Rolls ROyce to debut its full range of Black Badge models at Goodwood with the new addition, the Dawn.

“Black Badge is for those driven by the same restless spirit that propelled company forefather C.S Rolls’ exploration of the limitations of powered land and air travel. It is an alter-ego for our marque that captivates the disrupters, the innovators and those that accept no limitations. 

Standing as a truly Bespoke response to the desires of a new breed of entrepreneur, Black Badge has already distinctly amplified the characters’ of Ghost and Wraith motor cars, placing them into consciousness of those that seek a commanding presence in the objects they commission. 

Overwhelming demand from new patrons of luxury tells us the time is now right to apply this assertive, confident and powerful attitude to Dawn and open this truly transformative presence to the world.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

At the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016, Rolls-Royce presented a truly transformative moment on the luxury landscape – the introduction of a permanent Bespoke family of motor cars called Black Badge, designed in response to the differing lifestyle requirements of a younger, more dynamic patron of luxury.

Since its introduction, Black Badge has done much to attract a new generation of Rolls-Royce customers to the marque. As a result of overwhelmingly positive customer demand for Ghost Black Badge and Wraith Black Badge, the time is now right to add a new chapter to the Black Badge story.

The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed will celebrate machines so beyond measurable limitations, they have changed the landscape in which they operate – an entirely fitting stage on which the third chapter in this truly transformative story can unfurl – the global debut of Dawn Black Badge, the most uncompromising expression of open-top luxury in the world.

The Black Badge story

Since it was launched in 2016, Black Badge has become the most commanding presence on the super-luxury landscape. Its authentic Bespoke engineering and design approach has answered the demands of those customers who have said “Build us a Rolls-Royce like no other”.

Black Badge is Rolls-Royce’s response to a small and select group of clients who have asked the marque for motor cars with specific, focused characteristics that reflect their different take on life, success and the luxury they consume. These people choose to define themselves differently from their wider social group; a subset within a subset.

For over a century such individuals, possessed of a dark and restless spirit, have been drawn to Rolls-Royce’s unique allure. Luminaries including Sir Malcolm Campbell, Howard Hughes and Muhammed Ali have all shared the marque’s founding philosophy; an uncompromising refusal to accept the status quo and a constant yearn to innovate, create and advance.

Their restless spirit was also shared by the marque’s co-founder; himself one of the great disrupters of his day. The Honourable C.S. Rolls was a man in a hurry. Not satisfied with fundamentally altering the road-car landscape, he sought more and pursued his appetite for advancement and adventure in the air; a passion that would ultimately lead to his untimely demise aged just 33.

It is this indomitable spirit that, since the launch of Black Badge, has captivated so many of today’s young owners, who are drawn to Rolls-Royce in the knowledge that no other luxury house is possessed of the vision and flexibility to meet their demands both in design and engineering terms. Indeed, Black Badge serves to amplify the inherent characteristics that have driven so many new, younger patrons of luxury to the marque.

In conceiving Black Badge versions of Wraith, Ghost and now Dawn, the marque’s Bespoke designers and engineers drew upon their instinctive understanding of the unique lives of these extraordinary men and women to create both design and engineering treatments that perfectly amplify the inherent values of these great Rolls-Royces.

Dawn Black Badge

Created to satisfy overwhelming demand from a new breed of Rolls-Royce patrons, Dawn Black Badge stands as the most luxurious, social and sensual space from which to take in the night air. This most glamorous, uncompromising expression of open-top luxury is given a new and darker sensual dimension through its suite of Black Badge engineering and design treatments.

The Dawn Black Badge at the Festival of Speed is presented in a deeply intense shade of black. Multiple layers of paint and lacquer have been fastidiously applied and hand-polished in a process that amounts to the most exhaustive painting and polishing process ever used for a solid paint colour. 

The result clothes Dawn’s sensuous lines in the deepest, darkest and most intense black to ever grace a production car surface. The roof, which opens in a ‘Silent Ballet’ to allow in the sounds of the night, is also only available in black canvas, whilst the rear deck is finished in black leather.

