2019 saw The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, a team of engineers, designers and craftspeople residing at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, create more Bespoke motor cars than ever before in the marque’s 116 year history. Unprecedented levels of creativity, craft and imagination have brought the unique visions of the marque’s global patrons to life. Almost every one of the record 5,152 motor cars created in 2019 was respectfully tailored by this Bespoke division.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “I am proud to say that the craftsmen and women of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have surpassed themselves once again in creating an array of extraordinary motor cars, tailored to the requirements of some of the most influential and discerning individuals in the world. These motor cars become unique works of art and it is an extraordinary feat when you consider that each and every single one of these unique commissions has been created on one production line at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex – the skills of these individuals knows no bounds.”
What follows is an overview of some of the finest examples of Bespoke design and craftsmanship completed by the luxury house throughout 2019.
Bayside Dawn Aero Cowling
Canvas: Dawn | Medium: Aero Cowling
Following the arrival of the Dawn Aero Cowling in 2018, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars paid tribute to the sea with the Bayside Dawn Aero Cowling. Commissioned by a customer in Yokohama, Japan, this maritime-themed Bespoke motor car paid homage to their seafaring home city.
This one-off model drew inspiration from yachts and speedboats, combining both technical and natural materials. Open-pore teak Canadel paneling, reminiscent of a yacht’s deck, is matched with cutting-edge technical fibre. The rear deck complements exterior paint and interior leather colors, evoking the blue seas and white sails associated with the finest traditions of Yokohama Bay.
Falcon Wraith
Canvas: Wraith | Medium: Embroidery, Paint
The Falcon Wraith features the most detailed single embroidery to ever appear in a Rolls-Royce motor car. An intricate embroidery of a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird in the world, is interpreted in photo-realistic detail amongst clouds on Wraith’s headlining. Consisting of nearly 250,000 stitches, the dramatic embroidery took more than one month to develop.
A unique coachline in Arctic White hints at the form of the bird’s wing, with the motif additionally embroidered between the rear seats and painted onto the Wraith’s fascia.
The Million Stitch Rolls-Royce
Canvas: Phantom | Medium: Embroidery
A Stockholm-based entrepreneur with a passion for flowers challenged the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective to create a car that immersed its occupants in floral decadence. The result was the ‘Rose Phantom’, a vision made with a million embroidered stitches.
The starting point was a rose bred exclusively for Rolls-Royce by Harkness Roses. The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England is the only place in the world where this rose is grown.
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.
Inside, the marque’s fabled starlight headliner illuminates the floral scene, with roses interspersed with Peacock and Adonis Blue butterflies. As a centerpiece of the interior, Phantom’s Gallery is adorned by stems of embroidered roses climbing through the glass fronted fascia.
Digital Soul Phantom
Canvas: Phantom | Medium: Additive Manufacturing, Gold Plating, Gold Inlays
The Digital Soul Phantom is a study in contemporary artisanship; a fusion of human endeavour and computer-generated design. At the heart of this Carrara White with Smokey Quartz two-tone Phantom is a Gallery created by Product Designer Thorsten Franck. An individual’s characteristics are interpreted by an algorithm which translates the data into a swathe of 3D-printed stainless steel. This is then hand-polished and plated in 24-carat gold, resulting in a unique artwork that embodies jewellery, sculpture and architecture.
Gold detailing embellishes the interior of the motor car, with Gold inlays set by hand in Smoked Eucalyptus wood and gold-plated speaker grilles concluding the aesthetic.
The Arabian Gulf Phantom
Canvas: Phantom | Medium: Embroidery, Paint
The Arabian Gulf Phantom adopts the rich colors 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 forms the basis for the car’s design.
A sculpted silk appliqué Gallery by British Artist Helen Amy Murray takes center stage across the motor car’s fascia. Reminiscent of swelling oceans, the Turchese Gallery is punctuated by a Mother of Pearl clock.
Pebble Beach Pastel Collection
Canvas: Ghost, Dawn, Wraith | Medium: Paint, Technical Fibre
The Pastel Collection, showcased at Pebble Beach, drew upon a palette of colors from 2019’s ‘wildflower super-bloom’ on California’s Monterey Peninsula. Three unique Black Badge commissions brought new colors to the Rolls-Royce Bespoke palette, reaffirming the notion that a Rolls-Royce Black Badge need not necessarily be black.
The Ghost Black Badge featured a Light Green Solid finish; The Dawn Black Badge, in Coral Solid, showcased a stunning Bespoke finish only achieved after seven coats of paint and more than nine hours of hand-polishing; and the Wraith Black Badge in Semaphore Yellow, a bright and sunny finish for the most powerful member of the Rolls-Royce family.
Tranquillity Collection
Canvas: Phantom | Medium: Meteorite, Space Grade Aluminium, Gold Plate
Named and crafted to celebrate the feeling of euphoric tranquillity one achieves within Phantom, this unique motor car is a curation of objects and inspirations from worlds beyond earthly bounds.
Tranquillity’s Gallery is inspired by the X-Ray coded aperture masks used on the British Skylark space rocket. The Gallery is made from stainless steel, 24-carat gold plating and space grade aluminum.
For the first time in Rolls-Royce history, meteorite has been incorporated into the interior of a car. Shavings of the Muonionalusta meteorite, which fell to earth in Kiruna, Sweden in 1906, adorn the Volume Controller, with a detailed engraving of the location and date of its discovery.
Inspired by the light and dark sides of the Moon, the interior colorway of Arctic White or Selby Grey leather integrates unique veneer combinations of gloss and satin, both with an exclusive metallic effect. Bespoke Audio speaker frets are finished in yellow gold, complementing the additional gold elements throughout the car.
To learn more visit www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com. Photos courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
