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PHANTOM GOLDFINGER MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE FOR NAMEPLATE’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

June 3, 2025 No Comments

PHANTOM GOLDFINGER MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE FOR NAMEPLATE’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated the 100th anniversary of Phantom, the marque’s most famous nameplate, at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Italy, on 24 May 2025.
Rolls-Royce chose this exclusive gathering for the worldwide public debut of Phantom Goldfinger, presented on the Grand Hotel’s renowned Mosaic Lawn on the shore of Lake Como. The striking one-of-one Phantom Extended pays homage to the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger – one of twelve Rolls-Royce appearances in the 007 film franchise.
Revealed in 2024, the film’s 60th anniversary year, the motor car takes inspiration from the 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville owned by the title’s eponymous villain, Auric Goldfinger, which was also shown at the event. The story of this motor car and the film is masterfully explored in Phantom Goldfinger, which includes 18- and 24-carat gold detailing, cinematic references, and intricate storytelling elements inspired by the film’s characters, locations and themes.
Further celebrating the centenary of Phantom, an exhibition of eight original artworks charted the evolution of Phantom’s design, and the world it has both inhabited and shaped over the past 100 years. Designers at Goodwood created the series, each capturing a different Phantom generation in the artistic style of its era. The settings of each piece also reflect the influence Phantom has exerted over its ten decades, and the many roles it has played and guises it has assumed.
Guests and media from around the world also witnessed the gathering’s opening parade, which included an immaculately presented example of Phantom V. This celebrated generation of the marque’s flagship motor car has been owned and loved by some of the most significant cultural and political figures in modern history, a reminder of Phantom’s role as a symbol of power, influence, and leadership.
Amid a year of heightened cultural and luxury activity across Italy, the debut of Phantom Goldfinger and the celebration of Phantom’s centenary at the event became a defining expression of Bespoke artistry and enduring cultural significance. This moment reflects not only Phantom’s remarkable legacy but also its ongoing power to inspire, captivate and lead as it enters a new century.

“The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is the perfect setting for Rolls-Royce, as both this gathering and our marque celebrate the motor car as an object of art, craftsmanship and cultural expression. In this exceptional location, we are proud to make the public debut of Phantom Goldfinger, a remarkable expression of our Bespoke capabilities and a powerful tribute to a film cherished by the client. To have the original 1937 model, which featured in the film and inspired this motor car, displayed at the event makes this moment even more special. Presenting these exquisite Phantoms and original artworks created by our designers in tribute to the nameplate in its centenary year is a fitting celebration of our pinnacle motor car.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub.

PJE

MODELS OF THE MARQUE – 2004 – PRESENT: THE GOODWOOD-ERA ‘EX’ EXPERIMENTAL CARS

Unlike the rest of the ‘Models of the Marque’ series, this final instalment considers a highly significant group of Rolls-Royce motor cars, rather than a single model that represents the decade in which it was first launched.

“Experimental models have always played a significant role in the history of Rolls-Royce. Immediately identifiable by the ‘EX’ designation, the line began with 1EX in 1919, and continued for almost 40 years, ending with 45EX in 1958. In the Goodwood era, we’ve maintained the tradition with our own EX motor cars, the first of which, 100EX, was unveiled in 2004, barely a year after production began at the Home of Rolls-Royce. Experimental models are not and never have been concept cars at Rolls-Royce; they have always been fully functioning vehicles, offering our designers and engineers the opportunity for real-world innovation. They have been used to demonstrate new components and engineering techniques, including entirely new drivetrain technologies, as well as pushing the boundaries of exterior and interior design. Though every EX model is unique, they all uphold the Rolls-Royce philosophy of respecting the past while constantly focusing on the future. Thus, they are the perfect subjects on which to conclude this landmark heritage series.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce engineers designed and built numerous experimental cars up to the late 1950s. In 1927, for example, they created 15EX, 16EX, and 17EX in a bid to develop a lightweight sports variant of Phantom. All of the EX models featured below were conceived and crafted in the post-2003 Goodwood era, during the marque’s modern renaissance at the Home of Rolls-Royce. Some progressed to full production, while others were created as bold statements of intent, embodying the marque’s vision for the future of luxury mobility. The drivetrains, batteries and other systems prototyped in the all-electric models were ground-breaking in their own right, and laid the foundations for the subsequent development of Spectre.
Like their predecessors, all Goodwood-era experimental cars are designated ‘EX’ and bear the red ‘Double-R’ badge reserved exclusively for these pioneering models.

100EX, 2004
In March 2004, Rolls-Royce unveiled 100EX at the Geneva Motor Show. Coming just 15 months after the start of production of the new Phantom VII at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, it was a remarkable technical achievement, and a fitting way to commemorate the marque’s centenary year.
Like Phantom VII, 100EX was built on a lightweight aluminium spaceframe and featured some of the same meticulously engineered components to deliver the marque’s signature Magic Carpet Ride. The chassis was shorter by 165mm (6.5in) and 71mm (3in) lower, and Phantom’s 6.75-litre V12 engine was replaced with a significantly larger 9-litre V16, 64-valve naturally aspirated unit. Most obviously, 100EX was not a closed, formal saloon, but an open-top, four-seat, two-door drophead.
The exterior design, intended to evoke a classic motor yacht at speed, featured a dynamic rise in the waistline over the rear wheels, and graceful lines sweeping up towards the front. In true nautical fashion, the tonneau cover, luggage compartment lining and rear passenger cabin were all finished in bleached teak decking.
The rear tapered into a boat-tail style that would inspire a suite of Coachbuild masterpieces almost two decades later. The split ‘Countryman’ luggage compartment featured a separate lower tailgate which, when opened, provided a completely flat surface with inlaid fibre matting, ideal for picnics or as an elevated viewing platform.
The tailored roof was made from an innovative fabric incorporating fine metallic threads, and lined with a cashmere/wool blend. The folding mechanism was carefully designed so the roof could be concealed in an extremely small storage area, minimising intrusion into the luggage and passenger spaces.
100EX would later evolve into the fabled Phantom Drophead Coupé, launched in 2007 and now one of the rarest and most desirable models of the Goodwood era.

101EX, 2006
Two years later, the successor to 100EX made its debut, also at the Geneva Salon. With 101EX, Rolls-Royce designers set out to explore a potential design direction for a future coupé model. The result was a full four-seat coupé with twin coach doors, a lower roofline and shallower glass area than Phantom VII. The Pantheon grille was discreetly reclined and extended back across a brushed aluminium bonnet and windscreen surround. Though adopting the same aluminium spaceframe, 101EX was 240mm (9.45in) shorter than Phantom VII; this, combined with bodywork constructed from carbon fibre composite and the proven 6.75-litre V12 engine, gave it more of a performance and driver-focused character.
The interior featured the first example of what would become 101EX’s most enduring contribution to the Rolls-Royce design canon: the Starlight Headliner. Comprising hundreds of fibre-optic ‘stars’, it proved an instant sensation and is now among the most frequently commissioned Bespoke features within a Rolls-Royce motor car, with its own almost unlimited potential for Bespoke individualisation.
101EX would also find lasting fame as a series production motor car, providing the basis for the legendary Phantom (Fixed-Head) Coupé launched in 2008. Rarer even than its Drophead sibling, it was later succeeded by the Wraith grand tourer; in 2017, a one-off Phantom Coupé commission, ‘Sweptail’, ushered in a new era of contemporary coachbuilding at Goodwood.