In creating Black Badge, Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke designers have sought to create true signifiers of this more assertive alter-ego for the marque. Dawn gets this same treatment.

The Spirit of Ecstasy – itself a mascot that has taken many different forms throughout the marque’s history – transforms into a high-gloss vamp, finished in a perfectly executed black chrome. 

This transformation to a darker aesthetic extends to certain chrome surfaces including the front grille surround, boot lid finisher, exhaust pipes and air inlet finisher. The effect is an authentic transformation that speaks of a bolder, more confident sensibility. Finally, the ‘Double R’ signifiers on the Rolls-Royce badges are inverted in colour, confirming the creation of a true alter-ego of the marque.

This bold, edgy design ethos extends beautifully into the interior – an exquisitely appointed staging point for patrons who seek to discover the night’s elements with the roof down.

Evoking Sir Henry Royce’s founding philosophy to ‘design what does not exist’ – a collaboration between the marque’s design and engineering departments has seen the creation of a new luxury material. Inspired by Rolls-Royce’s aviation heritage and echoing advanced production techniques for stealth aircraft, a beautiful and highly innovative new treatment for the car’s surfaces has been conceived.

Its construction displays every hallmark of Rolls-Royce’s fastidious attention to detail. Threads of aircraft grade aluminium, a delicate 0.014m in diameter, are woven together and then bonded in carbon fibre. Surfaces are then finished with six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours and hand-polished to Rolls-Royce’s hallmark mirror finish. The result is a highly contemporary finish, perfectly attuned to the darker more menacing aesthetic today’s patrons of luxury demand.

This exquisite expression of noir informs every conceivable detail. For example, innovative production techniques such as Physical Vapour Deposition, a highly technical surfacing method, perfectly darkens the air-vents throughout the interior in a manner that will never discolour or tarnish.

Reflecting the marque’s Bespoke philosophy, Dawn Black Badge also plays host to a new interior palette break-up. Higher levels of exquisite Black leather are accented boldly with Mandarin highlights, including a strip of orange highlight which encircles the cabin at hip-height, evocative of the sunset before the passengers are immersed in darkness.

A final touch, again, in a nod to one of Rolls-Royce’s great pioneer patrons, Sir Malcolm Campbell, finishes the rear interior space. His famous ‘Infinity’ rating logo beautifully embroidered into the car’s rear waterfall, gives a subtle nod to a man very much possessed of the restless spirit that so defines the Black Badge attitude.

Truly Bespoke Engineering

Like its stablemates Ghost and Wraith, the distilled essence of Dawn is amplified through the engineering that underpins the Black Badge philosophy. In the case of Dawn, the engineering substance that leads to more spirited driving is accentuated by the creation of an entirely new exhaust system, that when deployed by the press of the ‘low’ button, celebrates Rolls-Royce’s hallmark V12 engine with a menacing bass baritone, announcing its arrival with authority rather than hysteria.

The exhaust tone adds an aural dimension to a suite of engineering enhancements. Indeed, Black Badge stands as a truly Bespoke collaboration between design and engineering, answering the demands of a new breed of patron of luxury who seeks a more spirited, involving driving experience which retains the peerless quality of ride that has driven Dawn’s success. 

To achieve this, the engineers have exploited the flexibility of Dawn’s magnificent 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 to generate an extra 30bhp over the car’s already ample 563bhp, bringing the total to 593bhp. That hallmark sense of one infinite gear is also given bolder expression with the addition of a further 20NM of torque available from 1,500rpm, bringing the total to 840NM.

Fundamental changes to the transmission and throttle strategy give Dawn an enhanced feeling of urgency without diminishing its position as the world’s most luxurious open-top tourer. Indeed, the drive-train, ZF 8-speed gear box and steering-rack are so intuitive that they work together to create a more spirited drive depending on throttle and steering input. 

