Rolls-Royce Enters the Dragon
You probably will have noticed by this stage of the magazine that this is the Year of Dragon. While Swiss watch brands have done a pretty good job of a bit of horological celebration, Rolls-Royce has entered the stage with a loud mic drop and four magnificent fiery beasts to pay a serious nod to the Lunar New Year.
Each a magnificent celebration of Chinese cultural heritage, these rare and beautiful masterpieces, three Phantom Extended limousines and one Cullinan SUV have been given the dragon treatment for clients across the globe. And forget those fire-breathing monsters from childhood fairy tales; these dragons embody power, prosperity, and good fortune, and Rolls-Royce has captured their essence via the many elements that go into a bespoke build.
The pièce de résistance of each of these rolling masterpieces is the fascia panel. Imagine a single artist, armed with nothing but a paintbrush and an ungodly amount of talent, spending over two weeks bringing a dragon to life with strokes of red paint. And this is just any red, mind you. It’s a symphony of hues, layered with the kind of meticulous detail that would have made Michelangelo reconsider his life choices. The result is a 3D effect so realistic that the artwork appears to have been carved into the fascia.
And speaking of detail, the dragon’s sinuous form is stitched into the headrests with Phoenix Red thread, contrasting starkly against the leather. Each of these 5,449 stitches is a testament to the craftsmanship that makes Rolls-Royce the first and last words in luxury. From the discreet dragon motif elegantly depicted in Phoenix Red stitching on the headrests to the Bespoke Starlight Headliner featuring 677 individually placed fibre-optic ‘stars’ forming an abstract dragon motif, no stone has been left unturned in capturing the essence of this mythical creature.
Moving outside, each car is decked out in colourways that would make a peacock hide in shame including duotone Cherry Red with Crystal finish over Selby Grey and a two-tone Silver and Cherry Red for the Phantom Extended motor car commissions. And of course, no Rolls-Royce creation would be complete without the hand-painted Phoenix Red dragon motif subtly incorporated into the coachline, symbolically representing the East – the direction of the rising sun.
In short, the ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke commissions are Rolls-Royce at its flamboyant best. They’re a celebration of art, culture, and the sheer, unadulterated joy of creating something as unnecessary as it is magnificent. Driving one of these beasts isn’t just about getting from A to B; it’s about making a statement that’s as loud and clear as a thunderclap. And that statement is, “I have arrived, and I’ve brought a dragon.”