200EX, 2009
Continuing what was now becoming an established tradition, Rolls-Royce once again chose the Geneva Motor Show to present 200EX in March 2009. Unlike 100EX and 101EX, it was explicitly intended to enter production, and served as a design study for a contemporary four-door saloon due for launch the following year.
The designers’ brief for 200EX was to create ‘a modern, lithe and dynamic Rolls-Royce bearing all the hallmarks of the great cars that had gone before it: effortless performance, unparalleled refinement, exquisite quality and confident design’.
Accordingly, 200EX was more dynamic and noticeably less formal than Phantom, with dimensions and styling clearly designed to broaden the brand’s appeal to an emerging, younger audience. The exterior was dominated by large, uninterrupted surfaces, with finely sculptured horizontal lines adding definition and geometric precision; the powerful shoulders and flanks narrowed sharply as they flowed from the rear wings to the taillights. The edges of the Pantheon grille curved inwards, with the vanes set back within the opening to give it a more dynamic form. Inside, the fascia was deliberately clear, spacious and intuitive, with important functions emphasised by chrome accents.
200EX was, of course, the basis for the first-generation Ghost, formally launched in 2010. Having shaped a new chapter in the marque’s story, it concluded its first-generation journey in 2019, becoming the most commercially successful model in Rolls-Royce’s history.

102EX, 2011
In 2011, Rolls-Royce produced a motor car that perfectly embodied the pioneering ‘EX’ spirit. Yet another Geneva Motor Show debutant, 102EX was a one-off Phantom with a full electric drivetrain, designed to gather customer insights to inform alternative propulsion systems for future Rolls-Royce motor cars.
Also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric (EE), 102EX broke new ground as the world’s first super-luxury battery electric vehicle (BEV). As well as providing a testbed for the new technology, a crucial part of its mission was to garner opinions and reactions from owners, enthusiasts, members of the public and the media regarding electric power. From Geneva, 102EX embarked on a global tour, taking in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, giving people the opportunity to experience an alternative drivetrain technology and provide feedback directly to Rolls-Royce engineers.
Before setting off, 102EX underwent exhaustive laboratory testing at the world-renowned Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) facility in Warwickshire to assess battery performance in extremes of humidity and temperature. These showed that the motor car could be driven normally in relative humidity as low as 30% – the average reading in Las Vegas, for example – and, in theory at least, temperatures of up to 500°C.
The real-world technical and user data gathered by 102EX on its epic journey would be instrumental in the development of Spectre, and the fulfilment of Charles Rolls’ prophecy, made in 1900, that electricity would, one day, provide the ideal means of propulsion for luxury motor cars.

103EX, 2016
Before the advent of Spectre in 2021, however, Rolls-Royce had already taken another significant step towards making Rolls’ far-sighted prediction a reality. The marque’s parent company, BMW Group, celebrated its own centenary in 2016 by commissioning a special ‘Vision Vehicle’ from each of its brands. For Rolls-Royce, the year also marked the end of production of Phantom VII, pending its replacement in 2017.
The marque’s Vision Vehicle, debuting at a special event at London’s Roundhouse, was 103EX, designed to ‘define the future of luxury mobility’. Hand-built using the most advanced materials, and powered by a zero-emissions powertrain, it offered a glimpse of a future in which Rolls-Royce offered clients a completely personal, effortless and autonomous experience, built around three innovative elements.
The passenger cabin, dubbed ‘The Grand Sanctuary’, surrounded occupants with precious and contemporary materials carefully chosen to create a feeling of lightness, simplicity and effortless elegance. The seats were replaced with an opulent sofa, which, thanks to artful lighting, appeared to ‘float’ within the cocoon of the cabin.
At 5.9m (19.36ft) long and 1.6m (5.25ft) high – the same dimensions as Phantom Extended Wheelbase – 103EX guaranteed a grand arrival for its owner. For the first time, the Spirit of Ecstasy was made in glass and illuminated from below; the Pantheon grille was also reimagined, and graced with the red ‘Double-R’ badge traditionally reserved for EX cars.
As well as an all-electric powertrain, 103EX included other experimental technology providing a compelling glimpse into the marque’s vision for the future. A digital assistant called ‘Eleanor’ – named after Eleanor Thornton, believed to have been Charles Sykes’ muse for the original Spirit of Ecstasy figurine – provided not only fully autonomous driving, but also a digital connection between car and owner, foreshadowing today’s Whispers app.
Innovation and development are continuous processes at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. In the future, it is possible that the emergence of new technologies, materials and manufacturing methods may require exploration through the creation of dedicated experimental cars. If and when that happens, the next Rolls-Royce EX model will surely take its place in a unique, fascinating and ultimately transformative automotive dynasty.

CELEBRATING THE PAST, SHAPING THE FUTURE
Given their historical importance, and the length of time that has elapsed since they were made, the EX motor cars represent the first true ‘heritage’ models of the Goodwood era. They thus provide the perfect conclusion for this year-long retrospective of great motor cars from Rolls-Royce’s first 12 decades.
These experimental cars were far more than just technical essays and historical curiosities. Like their 20th Century forebears, they were all fully functioning vehicles and, as test beds for new components, engineering approaches and Bespoke features, they laid the foundations for Rolls-Royce’s renaissance and subsequent success. All the current Rolls-Royce product portfolio, as well as models no longer in production such as the first-generation Ghost, Dawn drophead, Wraith fastback and the Phantom Coupés, can trace their origins to one or more of these pioneering projects.
The EX programmes also gave designers and engineers the skills, experience and confidence to put Bespoke at the heart of Rolls-Royce’s offering, and paved the way for the revival of coachbuilding as a discrete, permanent service. It is in these capabilities, and their unmatched potential to create value both for clients and the business, that Rolls-Royce is now investing with its landmark extension at Goodwood.
The new facility is also designed to support production of the new generation of battery-electric motor cars. These will be crucial to boosting Rolls-Royce’s already significant contribution to the UK economy, which currently stands at over £500 million annually. Yet they will still owe much to lessons learned from 102EX and 103EX, thereby embodying Rolls-Royce’s proven approach of drawing on its rich heritage, without being bound by it, to inform and shape the future.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub.

