PressClub Canada · Article.
TRUE LUXURY IS PERSONAL: ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS’ YEAR IN BESPOKE
Thu Jan 12 10:53:00 CET 2017 Press Release
From the inception of the marque 113 years ago, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has stood alone in serving the world’s wealthy and influential an exquisite blank canvas from which to express their tastes, lifestyles and passions.
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From the inception of the marque 113 years ago, Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars has stood alone in serving the world’s wealthy and influential an
exquisite blank canvas from which to express their tastes, lifestyles
and passions. Where once this fell to independent coachbuilders, the
execution of the most deeply held desires of the most discerning
patrons of luxury in the world is now performed by the marque’s
Bespoke department, a collective of extraordinary designers, engineers
and craftspeople at the marque’s centre of excellence in Goodwood,
England. Today, practically every motor car that leaves the Home of
Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England is Bespoke. What follows is a small
snapshot of some of 2016’s finest examples of Bespoke design and craftsmanship.
This approach is driven by Rolls-Royce’s founding belief that
true luxury houses must intimately understand their patrons to execute
their boldest visions at the hands of master craftspeople. True luxury
is therefore deeply personal and commissioning a Rolls-Royce a process
more akin to the creation of a work of art. For our customers, it is
an act of patronage.
It is this commitment to empowering its patrons to create the
world’s finest objects in their own image that defines Rolls-Royce’s
position as a true luxury house. A philosophy exquisitely expressed
throughout 2016, a remarkable year of creative endeavour for the
marque’s Bespoke department.
“Rolls-Royce patrons live in a world beyond material
acquisition, indeed they seek to commission, curate and collect. This
is why they come to houses like Rolls-Royce to commission deeply
personal luxury items, knowing this will be executed at the hands of
the world’s most skilled artisans. In commissioning these
extraordinary objects in close collaboration with our designers they
create a timeless legacy, often profoundly inspired by the most
important moments in their lives,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief
Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Rolls-Royce will never stray from
this path, ensuring the precious relationship between patron, house
and artisan is never derogated by proliferation. This unique approach
is beautifully expressed in just a small collection of some of the
remarkable commissions executed at our centre of global excellence in 2016.”
Phantom Zenith Collection
Naturally, in its final year of production
connoisseurs and collectors were moved to commission stunning examples
of the seventh generation Phantom – these promise to take pride of
place in some of the most significant collections in the world.
As Phantom Coupé and Phantom Drophead Coupé prepared to leave
the stage in 2016, the marque’s patrons were invited to commission
just 25 final examples of each body-style. These stunning motor cars
elegantly celebrated the manner in which these extraordinary motor
cars augment the lifestyles of the most discerning patrons of luxury
in the world. In hallmark Rolls-Royce style, every possible comfort
was considered. For example, enhancements to the rear-split tailgate
included a meticulously engineered and crafted glass-shelf from which
to serve champagne, whilst the luggage compartment proved the perfect
staging point for a civilised rest-stop when touring. Flourishes like
the addition of champagne fridge, large enough to hold two bottles and
eight Rolls-Royce glasses served to demonstrate Rolls-Royce’s unique
understanding of its patrons.
As a final touch, the central fascia drawer is used to house a
priceless memento signifying each car’s status as one of the very
last. On opening, owners discover a removable polished aluminium case,
laser engraved with their motor car’s unique identification number
surrounded with a beautiful application of Best English Blacking – a
technique most commonly associated with fine gun-making. Within this
sits a piece of automotive history, not attainable by any other means;
a single piece of the seventh generation Phantom’s Assembly Line at
the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. This remarkable
collectors’ piece is completed with the expression of co-ordinates,
stating the exact part of the Assembly Line from where the metal was extracted.
Extraordinary detail and application – The Peace and Glory Phantom
One of the final Bespoke commissions of the seventh
generation Phantom Extended Wheelbase was crafted for an entrepreneur
in the Far East, showcasing the ingenuity and application of the
marque’s craftspeople through the art of embroidery. In this instance,
they exquisitely replicate the pattern of tiger fur in the rear centre
console. Beyond that, this stunning example features a wealth of
unique interior fittings, echoed with a subtle gold coachline and
motifs on the Madeira Red exterior. The cabin of this Phantom is
furnished in a two-tone design of Moccasin and Fawn Brown leather, and
is embellished with multiple personalised motifs stitched into the
hide and laid into the veneer, all by hand. Bespoke white instrument
dials contrast with a Consort Red steering wheel rim – elegantly
expressing the breadth of colour palette at the disposal of the
marque’s patrons when creating truly unique Bespoke commissions.