The result is a perfectly stately Rolls-Royce touring experience at low speeds and a highly engaging drive when the driver seeks to ‘push on’. Fundamental changes to suspension settings and components also ensure an appropriate balance between Rolls-Royce comfort and driver focus, felt in flatter cornering at high speeds.

The increased urgency of Dawn Black Badge has led to the development of new brakes with an increase in diameter of one inch. During deceleration, a fundamental remapping of the transmission strategy leads to downshifts a few rpm sooner under braking, offering engine braking when driving in a more spirited manner.

The steering-rack has also been quickened and engineered for more feedback. Speed-dependent adjustments also embolden Black Badge drivers as they enjoy an added sense of security and feel derived from increased steering weight at high speeds.

Dawn Black Badge is now available to commission.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions
Vehicle length	5285mm / 17.34ft
Vehicle width	1947mm / 6.39ft
Vehicle height (unladen)	1502mm / 4.93ft
Wheelbase	3112mm / 10.21ft
Turning circle	12.7m / 41.7ft
Boot Volume (DIN)	244ltr - 295ltr / 8.6 ft³ - 10.4 ft³
Weight
Unladen Weight (DIN)	2560kg / 5644lb
Engine
Engine / cylinders / valves	V / 12 / 48
Fuel management	Direct injection
Power output @ engine speed	593bhp /442KW /@5250rpm
Max torque @ engine speed	840NM @1500 rpm
Fuel type	10:1 / Premium unleaded1
Performance
Top speed	250kmh / 155mph (governed)
Acceleration 0 - 100km/h	4.9sec
Fuel Consumption
Urban	22.9ltr / 100km / 12.3mpg (Imp.)
Extra urban	10.1ltr / 100km / 28.0mpg (Imp.)
Combined consumption / range	14.7ltr / 100km / 19.2mpg (Imp.)
CO2 emissions	337g/km

British Music artists and Rolls Royce collaborate to bring nine special cars with a portion of the sales to charity.

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars collaborates with British rock and vocal legends to create ultimate one-of-a-kind collectors’ cars.
• Nine Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ cars commissioned in partnership with renowned British artists including Roger Daltrey CBE, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Ray Davies, Ronnie Wood
• Proportion of each car’s value will be donated to charities selected by each musician, including The Teenage Cancer Trust.
• Remarkable one-of-a-kind motor cars celebrate the marque’s long-held allure among music greats.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce a series of nine remarkable Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ cars, created in collaboration with, and celebrating the legacy of, some of British music’s most revered rock and vocal artists. 

The first four of these Bespoke cars have been unveiled for the first time today at the Sanderson Hotel in Fitzroia, London by the artists who created them in partnership with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: The Who frontman Roger Daltrey CBE, Sir Ray Davies of The Kinks, and Giles Martin, son of songwriter and producer Sir George Martin and a world-renowned producer and songwriter in his own right.

Each of the hand-built Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ motor cars that have been commissioned are crafted with unique design touches that illustrate and celebrate the illustrious career of a British rock and pop legend. 

The British music legends involved in the project were personally invited to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, working in close partnership with Rolls-Royce’s design experts to conceive deeply personal expressions of their music legacies. 

The resulting highly Bespoke Wraith motor cars represent the ultimate collectors’ items for the most ardent fans of each artist and will be sold later in 2017, with Rolls-Royce donating a proportion of the value of each to charities selected by each artist, including the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Highly creative features including a representation of seminal The Who album ‘Tommy’s’ famous cover-art adorned to a bonnet, Sir George Martin’s number one records embroidered into Wraith’s signature waterfall and door-flights engraved with hand-written lyrics and quotes, all serve to beautifully illustrate the musical legacies of the greatest names in British popular music.

The cars unveiled today have been crafted within the canvas of the Rolls-Royce Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’ Bespoke collection, a series of motor cars created to celebrate Rolls-Royce’s long-held standing in music folklore. 