PJE

THE GOODWOOD-ERA ‘EX’ EXPERIMENTAL CARS

April 22, 2025 No Comments

ROLLS-ROYCE PRESENTS PHANTOM CHERRY BLOSSOM: A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO THE BEAUTY OF TRANSIENCE

April 2, 2025 No Comments

ROLLS-ROYCE PRESENTS PHANTOM CHERRY BLOSSOM: A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO THE BEAUTY OF TRANSIENCE

As Sakura season arrives, blanketing various regions around the world in pink petals, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is proud to present Phantom Cherry Blossom. This magnificent one-of-one Phantom Extended commission is inspired by the fleeting beauty of the Sakura blooms and a Japanese client’s formative memories of this stunning natural spectacle.

“Cherry blossoms are cherished in Japan as a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life and the beauty of transience. With this magnificent commission, we translate an internationally renowned moment into our pinnacle motor car, Phantom, with exquisite embroidery comprising more than 250,000 stitches. For the first time at Rolls-Royce, we have applied three-dimensional embroidery that gives the falling flower petals a tactile, sculptural quality. Developed using ancient Japanese stitching techniques, this motor car represents a deeply personal memory for the client and demonstrates the power of Bespoke in uniting individual meaning, heritage craftsmanship and modern artistry.”
Martina Starke, General Manager, Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

As Sakura season arrives, blanketing various regions around the world in pink petals, Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars is proud to present Phantom Cherry Blossom. This magnificent one-of-one Phantom Extended commission is inspired by the fleeting beauty of the Sakura blooms and a Japanese client’s formative memories of this stunning natural spectacle.

In Japanese culture, cherry blossoms are a powerful symbol of nature’s rhythms, the arrival of spring and the beauty of impermanence. As Sakura blooms are short-lived, lasting only around a week, they serve as a poignant reminder to cherish the present and embrace life. This symbolism is deeply embedded in Japanese art, literature and philosophy.

Cherry blossoms are celebrated in the centuries-old tradition of ‘Hanami’, or ‘flower viewing’. During Hanami, families and friends gather beneath the delicate pink blooms of cherry trees for picnics and celebrations, relishing the transient beauty of the season.

A client in Japan wished to capture their cherished Hanami memories, spanning both childhood and parenthood. They wished to create their highly Bespoke Phantom as a legacy and experience to be passed down through the generations in their family, evoking the same spirit as Hanami itself.

PHANTOM CHERRY BLOSSOM: A BESPOKE VISION BROUGHT TO LIFE

The design for Phantom Cherry Blossom was conceived three years ago, when Rolls-Royce artisans met the commissioning client in Japan to fully understand their vision. This elegant, exquisitely detailed motor car is a stunning example of Bespoke artistry, not only expressing the client’s personal ambition but also the peerless skill and commitment of the Bespoke Collective. Now delivered to its proud custodian in Japan, this one-of-a-kind masterpiece is a true reflection of their individuality and passion.


FLORAL SANCTUARY: EXPANSIVE 250,000-STITCH EMBROIDERY

Inside the motor car, intricate embroidery captures the sensation of sitting beneath a flowering tree during Hanami, just as the client envisioned. A Bespoke Starlight Headliner is adorned with an embroidered cherry bough, sprinkled with delicate white blossoms. The falling petal embroidery appears on the rear door panels and Privacy Suite partition between the front and rear passenger compartments. The design and development of this remarkable expression of contemporary craft spanned more than six months. The headliner required three weeks alone to embroider and exceeds 250,000 stitches.

As light plays across this expansive embroidery, it reveals the intricate detail and ingenuity required to bring it to life. The rich thread texture of the embroidered cherry tree is achieved using an offset tatami stitch, inspired by the ancient Japanese weave technique.

The embroidered branches appear to be intertwining, growing over and under one another. To achieve this effect, a single artisan meticulously aligned 11 individually embroidered frame sections to create a single, seamless graphic rising from the rear of the motor car and flowing forward over the rear passengers.

Finally, the headliner is embroidered with cherry blossom flowers, formed of individual satin-stitch petals designed to capture the light at different angles with a jewel-like quality. The petals can be seen throughout the rear cabin, falling onto the doors and division of the motor car’s Privacy Suite.


ROLLS-ROYCE FIRST: SCULPTURAL 3D EMBROIDERY

In a Rolls-Royce first, the interior is completed with three-dimensional cherry petal embroidery. These tactile, sculptural details grace the division, creating a striking contrast to the classic stitchwork of the falling cherry petals on the doors.

Creating these three-dimensional embroideries required specialists to pioneer a new technique, where the thread is layered upon itself to form a self-supporting structure. Each petal is then shaped and sculpted into its final form by hand before being stitched into place, individually positioned to complement the interior lighting and create soft shadow effects.


FLORAL INSPIRATION: AN ELEGANT BESPOKE STATEMENT

Extending the Hanami theme, a falling petal motif appears on the inner lining of the Bespoke umbrellas, concealed within the motor car’s doors. The exterior also features a subtle reference to the theme; the Crystal over Arctic White coachwork incorporates a distinctive hand-painted coachline that elegantly tapers midway along the rear passenger door and features a delicate cherry blossom motif – an elegant preview of the artistry within.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub.

 

PJE

MODELS OF THE MARQUE – THE 2000s: THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM VII

March 26, 2025 No Comments

“For those of us working at the Home of Rolls-Royce today, Phantom VII is where it all began. The first motor car ever to be built at our Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence, it ushered in our modern era in 2003 and, in terms of design, engineering, craft and manufacturing, set the template for everything we’ve done since. Though it marked a decisive new beginning for the brand, echoes of earlier Rolls-Royce models are everywhere: from one angle you see Silver Shadow, from another Silver Cloud; and elsewhere an undeniable link to the coachbuilt limousines of earlier decades. Through these inherited traits, Phantom VII represented an up-to-the-minute interpretation of the traditional, formal British saloon. At the same time, it started completely new conversations in modern luxury, and the unlimited possibilities of Bespoke.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

At one minute past midnight on 1 January 2003, the Chairman & Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars handed the keys of the first Phantom VII to its new owner. The moment marked the beginning of a new era for the brand and was the culmination of a process dubbed ‘the last great adventure in automotive history’.
In 1998, BMW Group acquired the rights to manufacture Rolls-Royce motor cars. In less than five years, it had designed and constructed a new head office and manufacturing plant, and designed, tested and built an entirely new motor car worthy of the Rolls-Royce name – a timescale almost unprecedented in the industry.

