The Spirit of Expression: Rolls-Royce Style
In honour of the Spirit of Expression, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unleashed three bespoke beasts that are as much art as they are car: Ghost Extended, Phantom Extended, and Spectre, fresh out of the oven from the Private Office Shanghai.
Each of these creations capture the essence of exotic locales like a camera on wheels. From the vibrant hues of South America to the serene sands of Sicily, and even the sunsets of Boracay Island.
First up, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended ‘Magnetism’ draws inspiration from the ambiance of a beach bay under the night sky with its two-tone exterior coachwork in Cala Luna Sand and Kabira Blue. Inside, the celestial concept is brought into technicolor with a complex Starlight Headliner: 768 Galileo Blue and 576 White hand-placed ‘stars’ make up the motif, which becomes animated by a further eight ‘shooting stars’.
The rear waterfall is adorned with an intricate expression of the celestial motif inlaid in stainless steel. The motif also appears on the Gallery artwork, which is embroidered in Arctic White thread on a Navy Blue canvas using satin stitch technique. In total, the Gallery piece comprises 43,096 stitches, carefully placed to make the most of the interplay between light and shadow on the textured surface. The motif is also referenced on the passenger panel.
The bold colorway of Spectre ‘Escapism’ meanwhile draws on the tropics of South America. The two-tone exterior is finished in celebratory Lantana Red, referencing the vivid red tones of the Lantana Flower, believed to bring good luck, while the upper section and coachline are rendered in a more subdued Tempest Grey.
Inside, the interior is presented in Selby Grey, Purple Silk, and Sunset leathers. Sunset is also selected for seat piping, contrast stitching, and headrest monograms. Above, the Starlight Headliner features 960 fibre-optic ‘stars’ in the Sunset hue, completed with eight white ‘shooting stars’, formed with 192 fibre-optic lights. The Obsidian Ayous veneer extends to the spokes of the Purple Silk steering-wheel, which is complemented by purple instrument dials.
And last but not least, the expressive nature of the Rolls-Royce Ghost is unleashed with the ‘Boracay Blue’ exterior colour of the ‘Expressionism’ commission, evoking the sunsets over Boracay Island. This vivid Bespoke colour captures unique hues witnessed during the transition from sunset to twilight when the sky appears to become one with the Sulu Sea. This is accentuated with a single hand-painted Lime Green Coachline, subtly referencing Boracay Island’s rich, tropical flora, and fauna. The exterior is resolved with part-polished 21-inch alloy wheels incorporating Orbit Grey centres and Lime Green pinstripes, shod in White pinstripe tyres.
Inside, the seats are trimmed with Black and Arctic White leather with Lime Green accents. The latter hue also appears in the seat and door piping, contrast stitching, and headrest monograms.
The inner door pockets are embroidered with a celestial motif, rendered in Lime Green. To add texture and depth to this elegant expression of contemporary craft, the marque’s artisans used two different, contrasting stitching techniques. By carefully alternating the direction and angle of the stitch, the embroidery accentuates the curve of the pocket, creating a subtle three-dimensional effect. A total of 104,268 stitches are used across all four doors.
And of course, the Starlight Headliner is present and this time presented in a vivid, abstract wave pattern, like silk in the wind, mimicking the embroidered pattern on the doors. The design is created with 520 Lime Green and 520 White ‘stars’ with eight White ‘shooting stars’ that follow the curvature of the design.