17 January 2018

Rolls-Royce shares Bespoke models from 2017

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has shared the finest examples of bespoke design and craftsmanship to be completed by the luxury house over the past 12 months. The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke department is a collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople who bring patrons’ most ambitious and personal visions to reality. Today, almost every motor car made by Rolls-Royce is bespoke.

According to the company, 2017 was the year that Rolls-Royce elevated its Bespoke initiative to unprecedented new levels, resulting in one of the most significant years for the Bespoke department in the 114-year history of the brand.

Sweptail

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Sweptail.

Rolls-Royce Sweptail premiered in 2017, draws on the lineage of 1920s and 1930s Rolls-Royce motor cars. The client’s vision was for a coach-built two seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof.

The grille, milled from solid aluminium, presents a distinct formality. The side profile of Sweptail defines its stately character, whilst the rear taper of the motor car pays homage to the world of racing yachts. The rear culminates in the registration number 08, milled from ingots of aluminium and hand-polished to a mirror finish.

Phantom and The Gallery

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Thorsten Franck Bespoke Phantom Gallery.

This new Rolls-Royce Phantom has at the heart of its design aesthetic The Gallery, a contemporary and luxury reinterpretation of a motor car’s dashboard and instrument panel.

An application of glass runs uninterrupted across the fascia, providing an unprecedented opportunity to present artwork within a car.

Dawn and Wraith at Porto Cervo

Two motor cars were created in honour of the 2017 Rolls-Royce Summer Studio, Porto Cervo, Sardinia in Italy. A bespoke Dawn drophead coupé and a Wraith Black Badge were commissioned to encapsulate the essence of the island.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Porto Cervo motif in sapphires and mother of pearl, in the Dawn.

Dawn adopted a nautical theme, evoking emotions of a Mediterranean sojourn. The Porto Cervo motif, encrusted with genuine sapphires and mother of pearl, is embedded into the front fascia of the motor car. Navy blue and arctic white hues complement an expanse of teak, including the decking and floor.

The Porto Cervo Wraith emulates Sardinia’s night time ambience. A two-tone Diamond Black exterior is contrasted with gloss and matte paint applications, while black woven leather door panniers infer Wraith Black Badge’s dark and complex character.

Spirit of Calligraphy Ghost

A special one-off commission unveiled in Dubai, UAE in 2017, the Bespoke Spirit of Calligraphy Ghost draws its design inspiration from the art of Arabic calligraphy. Words are harmoniously moulded into shapes called calligrams, creating a unique effect where text and image become one.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Detail of calligraphy motif, Spirit of Calligraphy Ghost.

Sir Henry Royce’s words “Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it”, in their Arabic form are shaped into Rolls-Royce’s flying mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy. The calligram, created by artist Khaled Al Saaei, features as a silver inlay on the centre panel and as embroidery on the rear centre seat, amidst an array of Turchese, Black and Arctic White leathers.

Ghost Elegance

Commissioned for an individual collector, the Ghost Elegance is the first motor car to be finished in a paint infused with diamonds. Named Diamond Stardust, the unique paint incorporates 1,000 diamonds crushed to form a very fine powder, giving the finished panels unmatched lustre and sparkle.
Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Ghost Elegance.
The flanks of the car are highlighted with Mugello Red and Black twin coachlines, reflected inside with black leather seats and accents in Mugello Red, carried through stitching on the doors and piping on the seats. The detailed fascia of smooth open-pore Tudor Oak veneer is also complemented with a Mugello Red single stitch along the top of the dashboard, and finished with a Bespoke clock.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Dawn in Fuxia.

Dawn in Fuxia
In 2017, US collector Michael Fux was presented with his 10th Bespoke model from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Following a visit to Pebble Beach, US in 2016, where he collected a cluster of fuchsia petals, he challenged the Bespoke team at Goodwood - the home of Rolls-Royce - with a commission to bring a new colour to Dawn.

Dawn in Fuxia represents a unique hue to the Rolls-Royce Colour Collection, and is reserved exclusively for Fux. His most recent commission is his second Dawn, having collected the first – in one-off Fux Blue – in 2016. Reminiscent of that car, the interior of Dawn in Fuxia is trimmed in Arctic White leather.

Dawn B50 for Hotel Byblos

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez, France in 2017, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed the Dawn B50, a Bespoke car inspired by the warmth and vibrancy of the Côte d'Azur.

Commissioned by the Hotel Byblos as the automotive Jewel of Saint-Tropez, the Dawn B50 has two dominant exterior colours. The combination was developed exclusively to celebrate the hotel’s anniversary, along with bespoke door treadplates and a unique hand-painted coachline on each side bearing the B50 logo. The sophisticated interior takes inspiration from the Mediterranean sun, with tangerine tones that accentuate the dashboard and echo the stitching across the seat upholstery and floor mats.

A special Silver Dawn

Prominently displayed at the Home of Rolls-Royce is a very rare 1952 Silver Dawn. It was sold new to a customer in Canada, and in 2017 a commission for a new Dawn from the same country led to a homage to this particular car in its 65th anniversary year.

Finished in two-tone Midnight Sapphire and Jubilee Silver, the new Dawn closely emulates the original finishes of the 1952 motor car, with a Bespoke painted coachline, broken for the first time on a Rolls-Royce. Inside, Selby Grey and Navy leather are combined with Crossbanded Walnut Burr veneer, closely matched to the original. The finishing touches include a Bespoke clock with 1952 lettering and a Spirit of Ecstasy veneer inlay.

Inspiration from South Korea

The Bespoke Collection for Korea embraces the aesthetic heritage of South Korea with contemporary flair. The Ghost Seoul Edition reflects colours that grace the country’s Taegukgi national flag, finished in bright Andalusian White with a twin coachline in Cobalto Blue and Mugello Red – along with a handpainted Bespoke motif that captures the silhouette of the iconic Namsan Seoul Tower. Inside, the black leather upholstery is complemented by contrasting bands in Arctic White, as well as blue and red highlights for stitching and piping.

The Wraith Busan Edition is inspired by the hues of the coastal city of the same name, with a two-tone exterior in Royal Blue and Jubilee Silver that conjures up the shimmering sea. The rear pillar motif echoes the delicate latticework of traditional Korean hanok screen doors, and is also carried inside the car across the dashboard. Emulating the dusk sky across nearby mountains, a single coachline in Blushing Pink draws attention to the shoulder line. The colour is also applied to the seat stitching, instrument panel and RR headrest monograms inside, as a flourish to the Selby Grey and Cobalto Blue upholstery.