- GLOBAL DEMAND FOR ROLLS-ROYCE BESPOKE REACHES UNPRECEDENTED NEW LEVELS
- ROLLS-ROYCE BESPOKE COLLECTIVE DEMONSTRATES EXTRAORDINARY SKILL IN INTERPRETING GLOBAL TASTE PATTERNS
- AS RECORD NUMBERS OF EXCEPTIONAL HANDCRAFTED VEHICLES LEAVE THE HOME OF ROLLS-ROYCE IN GOODWOOD, WEST SUSSEX, THREE PHANTOMS ENCAPSULATE THIS HEIGHTENED TREND OF PERSONALISATION
25.10.2019.- Global demand for the skills of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective have soared to new levels. By way of example, a trio of magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantoms are the latest Bespoke creations to leave the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex. These handcrafted masterpieces demonstrate the individual tastes and exacting requirements of Rolls-Royce patrons worldwide. Architectural design cues influence interior aesthetics, while rich cultural diversity together with expansive narratives inform Bespoke creations.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “Our Bespoke designers masterfully translate global taste patterns into works of art, moving beyond automotive conventions to redefine the possibilities of luxury craft. These are three very different Phantoms, each illustrating the extraordinary breadth of Bespoke personalisation available to patrons of our marque.”
The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, a group of designers, artisans, craftspeople and engineers residing at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood-based Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence, are tasked with bringing patrons’ creative ideas to life. Demand on their services has been continually rising and today, Rolls-Royce Bespoke requests have reached unprecedented new levels. Patrons of the marque yearn to surround themselves in perfectly appointed, personally curated statements of true luxury.
The quest to push creative boundaries and advance new technologies ensures the marque continuously elevates these clients’ expectations. Rich stories are told across large swathes of sumptuous exterior and interior surfaces, whilst at the heart of Phantom, the innovative Gallery – a central stage presented behind glass – offers patrons the opportunity to exhibit unique and personal works of art and design, in their car.
John Beckley, Head of Rolls-Royce Bespoke, commented, “Our Bespoke division is working tirelessly to fulfil customer demand. Never before have we seen such levels of demand for Bespoke personalisation. These three Phantoms have taken several years to bring to fruition and are a true reflection of our Bespoke Collective’s extraordinary skill in interpreting and realising our clients’ visions.”
Rolls-Royce Phantom is a barometer for the tastes and whims of some of the world’s most dynamic and prosperous individuals. Now in its eighth generation, Phantom has been bestowed with many of the most ornate and fanciful designs ever envisaged, becoming a flagship for artisanal craftsmanship across the luxury world.
Horology Phantom
Rolls-Royce designers are compelled to travel the world, seeking new and inspiring influences that stimulate the world’s elite. As such, a designer from the Home of Rolls-Royce travelled to La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland to meet with master horologists to understand the complexities and exotic movements of contemporary timepieces. These precious and rare items are commonly found amongst the collections of Rolls-Royce patrons, and as such, intrigue and beguile the marque’s Bespoke division.
The Horology Phantom is touched with elements redolent of fine timepieces. Gold and Silver hues set against the Gunmetal lower and Black upper two-tone exterior paint hint at the holistic theme of this motor car. A gold and silver coloured hand-painted twinned coachline incorporates an intricate watch inspired design, whilst the Spirit of Ecstasy, the figurine that has graced the bonnets of Rolls-Royce motor cars for over a century, is cloaked in 24-carat gold.
Inside, one’s eye is drawn to the fascia, where the largest stainless steel and gold inlay ever made for Phantom is proudly presented. Positioned below a multiple layered stainless steel Gallery, in itself a reference to the many layers of precious metals found in a watch complication, the inlay depicts an abstract schematic of a watch movement. The Rolls-Royce clock, prominently housed in the Gallery, is set in a solid silver, guilloché case.
Digital Soul Phantom
Digital Soul Phantom is a study in contemporary artisanship; a fusion of human endeavour and computer generated design. The result is a motor car that speaks of ultimate personalisation, a celebration of harnessing technology to render an artwork that is entirely unique.
The Phantom’s two-tone exterior colourway of Carrara White upper and Smokey Quartz lower is embellished with a gold coachline and gold plated Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, establishing an immediate presence. The interior design echoes this colourway, Seashell and Dark Spice leathers are accentuated with gold stitching and monograms depicting the ‘RR’ emblem, but the Gallery is undoubtedly the nexus. Created in collaboration with Munich based Product Designer Thorsten Franck, the Gallery portrays an individual’s characteristics in a unique algorithm.
Data is transcribed using the art of 3D printing, forming the largest piece of 3D printed stainless steel ever featured in a production car. This stainless steel has been plated in nearly 50g of 24-carat gold, creating a unique work for the Gallery that enters the realms of jewellery, sculpture and design.
The Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce have furthered the gold detailing to incorporate key areas of Phantom’s interior. Taking over three months to develop, gold inlays were aligned using the world’s most powerful visual tool, the human eye, and set by hand in Smoked Eucalyptus wood on Phantom’s rear doors and picnic tables. Gold plated speaker grilles conclude the aesthetic.
Arabian Gulf Phantom
The Middle Eastern region offers many inspiring points for creative stimulation. From daring contemporary architecture to ornate traditional crafts, inspiration is in abundance.
Arabian Gulf Phantom adopts the rich colours and historical narrative of pearl diving in the Middle East. The Turchese exterior hue is evocative of the vibrant local waters, while the Andalusian White upper two-tone recalls the purity of natural pearls, alluding to the story within. An Arctic White coachline introduces a hand-painted Nautilus shell motif that is artistically embedded into the fabric of the motor car’s interior design.
On opening the coach doors, the Gallery prominently portrays a sense of movement, inspired by swelling oceans. The artwork, a collaboration between Rolls-Royce and British artist Helen Amy Murray, encapsulates the very essence of the motor car. A Mother of Pearl clock punctuates the vibrant Turchese Gallery, providing the perfect counterpoint to it’s sculptural aesthetic. The silk appliqué lines flow through the Gallery as though cradling the precious mineral stones of the clock.
On reclining in the rear compartment and familiarising oneself with the luxurious surrounds, a tone-on-tone embroidered Nautilus shell becomes apparent on Phantom’s rear doors. One also encounters the elegant Nautilus shell motif in delicate Mother of Pearl marquetry, on the picnic tables’ fascia. Once deployed, the picnic tables provide a sense of delightful theatre. A supremely complex piece of marquetry incorporating generously applied Mother of Pearl is revealed on the picnic table-top, presented as though a hidden artwork is being discovered.
A large swathe of colour matched Turchese leather sweeps across Phantom’s expansive roof, enveloping the occupant in an atmospheric cocoon, punctuated by the coveted starlight headliner consisting of 1,344 hand-woven fibre optic lights.
Source: Rolls-Royce
Photograph: Rolls-Royce