THE REBIRTH OF A LEGEND
The design for Phantom VII was initially developed in a secret studio, discreetly located in a former bank building on the north side of London’s Hyde Park. For Chief Exterior Designer, Marek Djordjevic, the project was a dream come true. He was instructed to begin with a clean sheet of paper, and was given only three stipulations: the car, codenamed RR01, should have very large wheels; the famous radiator grille; and, of course, the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.
To understand the essence of what a Rolls-Royce should be, and the characteristics that made it so special and identifiable, Djordjevic turned to designs from the past for inspiration. Three in particular caught his eye: the classically elegant Silver Cloud; the contemporary, understated Silver Shadow; and above all, a coachbuilt Phantom II of the early 1930s.
The heritage Phantom provided him with classic Rolls-Royce signature elements that would profoundly inform the new model’s design: a roofline just over twice the height of the wheels; a long wheelbase, with the front wheels well to the fore and a minimal front overhang; a long bonnet, visually linked to the passenger cabin by an accent line of brightwork; and an imaginary line drawn rising from rear to front along the lower edge of the body, reminiscent of a motor yacht at speed – the famous ‘waft line’ still exhibited by every Rolls-Royce model today.

THE EPITOME OF COMFORT
Phantom VII was designed first and foremost around the comfort of its occupants – an overarching design approach known as the Authority Concept. The driving position provided a commanding view of the road ahead, with the primary controls intuitively positioned, in groups and shapes to make them operable by touch alone so the driver could keep their eyes on the road. Secondary controls were either concealed in compartments, such as the centre armrests, or operated by the Controller. A solid metal cylindrical dial, exposed by opening part of the front-seat armrest, the Controller took care of functions including communication, navigation, entertainment and the motor car’s setting configuration, all displayed on a rotating central fascia screen.
For rear-seat passengers, the Authority Concept manifested itself in wide, rear-hinged coach doors allowing them to enter and exit the cabin easily and decorously. Once inside, the doors closed with the touch of a button. The seats themselves were offered in a choice of configurations: ‘Individual’ with a fixed centre armrest and console; or ‘Theatre’ with a raisable armrest and angled side-bolsters permitting occupants to sit at a slight angle towards one another to aid conversation. The seats were also slightly higher than the front seats, so the passengers could see through the windscreen more easily – and admire the Spirit of Ecstasy proudly crowning the long sweep of the bonnet ahead.

WHERE PAST AND PRESENT MEET
While Phantom VII’s overall silhouette reflected traditional Rolls-Royce proportions, and its interior upheld the marque’s reputation for peerless comfort, its engineering and construction were at the leading edge of 21st Century technology.
Of all the engineering innovations introduced by Phantom VII, the most enduringly important was its construction method. Instead of the usual monocoque structure, in which the bodywork and frame are integrated into a single shell, Phantom VII was built on an aluminium spaceframe – a skeletal framework of some 200 extruded sections to which the suspension, engine and body panels are attached. This method is often used in racing and high-performance vehicles, owing to its superior strength-to-weight ratio. The Rolls-Royce version was also designed around the marque’s requirement for hand-built perfection; when measured from bumper to bumper, the length of every motor car built on it would be accurate to within 0.5mm. Achieving this precision required skilled craftspeople to hand-weld 150 metres of seams in 2,000 separate locations. The Phantom VII spaceframe provided the foundations for the contemporary Architecture of Luxury, which underpins every model built at the Home of Rolls-Royce today.

EXTENDING ITS INFLUENCE
The Architecture of Luxury harnesses another key benefit of the spaceframe. Infinitely scalable and modifiable, it gives Rolls-Royce engineers and designers the freedom to create motor cars of different shapes and dimensions on the same underpinnings. Today, that remarkable flexibility is demonstrated in models as diverse as Spectre and Cullinan; but the original Phantom VII spaceframe provided the first example of this adaptability.
At the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, Rolls-Royce unveiled an experimental car, 100EX. Four inches shorter than Phantom VII, it was a two-door drophead coupe, with a V16 cylinder engine and a fabric hood concealed by marine-style bleached teak decking, inspired by the classic J-Class racing yacht of the 1930s. It was so well received that a production version, with a V12 engine, was approved; Phantom Drophead Coupé, as it was known, is now one of the rarest and most desirable motor cars of the entire Goodwood era.
The following year, Rolls-Royce launched Phantom VII Extended Wheelbase (EWB), in which the chassis was lengthened by 250mm (9.8in) to create additional space in the rear cabin.
In 2006, another experimental Phantom, 101EX, appeared at Geneva. This was a fixed-head coupé based on the Drophead, and was the first to feature the Starlight Headliner now seen on almost every Rolls-Royce motor car. The Phantom Coupé also became a series production car, again in extremely limited numbers.

A NEW POWER RISING
Another link to the past was provided by the engine. Rolls-Royce had used a V12 engine with Phantom III in 1936, and again in Silver Seraph in the late 1990s. That Phantom VII should be similarly equipped was obvious and indisputable.
Rolls-Royce’s engineers were aware that the Phantom VII engine required a significant amount of power to deliver the effortless ‘waftability’ they wanted from their new model. Phantom VII was therefore fitted with a brand-new, specially designed engine with a capacity of 6.75 litres – the traditional displacement for a Rolls-Royce motor car engine. A derivative of this engine is still used in Rolls-Royce motor cars today – with the obvious exception of the all-electric Spectre and Black Badge Spectre.

THE ULTIMATE CANVAS FOR BESPOKE
Phantom has long been revered as the ultimate canvas for Bespoke, enabling clients to create truly singular expressions of their vision. Among the most notable Private Commissions and Collections were Phantom Aviator, which paid homage to the golden age of flight with aviation-inspired details and a cockpit-like interior; Phantom Serenity, a masterpiece of handwoven silk and delicate embroidery that redefined luxury craftsmanship; and the Art Deco Collection, which celebrated the bold geometric forms and opulent materials of the Roaring Twenties, translating the era’s glamour into a contemporary Rolls-Royce aesthetic. Each of these creations exemplified the boundless possibilities of Bespoke, reinforcing Phantom’s status as the pinnacle of individualisation.

A CRUCIAL LEGACY
Phantom VII remained in production until 2017, when it was replaced by the current eighth generation. For 14 years, it was the marque’s pinnacle product and re-established, then reinforced Rolls-Royce’s long-cherished reputation as ‘the best car in the world’. As the first – and until the launch of Ghost in 2009, the only – motor car to be handmade at Goodwood, it was the foundation on which all Rolls-Royce’s subsequent growth and success was built.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub.

PJE

ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES BLACK BADGE SPECTRE: THE ALTER EGO, AMPLIFIED

February 18, 2025 No Comments

ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES BLACK BADGE SPECTRE: THE ALTER EGO, AMPLIFIED

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveils Black Badge Spectre – the marque’s alter ego, amplified. In addition to debuting bold exterior finishes, vivid interior details, and innovative opportunities for Bespoke, Black Badge Spectre can summon a four-figure torque output (1075 Nm), with a record 485 kW (659 hp) of power. This makes Black Badge Spectre the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history.