Each car – one-of-a-kind creations hand-built by Rolls-Royce’s master craftspeople – celebrates its unique commission, with the name of the artist engraved on the door treadplates and on the base of the Spirit of Ecstasy adorning the Wraith’s bonnet.

Further Bespoke touches, conceived to celebrate the artists musical legacy adorn every motor car. The ‘Lyrical Copper’ exterior paint finish is completed with a subtle motif of the Union Jack Flag on each of the cars’ C-pillars, celebrating the indelible mark made by each artist on British popular culture.

“The enduring allure of Rolls-Royce has been encouraged over the years by some of the world’s most famous and important music icons. So many have turned to Rolls-Royce to celebrate their success with the ultimate display of originality and creativity. This collaboration – with some of Britain’s most celebrated musicians – promises to add to this legacy, creating truly unique collectors’ items which also support worthy charities,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. 

Rolls-Royce Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’

Rolls-Royce’s standing as a true luxury house is borne of a fundamental understanding that its patrons seek authenticity in the goods they commission. The resulting collaborations, therefore, echo the manner in which these patrons work in close collaboration with its Bespoke designers. The artists were invited to the Home of Rolls-Royce to further their understanding of how best they could celebrate their legacy.

Bespoke Designer, Matthew Danton, under the leadership of Design Director Giles Taylor worked with each artist to capture the most iconic and personal elements from of their body of work. The result delivers true, one-of-a-kind collectors’ pieces.

“Rolls-Royce patrons work in harmony with our Bespoke designers and craftspeople to bring to life their most deeply-held passions. These masterpieces perfectly illustrate the intimate relationship between artist, patron and artisan, an approach to Bespoke design that continues to define Rolls-Royce’s standing as the most celebrated luxury house in the world.” Giles Taylor, Design Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Each of these very special collaborations will represent a one-of-a-kind commission. Collectors will be invited to acquire these extraordinary representations of automotive and rock history through the marque’s European dealer network. A proportion of the value price of each ‘Inspired by British Music’ car will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust and other charities.

The cars….  

Roger Daltrey CBE – celebrating The Who

The Who’s lead singer and frontman, Roger Daltrey CBE, committed to creating two cars for the project. The first is inspired by his own personal music legacy, and features elegantly expressed pieces of iconography from The Who’s history. Design motifs on his The Who-inspired Wraith include the band’s famous ‘bullseye’ logo, adorning the face of the dashboard clock and stitched into the leather ‘waterfall’ between the two rear seats. The two copper door flights are engraved with famous lyrics from the band’s 1972 singles ‘Join Together’ and ‘I Can See for Miles’, from the 1967 album ‘The Who Sell Out’.

The headrests are embroidered with Daltrey’s signature, while the back of the driver’s seat headrests features a nod to the band’s habit of destroying its instruments at the end of a show. One of Daltrey’s most memorable experiences, this unique embroidery depicts Keith Moon’s ‘Pictures of Lily’ drum kit which – in a magnificent display of television pyrotechnics – famously exploded at the end of the band’s 1967 performance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on America’s CBS TV network.

‘Tommy’ (1969)

The second of Roger Daltrey CBE’s cars has been created in collaboration with Mike McInnerney, the artist responsible for the famous album artwork of The Who’s seminal 1969 album ‘Tommy’. McInnerney has worked with Rolls-Royce’s surface finish experts to create an extraordinary expression of the rock opera’s iconic sleeve design – this truly unique car features the cover artwork of the album applied to the bonnet. Daltrey and McInnerney sought to express other elements of the album artwork throughout the car, with the Lyrical Copper exterior finished with a blue coachline of a bird in flight, a reference to the album sleeve.

Each of the four headrests are stitched with unique design motifs from the album artwork, while the song ‘Pinball Wizard’ has inspired the embroidered design of the rear cabin leather waterfall, featuring a tone-on-tone depiction of a pinball machine with contrasting pinball and flippers. The copper door flights are engraved with lyrics from ‘Tommy Can You Hear Me’ and ‘Listening to You / See Me’. The car will be a notable, and truly individual collectors’ item when it is sold later in the year, to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, of which Roger Daltrey CBE is a patron.