The ‘Blue Magpie’ Phantom Drophead Coupé
Cultural emblems and stories so often inform the
vision of the marque’s patrons, as beautifully displayed in this
commission by a gentleman in Taiwan. This elegant Phantom Drophead
Coupé was one of the very last built and incorporates a number of
Bespoke features of regional significance. The exterior is finished in
Silverlake with an Andalusian White bonnet and an engraved Spirit of
Ecstasy in gold. Hints of gold are also incorporated in the Bespoke
twin coachlines and the pinstripes circling the wheel centres. The
headrests are embroidered with an illustration of the blue magpie, a
bird which can only be found in the owner’s homeland of Taiwan, while
Mother of Pearl inlays sit within the veneers, instrument dials, clock
and control knobs. Attention to detail even extends to the floor of
the car’s luggage compartment, which is is uniquely finished in teak
with white maple inserts.
Dawn, Ghost and Wraith… a wider palette
Dawn, Ghost and Wraith equally serve as the perfect
canvas for the most discerning patrons of luxury in the world. This
has driven Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke department to its most successful and
creative year in history.
The invention of colour – Mr Fux’s Pebble Beach Dawn
US collector Michael Fux, a connoisseur collector,
delights in challenging Rolls-Royce’s designers and craftspeople to
develop truly unique materials, hues and features. The results serve
as some of the boldest and most emblematic examples of Bespoke design
ever executed at the marque’s centre of excellence in Goodwood. When
Mr Fux came to commission his first Dawn for handover at Pebble Beach,
he came to develop his very own colour, dubbed ‘Fux Blue’, which will
remain reserved for his exclusive use. The stunning exterior shade is
complemented by a blue hood in the same tone, in contrast to the
Arctic White rear deck and fittings to the interior. In order to
ensure perfect sartorial harmony, the marque’s designers clothed the
entire interior including steering wheel, instrument panel cowling and
interior veneers in Artic White, creating a truly unique and
contemporary aesthetic.
‘Dusk until Dawn’ at Porto Cervo
To mark the beginning of the 2016 summer season with
the opening of the Rolls-Royce Summer Studio in Porto Cervo the
Bespoke team created unique examples of both Wraith and Dawn. The
dusk-inspired Wraith is finished in subtle two-tone Premiere and
Jubilee Silver paintwork. When the doors are opened an exquisitely
vibrant interior is revealed. A combination of Tailored Purple, Purple
Silk and Powder Blue leather draws on visual highlights in the sky
above Sardinia. The exotic fringes of Porto Cervo’s nightlife are
reflected in the use of luxurious and supple Ostrich leather on the
centre consoles and door panniers.
Porto Cervo’s location on the Costa Smeralda provided natural
colour cues and visual inspiration for the accompanying Dawn. The
exterior is painted in lustrous Emerald Green, with matching interior
accents complementing the Seashell leather. Open-pore teak panelling
throughout the cabin is enhanced by a Bespoke piece of jewellery that
adorns the display lid, with Emerald stones and Mother of Pearl set
into white gold to form a jewelled graphic reminiscent of a compass rose.
Sounding the perfect note – Rolls-Royce Inspired by the Greats
Again, it is deeply held passions that serve as the
inspiration for a stunning collection of motor cars. Commissioned by a
Rolls-Royce dealer in the Middle East, this collection celebrates the
work of the great classical composers.
This Ghost features a monochromatic exterior design, embellished
with a striking coachline that incorporates the clef-like motif. The
motif is echoed throughout the cabin, adorned on the clock, laid into
the wood and stitched into the headrests. A particularly elegant
Bespoke feature is the Barrel Oak veneer dashboard panel, with a
‘folded back’ design that reveals Dark Ebony woodwork beneath,
inscribed using the art of marquetry with the exact musical notation
from the patrons favourite piece.
A nautical Dawn for Pebble Beach
For many of the marque’s patrons, a Bespoke
Rolls-Royce serves to celebrate a long-held passion.Taking inspiration
from the designs of high-performance yachts, a nautical-themed Dawn
was commissioned by a Floridian and delivered to her at the 2016
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Finished in a two-tone combination
of Arctic White with a Midnight Sapphire windscreen surround and
bonnet, the sleek convertible mimics the high-contrast appearance of a
superyacht, complemented by a teak rear deck and ‘Canadel’ teak
interior panels. The Bespoke cabin clock is inspired by its patron’s
favourite watch. As well as referencing the Pebble Beach handover, the
treadplate completes the nautical theme, showing the four
international maritime signal flags that spell out ‘Dawn’.