“Black Badge Spectre is one of the clearest statements of power and purpose we have ever made. It has been created in the image of our boldest and most audacious clients, with meticulous attention to detail. From the beginning of Black Badge Spectre’s journey, the clients who requested this extraordinary motor car dared us to share their fearless spirit. In response, our engineers combined data science, qualitative feedback, and their own deep knowledge of the brand’s alter ego to craft an intense and uncompromising character, and the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Reflecting the Black Badge character, our designers and artisans realised their most dramatic and provocative vision with vivid details and exquisite contemporary crafts. The result is Black Badge Spectre: the alter ego of our brand, amplified.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“The development of Black Badge Spectre began with our deep understanding of engineering the uncompromising nature of the Black Badge character, overlaid with the detailed analysis of client feedback and their driving style. Black Badge owners from around the world permitted our specialists to access their anonymised data, enabling us to create a new driving experience perfectly suited to – and validated by – the way our clients use their motor car. Following internal development, a small tranche of ‘secret’ Black Badge Spectres was built for a group of clients who requested the earliest possible access to this motor car. They emphatically approved of our engineering response, highlighting the powerful connection between Rolls-Royce and its clients.”
Dr Bernhard Dressler, Director of Engineering, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveils Black Badge Spectre – the marque’s alter ego, amplified. In addition to debuting bold exterior finishes, vivid interior details, and innovative opportunities for Bespoke, Black Badge Spectre can summon a four-figure torque output (1075 Nm), with a record 485 kW (659 hp) of power. This makes Black Badge Spectre the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history.

In every way, Black Badge Spectre is Rolls-Royce at its most potent and audacious – which perfectly captures the spirit of the bold individuals it has been created for, and who requested it. Black Badge clients are unique within Rolls-Royce – building their success on pushing boundaries and refusing to be defined by traditional codes of luxury. Their approach to luxury is no different. They accept nothing less than the most exquisitely crafted products and uncompromising experiences, but demand a dynamic edge and an unapologetic attitude that reflects their world, their story, and their daring.

The decision to craft such a potent motor car was driven by the extraordinary expectations of the marque’s Black Badge clients. Their rigorous demands required an equally formidable engineering response, built on Rolls-Royce’s profound understanding of what a Black Badge should be: effortlessly intense, immediate, and precise.

To ensure this philosophy accurately reflected how clients use their motor cars in the field, a group of Rolls-Royce owners granted engineers access to their anonymised driving data, allowing drivetrain specialists to quantitatively analyse their driving behaviour across hundreds of thousands of collective miles. This revealed that clients exploited maximum power in short pulses more than over extended periods. This insight provided powerful validation of the marque’s approach, perfectly matching the dramatic, intense character of the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever created – meticulously developed in the image of this bold client group.

HARNESSING FORMIDABLE POWER

For Black Badge Spectre, the concept of formidable bursts of power is taken to an extreme with two powertrain innovations. Although these functions are new for a Rolls-Royce motor car, they have a historical precedent. In aircraft powered by the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, including the Supermarine Spitfire, pilots could obtain a burst of additional power by pushing a switch on the throttle quadrant. While the robust Merlin engine was easily able to accommodate these temporary pulses, pilots were required to report the use of the function on landing as a precaution to flight engineers – a requirement that does not apply to Black Badge Spectre drivers today.

The first innovation is a unique Infinity Mode, a tribute to the Infinity symbol used to signify a Black Badge Rolls-Royce. Unlocked by pressing the Infinity ∞ button on the steering wheel, the full 485 kW (659 hp) of power is made available, providing a more direct throttle response to the driver. Once this mode is activated, the dials become more vibrant to match the change in the motor car’s character.

Black Badge Spectre also features Spirited Mode, which allows the driver to experience a burst of intense, instantaneous acceleration. When the motor car is stationary, the driver engages this function by fully depressing the brake and throttle at the same time, waiting for a haptic and visual response signalling the car is ready, before fully releasing the brake. This temporarily amplifies the torque output to a landmark 1075 Nm, unleashing a surge of force and propelling the motor car from 0-60mph in just 4.1 seconds.

BLACK BADGE CHASSIS ENGINEERING

Rolls-Royce chassis specialists have introduced a number of changes to inspire clients to wield the unprecedented power of Black Badge Spectre with confidence. The steering weight is increased and the roll stabilisation is adjusted to create more feedback from steering inputs and reduce body-roll during cornering. Enhanced dampers also increase body control, reducing ‘squatting’ under acceleration or deceleration. These revisions perfectly balance an enhanced sense of engagement with the effortless operation and fêted Magic Carpet Ride associated with Rolls-Royce motor cars.

A CLANDESTINE AGREEMENT

Our conversations with clients made it clear that they were eagerly anticipating this motor car’s arrival long before its official debut, compelled by the potential of Spectre reimagined through the bold, unwavering lens of Black Badge. In response to their frequent enquiries, Rolls-Royce granted a select group early access to this motor car on the condition that they would keep their ownership secret until the official unveiling – a discreet introduction that resonated with the rebellious spirit of these individuals. A small, highly exclusive fleet of clandestine Black Badge Spectres was commissioned for these individuals ahead of the motor car’s reveal. Their emphatically positive response to Black Badge Spectre, and the motor car’s daring treatment that had been developed in their image, provided powerful validation of the most potent Rolls-Royce in history.

A DARKENED AESTHETIC

Black Badge Spectre makes its global debut in a new Vapour Violet paint finish, a deep black-violet inspired by the neon ambience of 1980s and 1990s club culture – a celebrated reference among many Black Badge clients. A painted Iced Black bonnet has also been introduced, creating a bold contrast that can be paired with the marque’s palette of 44,000 ‘prêt-à-porter’ colours. Alternatively, clients can develop a Bespoke hue reserved for their exclusive use, in collaboration with Rolls-Royce Bespoke designers.

In addition to the existing shoulder and fender coachline options, clients are now able to commission a ‘waft’ coachline, located on the lower half of the super coupé. This accentuates a crisp design line on the lower third of the motor car, subtly emphasising its commanding form and generous proportions.

Black Badge Spectre also introduces a bold new 23-inch five-spoke forged aluminium wheel design. Available in a part-polished or all-black finish, the complex geometry subtly indicates the hidden technical complexity and potency of this motor car. Highlighting the increasingly broad geography of Black Badge clients, winter tyres are available for the new wheelset from launch.

As with all Black Badge models before it, Black Badge Spectre’s mirror-polished brightwork is presented in a signature dark finish, signalling its subversive, noire character. This includes the marque’s hallmark Pantheon Grille surround, Spirit of Ecstasy, and the double ‘R’ Badge of Honour, as well as the motor car’s door handles, expansive side window surround and bumper accents.

VIVID ILLUMINATIONS

Furthering its commitment to advanced, contemporary crafts, Rolls-Royce has developed a unique feature that enhances and intensifies Black Badge Spectre’s Illuminated Grille. A new Illuminated Grille backplate has been introduced for the motor car, which is offered in Tailored Purple, Charles Blue, Chartreuse, Forge Yellow and Turchese, allowing clients to extend their chosen colour onto this new canvas, or create a unique accent to complement a coachline or the interior. This vibrantly coloured illumination can extend into the interior with newly developed Illuminated Black Badge Treadplates, which are available in ten complementary colours.

A VIBRANT INNER SANCTUARY

From the moment you enter Black Badge Spectre, its rebellious character is immediately apparent through the bold interior treatment.

The unique pattern on the Illuminated Fascia, which is an abstract expression of the Spirit of Ecstasy, now incorporates the Infinity symbol used across the wider Black Badge family. A statement of infinite power, the emblem once marked historical water-speed records and is a hallmark trusted by adrenaline pioneers. The fascia comprises over 5,500 ‘stars’ of varying proportions and intensity, set in a Piano Black ‘sky’.

Framing this advanced craft feature is a richly complex Technical Fibre surface finish. This diamond-shaped weave uses carbon and fine metal thread on top of a black Bolivar wood base. The thread is laid by hand in a diamond pattern between layers of carbon fibre, creating a three-dimensional effect. Once cured, each interior piece is sandblasted, sealed with six layers of lacquer, and hand-polished to a flawless finish, adding striking depth and clarity.

The Black Badge Infinity symbol is further incorporated in the motor car, stitched into the leather ‘Waterfall’ section, which separates the rear seats.

Black Badge Spectre’s instrument dials can be curated with a choice of five colour themes: Vivid Grellow, Neon Nights, Cyan Fire, Ultraviolet and Synth Wave, allowing clients to harmonise the physical and digital surfaces within their motor car via the SPIRIT operating system. This digital architecture of luxury also grants access to remote charging and location information, and the marque’s exclusive digital members club, Whispers.

DRAMATIC BY DESIGN

Black Badge Spectre is a motor car born of fearless expression and focus, meticulously crafted in the image of the daring individuals it was made to serve. Its landmark power output, chassis technologies, and expansive potential for Bespoke open a vivid new chapter in the highly successful stories of Black Badge – the formidable alter ego of Rolls-Royce.

INSIGHTS: THE SPECTRE CLIENT AND THEIR MOTOR CAR

Now in its second year of production, Rolls-Royce Spectre has established itself within the marque’s pantheon of super-luxury motor cars. With deliveries well underway, Rolls-Royce specialists have mapped key trends, revealing how clients use their Spectre and its role within their lives.

Typically, Spectre is a client’s second Rolls-Royce and forms part of a seven-car garage, allowing them to select a motor car to suit every occasion. Yet, despite its exclusivity, Spectre is being driven extensively highlighting the confidence and enthusiasm of its owners. One client in Dubai has already completed more than 8,000 miles in their Spectre in a single year. Another, a renowned British entrepreneur, regularly drives their motor car on a 300-mile round trip between their business headquarters in Suffolk and the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood to review various commissions. Perhaps the most extensively driven Spectre belongs to a client in Slovakia, who commutes nearly 250 miles to Prague and has covered more than 6,000 miles in the first six months of ownership. They take particular pleasure in the electric motor car experience – having swapped coffee stops at traditional fuel stations for an elevated pause at a renowned café with a fast charger.

On average, Spectre owners drive approximately 4,000 miles per year – a figure comparable to previous two-door Rolls-Royces, including Wraith, Dawn, and Spectre’s spiritual forebear, Phantom Coupé. This means clients technically only need to fully charge their motor car up to 20 times per year. The vast majority charge at home, reflecting the effortless nature of Spectre ownership. Spectre is also predominantly a driver’s car: nearly all journeys are taken by the owner alone, with only a quarter including a front passenger, reflecting the enjoyment of driving this uniquely potent and agile motor car for its own sake.

Beyond its day-to-day usage, Spectre’s dynamic capability is also shaping how clients interact with their motor cars. One client, based in Gstaad, Switzerland, was so compelled by Spectre’s agility on the mountain passes of the region that they ordered a second motor car for use on the Corniche roads of the French Riviera, close to another of their properties in Monaco. Notably, this route was among those used by the marque’s engineers during Spectre’s Lifestyle Analysis testing phase, enabling critical refinements to the suspension and drivetrain to ensure the motor car met client expectations in the very environments where they would drive it.

Demand for Spectre has exceeded expectations. In 2024, it was the second most-requested Rolls-Royce globally and the best-selling model in Europe. It also contained the second highest level of Bespoke content per motor car in the marque’s portfolio, reflecting its significance within Rolls-Royce’s contemporary offering. With Black Badge Spectre now making its debut, this extraordinary momentum is set to continue.

Source: ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES BLACK BADGE SPECTRE: THE ALTER EGO, AMPLIFIED

PJE

ROLLS-ROYCE SCENT: AN IMMERSIVE FRAGRANCE CONCEPT

February 5, 2025 No Comments

ROLLS-ROYCE SCENT: AN IMMERSIVE FRAGRANCE CONCEPT

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is taking the interior experience of its motor cars into a new sensory dimension with the launch of Rolls-Royce Scent, introduced on its pinnacle product, Phantom.

“A Rolls-Royce interior is a unique space in which every element is meticulously curated to create an unparalleled multi-sensory experience. With our new fragrance concept, Rolls-Royce Scent, we move beyond the visual and tactile realms into a new dimension. Designed and developed by our in-house perfumer and delivered using patented technology, this fragrance elevates the already peerless Rolls-Royce experience, creating an environment that is even more special, and absolutely unmistakable.”
Martina Starke, General Manager, Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is taking the interior experience of its motor cars into a new sensory dimension with the launch of Rolls-Royce Scent, introduced on its pinnacle product, Phantom.

Crafted by an expert in-house perfumer of the marque’s Bespoke Collective, Rolls-Royce Scent is designed to elegantly complement the natural aromas of the materials used within the motor car. The fragrance combines notes of Amyris, Cedarwood, Rosewood and Iris, perfectly capturing and elevating the serenity of the Rolls-Royce experience.

Every Rolls-Royce is designed, engineered and crafted with meticulous attention to detail – including the aromas experienced within the interior of the motor car. For every new Rolls-Royce model, a specialist department within the brand – which comprises experts trained in sectors ranging from biochemistry to haute parfumerie – is consulted during the selection of leathers, woods, wools and other tactile surfaces. This includes the materials used to enhance and protect them, such as lacquers and dyes. These specialists ensure that each material represents the best of its kind – not only for its visual and tactile qualities – but also for its scent. The result is a sophisticated blend of aromas within the motor car’s interior suite, characterised by a rich leather note.

Designed to enrich the sensory experience within the motor car, Rolls-Royce Scent subtly introduces new comforting and relaxing olfactory themes. Cedarwood brings a calming, delicately spiced complexity and Rosewood adds a dry, slightly sweet note, while Iris introduces a floral yet earthy quality, complemented by the woody, smoky undertones of Amyris. Experienced as one, the fragrance balances soft, precious aromas with richness and depth, effortlessly embodying the qualities of the motor car.

A fragrance-releasing system was developed for the Rolls-Royce Scent. The structure of the patented scent-diffuser ensures that the fragrance is released in suitably delicate doses for a long-lasting, sophisticated sensory experience.

Significant testing was undertaken to ensure that the scent provides a consistent experience for the marque’s global client base. This included analysing the fragrance in static and dynamic conditions as well as a range of temperature and humidity extremes. Specialists dedicated much time to perfecting the precise dose of fragrance to place in the diffusing system, fastidiously balancing longevity with subtlety. More than 30 iterations were developed before in-house experts were satisfied that the fragrance would meet the requirements of Rolls-Royce’s discerning clients.

Source:ROLLS-ROYCE SCENT: AN IMMERSIVE FRAGRANCE CONCEPT

PJE

“We are constantly astounded by the diversity of ideas that inform our clients’ Bespoke concepts, which frequently draw inspiration from materials, finishes and themes they see in other commissions. Spectre Lunaflair is the perfect example of this, exploring the ethereal beauty of a lunar halo and sparked by the client after witnessing a paint finish on another Bespoke motor car. This symbiotic relationship and cross-pollination of ideas is fostering a ‘virtuous circle’ of innovation and creativity, which is incredibly important to our team of Bespoke designers, as we focus on delivering unparalleled value to those who entrust us with their vision.”

Martina Starke, Head of Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled the breathtaking Spectre Lunaflair – a Bespoke commission undertaken on behalf of a significant client from the United States. The extraordinary and exquisite highlight of this landmark motor car is the remarkable holographic paint finish that creates a captivating ‘rainbow’ effect.

The commission takes its inspiration and name from the optical phenomenon of a lunar halo, which appears as a colourful circle of light around the moon. It is caused by moonlight passing through ice crystals in high-altitude cirrus clouds, which act as microscopic prisms: the light refracts creating a spellbinding technicolour ring effect, similar to light passing through a diamond.

Capturing this phenomenon in a Bespoke paint finish required more than one year of experimentation. The paint chemistry, application timings, and base coat were extensively trialled in order to meet the client’s concept. The final finish is achieved by applying seven layers of lacquer, including a specially formulated pearlescent coat, infused with fine flakes of magnesium fluoride and aluminium. This creates a deep metallic effect under low light that bursts into rainbow technicolour in bright sunshine.

The Spectre Lunaflair concept was partially inspired by another Bespoke masterpiece, the one-of-one Phantom Syntopia. Revealed in 2023, it features a dark iridescent Liquid Noir finish, infused with colour-shifting, mirror-like pigment. Captivated by Phantom Syntopia’s appearance, the commissioning patron asked the Bespoke Collective to create a light and luminous expression of this concept that reflected their fascination with the lunar halo phenomenon.

This cross-pollination of ideas, where a previous commission directly informs and inspires a completely new concept and story, speaks to the power of Bespoke. For the marque’s Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople, this virtuous creative circle and interconnection of ideas constantly provides new opportunities for the advancement of their art.

Spectre Lunaflair’s dramatic coachwork is complemented by a fully Bespoke interior. It includes Navy Blue, White, and Peony Pink tones, recalling the spectrum of hues that can be witnessed during a lunar halo. The colour scheme appears on the seats, doors and the Starlight Headliner. This theme is also carried onto the dual-tone steering wheel, with a Navy Blue outer and an Arctic White inner side.

Only one Spectre Lunaflair will ever be produced. The unique Lunaflair paint finish is reserved exclusively for the commissioning patron.

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub.

ROLLS-ROYCE PRESENTS SPECTRE LUNAFLAIR: A SPELLBINDING EXPRESSION OF BESPOKE

October 1, 2024 No Comments

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Leeds has been an important part of our trusted dealer network ever since JCT joined the Rolls-Royce family in 2018. The opening of this new space is a momentous occasion – it illustrates a bold and exciting step for the brand, bringing the essence of Goodwood to Yorkshire. This new expansive and contemporary space – with its wealth of digital technologies, and sophisticated, elegant design – is the perfect embodiment of the brand. It is the ideal space for the highly professional team to offer patrons a hyper-personalised client experience characterised by luxurious encounters. It really captures the spirit of the marque and brings our visual identity to life, reaffirming our position as a leading House of Luxury.”
Boris Weletzky, Regional Director, United Kingdom, Europe and Central Asia

“After adding Rolls-Royce to our stable of luxury car marques in 2018, we were keen to create a new home for it which would do justice to this world-leading brand. Bringing a touch of Goodwood to Yorkshire and the North East, the Leeds showroom is simply stunning. From a multi-media curtain of ‘dancing’ kinetic lighting to a unique ‘cabinet of curiosities’ showcasing our Yorkshire heritage, a visit here is designed to be an engaging experience for customers where they can see the very best of the Rolls-Royce brand.”

Kristian Keighley, Head of Business for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Leeds, JCT600 Brooklands.

Rolls-Royce has a profound understanding of its clients, their expectations, their needs and their wishes. This is an essential element in the marque’s ongoing success as a renowned House of Luxury. The new Rolls-Royce showroom in the heart of Yorkshire is the perfect place for clients to learn more about the marque and experience the elegance of the world of Rolls-Royce.

Located in a prominent location in Leeds, this space showcases the marque’s exquisite products and provides clients with an unparalleled experience, in line with Rolls-Royce’s position as a true global luxury goods brand. The new showroom, with the front doors modelled on Rolls-Royce’s famous Pantheon grille, offers clients a fully immersive brand experience from the moment they enter the building.

Inside, the new showroom exudes cool modern luxury, yet still recognises the importance of heritage for the marque, with citations from the founding fathers of the brand throughout the showroom. The Cabinet of Curiosities, an eclectic mix of intriguing, timeless and legendary design objects, sparks the imagination and client conversations as part of the commission process. It also celebrates the local area with unique objects and books which reflect the legends that hail from Yorkshire.

The pièce de résistance, the Atelier, is the place where, with the help of the marque’s highly skilled and professional team, clients can envisage their dream commission coming to life. Housing some of the marque’s most exquisite examples of craftsmanship, including wood veneers, leathers, embroidery threads and lambswool samples, in a variety of vivacious hues, the Atelier is a sensory-inspired room; it showcases the marque’s fluency in Bespoke and luxury. The surface-finish samples are presented in the familiar Rolls-Royce speedform shape, making it easy to imagine the almost endless two-tone colour combinations; the leathers are rolled on wands with handles from Rolls-Royce’s famous umbrellas, while the veneers are shaped like the cross-section of an aerofoil, recalling the aviation exploits of the marque’s founding father, The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls.