Roger Daltrey CBE commented: “It’s been immense fun working in collaboration with Rolls-Royce to create two cars which capture some of The Who’s iconography so beautifully. The ‘Tommy’ car is truly a work of art, and Mike McInnerney and Rolls-Royce’s designers have done a great job bringing to life themes from the album and its artwork. Both cars will raise vital funds and awareness for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and will be among the ultimate collectors’ pieces for any The Who aficionado.”

Sir Ray Davies – The Kinks

Sir Ray Davies has created a tribute to The Kinks, one of the most influential British rock bands of all time. Inspired by his personal legacy and that of the band, Sir Ray has selected lyrics from ‘Shangri-la’ and ‘Drivin’’ – from The Kinks’ 1969 album ‘Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)’ to be expressed on the door-flights. To add an even more personal touch, Rolls-Royce’s designers and craftspeople digitised and engraved Sir Ray’s own hand-writing.

The leather waterfall in the rear of the cabin is embroidered with the band’s iconic logo and the headrests with Sir Ray’s signature. Unique to this ‘Inspired by British Music’ car, Sir Ray was inspired to make his own mark on the two umbrellas housed within the Wraith’s doors, each engraved with a befitting alteration to the lyrics from ‘Sunny afternoon’ – ‘When it’s raining on a sunny afternoon, in the summer time.”

Sir Ray Davies said: “Working with Rolls-Royce’s designers on this car has given me the chance to express some of the themes of the music The Kinks enjoyed performing for many years. There were various elements of the car to work on and we had lots of opportunities to get creative with The Kinks-related themes. It was fun to create this unique collectors’ item and it’s gratifying to know that important charities will benefit.”

A tribute to Sir George Martin – ‘the fifth Beatle’

Songwriter and producer Giles Martin has created a tribute to his father, Sir George Martin, the famous record producer who was dubbed ‘the Fifth Beatle’ by Sir Paul McCartney. This tribute celebrates Sir George’s 30 number-one hit singles with design features that include embroidery of each song title in the rear cabin leather waterfall, and the producer’s signature stitched into the headrests. In celebration of the format with which Sir George made his mark upon the music world, the two copper door-flights feature an engraved quotation – “The recording is not what one hears, but what one must make others hear” – and the other, engraved details from the original handwritten arrangement for ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. 

Giles Martin said, “My father had a huge impact on British music during his career, and I wanted the Wraith to celebrate a lifetime of achievements. It was a thrill working with the Rolls-Royce team to feature each of his 30 number-one hits, and I hope this is a fitting tribute to a figure who did so much to influence and enhance the world’s perception of a golden era in British popular music.”

Beneficiary Charity – The Fly Navy Heritage Trust

Sir George Martin CBE supported a wide range of charitable causes but one charity that was particularly close to his heart, the Fly Navy Heritage Trust, will benefit from of the sale of the Sir George Martin Rolls-Royce Wraith.

The Fly Navy Heritage Trust, under the brand name Navy Wings, relies on public donations to support its work in restoring, maintaining and flying a collection of rare and historically significant naval aircraft, preserving Britain’s great naval aviation heritage.

Forthcoming collaborations…  

Dame Shirley Bassey

Dame Shirley Bassey celebrates a musical legacy which has seen her become one of the most popular female vocalists of all time, with a Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ marking a glittering career that has resulted in 37 studio albums, 79 weeks combined in the UK top 10 charts, and three James Bond title songs. Dame Shirley Bassey has used her Rolls-Royce Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ to bring to life some of her fondest memories from more than six decades in the spotlight.

Each of the door flights are engraved with lyrics from ‘I Am What I Am’ (1984) and ‘Big Spender’ (1967), the latter having become one of the Dame’s signature songs. The headrests are embroidered with a design inspired by the silhouette design of the 2007 album ‘Get The Party Started’. With three ‘007’ title songs to her name – ