items that have until now been impossible to incorporate into a motor car. Feathers, which exude luxury, are a bold and progressive aesthetic to incorporate into an automotive context. Extensive research was carried out to identify a sustainable species of bird with a rich dense plumage which would provide an opulent and decadent interior to adorn Phantom’s Gallery. Over 3,000 tail feathers were selected for their iridescence, individually shaped to accentuate the sheen and rich hue of the natural feathers and hand-sewn onto an open pore fabric in a design that originates from the heart of ‘The Gallery’, the clock.  Additive manufacturing was used to emulate the musculature of a natural wing to bring life to the creation, creating an atmospheric artwork that brings both movement and fragility to this Gallery.

The clock alone is a work to be revered. Continuing their exploration of organic materials, the centrepiece is inlaid with ethically and sustainably sourced Jade green abalone, which emphasises the lustrous texture of the feathers.

Martin Ehrath, Head of Research and Development for Nature Squared, commented, “The inky iridescence and sumptuous texture of the feathers provide a sense of true luxury. Phantom’s clock has been softly cossetted by feathers, their fragility protected by ‘The Gallery’s’ glass fascia. The timeless beauty and elegant grace of this Gallery is preserved in the sanctity of Phantom’s interior.”

Liang Yuanwei
Autumn Palette 
Liang Yuanwei is a widely acclaimed and internationally exhibited Chinese artist. In her commission for the New Phantom, she ponders the Autumnal tones of the English countryside that surround the Home of Rolls-Royce in West Sussex, which she encountered during her time with the marque. The atmospheric countryside of England, with fertile soil and abundant vegetation and differing layers of colours from green to yellow, even red, are redolent in her artwork for ‘The Gallery’.

Liang Yuanwei said of the commission, “My artwork for ‘The Gallery’ is reflective of the impression that I get from the marque, having seen the human and natural environment of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ headquarters.  I wanted to capture the atmosphere and reproduce it. That feeling is sophisticated, a sophistication that envelops you.”

Liang Yuanwei applies paint so thickly that it appears almost sculpted, carving floral and geometric patterns whose fissures are filled with additional layers of paint to create a finish resembling silk or satin. Her work masterfully captures the impression and texture of fabric through her application of paint. Here, from seemingly random strokes applied from left to right, come exquisite forms. In a serene and meditative scene, the closer you observe, the more you find.

Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer commented, “The landscape in which artists present their work is evolving. Liang Yuanwei embraces the opportunity presented by the New Phantom Gallery to create a mesmerising painting that is reminiscent of the countryside surrounding the Home of Rolls-Royce.”

“I saw that it was possible to combine my artistic vision with the vision of Rolls-Royce. I have found a common ground between my own creative system and what I feel is the culture of Rolls-Royce. My work references this. commented Liang Yuanwei.

She continued, “Like painting, the many aesthetic details of a car represent the brand's values ​​and heritage. In each historical era, a brand must choose a particular direction over other options. This choice represents its view of the world in that era. Over time, a brand’s culture is passed on to the present. Some things persist, some things elapse, some things are abandoned, and some things evolve. This is the way of inheritance with a sense of responsibility, like the detailed strokes of a painting. This is also the approach to my work.”