The remarkable space that is the Leeds showroom is a further sign of the dealership’s commitment to excellence and extraordinary journey since joining the marque in 2018. In 2020, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Leeds was honoured to receive the title of ‘Global Whispers Dealer’. Whisper’s is the marque highly exclusive members only club.

A Rolls-Royce is unapologetically luxurious, it is unmistakable, synonymous with beauty and elegance, a true design icon, and so, in the new Leeds showroom, each model rightfully enjoys its own dedicated space, framed, and is presented according to its distinctive personality and characteristics.

PJE

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS LEEDS UNVEILS NEW LUXURIOUS SHOWROOM

September 25, 2024 No Comments

THE 1940s THE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER DAWN

September 16, 2024 No Comments

MODELS OF THE MARQUE: THE 1940s THE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER DAWN

The latest in the ‘Models of the Marque’ series showcases the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. Launched in 1949, it marked a profound change for Rolls-Royce, reflecting the realities of the post-war market.

“For the first 40 years of its existence, Rolls-Royce built only rolling chassis, onto which independent coachbuilders installed bodywork specified by the client. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that the marque produced its first complete motor car – the Silver Dawn. Launched in 1949, it marked a profound change for Rolls-Royce, reflecting the realities of the post-war market while giving the marque more control than it had ever enjoyed over the exterior design of its products. It was also the second model to be built on a single, variable underlying structure, foreshadowing the Architecture of Luxury upon which all Rolls-Royce motor cars of the modern era are built.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Although Rolls-Royce suspended motor car production between 1939 and 1945 to focus on building aero engines, design work on a new model continued in the background.

During the 1930s, Rolls-Royce offered three models, each of which included numerous parts that were unique to it and could not be shared between them. This significantly increased the manufacturing costs per car, which quickly became unsustainable during the austerity of the post-war years.

Rolls-Royce therefore faced the problem of reducing production costs without compromising quality or performance. The solution was new models that could share common parts, a new engine that could be offered in straight-four, six or eight-cylinder variants, and a single chassis that could be configured in variable dimensions. The latter can be seen as a precursor of the proprietary aluminium spaceframe, known as the Architecture of Luxury, that underpins every motor car built at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood today.

These ideas came together in a development programme for what would be known as the ‘Rationalised Range’. In 1946, Rolls-Royce launched the first such model: the Silver Wraith. This was a direct replacement for Phantom III, introduced in 1936. Like its predecessor, and indeed all the pre-war models, Silver Wraith was a rolling chassis designed to be fitted with third-party, coach-built bodywork.

Rolls-Royce knew that to be commercially successful in these more challenging times, it needed a model that was less expensive and could be produced in greater numbers than was possible with traditional coachbuilding. So, for the first time in its history, Rolls-Royce decided to produce a complete motor car, with coachwork assembled in-house. In the same way that Silver Wraith replaced Phantom III, this new model would assume the mantle of the small-horsepower cars the marque had built in previous decades.

The second model in the ‘Rationalised Range’, the Silver Dawn, was launched in 1949, initially only as an export car mainly for the North American and Australian markets; it became available to UK clients in 1952. Of the 761 Silver Dawns produced, most were supplied with the ‘Standard Steel’ four-door saloon bodies produced in-house. But in deference to clients’ requirements, Rolls-Royce also offered the Silver Dawn as a rolling chassis, with some 64 coach-built examples completed in a production run that lasted until 1955.

As further proof of the Rationalised Range approach, by 1952, clients could specify both the smaller, complete Silver Dawn and larger Silver Wraith rolling chassis with automatic gear selection. Indeed, Silver Dawn would be among the very last Rolls-Royce models to be offered with a manual transmission. It would be more than half a century before the advent of the satellite-aided, eight-speed ZF automatic transmission fitted to all of today’s V12 Rolls-Royce motor cars – but the die had been cast.

Towards the end of its lifespan, Silver Dawn’s rear section was reworked by the then newly hired John Blatchley, who had learned his craft with renowned London coachbuilder Gurney Nutting before joining Rolls-Royce. His deft eye for detail not only allowed for greater luggage capacity, but also enhanced the motor car’s looks considerably; perhaps not surprisingly, he would go on to become the marque’s Chief Styling Engineer. In 2015, the nameplate was revived with Dawn, which was the best-selling drophead in Rolls-Royce’s history by the time production ended in 2023.

The ‘youngest’ Silver Dawn is now almost 70 years old. Yet even now, it offers an exhilarating experience for the driver and a restful ride for passengers over long distances in modern traffic conditions. It was and is, in every sense, entirely a Rolls-Royce.

PJE

A rare example of a coachbuilt Silver Cloud will form the centrepiece of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ annual presence at the world-famous Goodwood Revival, which takes place from 6-8 September.

“Goodwood Revival is a wonderfully eccentric, nostalgic and glamorous celebration of the cars, fashions and culture of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. During this period, Rolls-Royce produced some of the most memorable models in its long history, including the Silver Cloud III we are displaying in the March Motor Works this year. It’s a rare and beautiful example of the coachbuilder’s art from a time when Rolls-Royce offered its clients a Coachbuild option alongside its standard models – a service that’s enjoyed its own revival at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood in the modern era. We’re delighted to be part of this remarkable event once again, particularly in our 120th anniversary year.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations & Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

For its 120th anniversary year, the marque has designed the March Motor Works, located at the infield end of the main circuit tunnel, as a faithful replica of Berkeley Square and the Rolls‑Royce showroom on nearby Conduit Street in London’s Mayfair in 1964.

On display will be a magnificently maintained Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III; this sleek, elegant motor car is understood to be one of only around 100 examples of a fixed-head coupé (FHC) design ever built on the Silver Cloud III chassis by the legendary coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward. It is finished in a handsome Brewster Green, with a Claret Red leather-trimmed interior. Under the bonnet is a hand-built, 6.2-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine, delivering around 210bhp to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission.

The Silver Cloud III is historically important as the last predominantly owner-driven Rolls‑Royce to be offered as a rolling chassis, upon which clients could commission fully bespoke bodywork from Mulliner Park Ward or other specialist coachbuilders, as well as a complete motor car.  (To be strictly accurate, Phantom VI remained in production as a separate chassis, albeit in small numbers, until 1993, with coachwork predominantly supplied by Mulliner Park Ward, which was by then a Rolls-Royce subsidiary. However, these were all limousines designed to be driven by a chauffeur.)

Berkeley Square and its environs were home to several luxury car showrooms at that time, including Jack Barclay. Charles Rolls was born a stone’s throw away in Hill Street, Mayfair, and would go on to establish his showroom in nearby Conduit Street, shortly after forming the partnership with Henry Royce in 1904: the March Motor Works showcases the premises as they would have appeared 60 years later.

PJE

RARE SILVER CLOUD FORMS THE CENTREPIECE OF ROLLS-ROYCE’S PRESENCE AT GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2024

September 9, 2024 No Comments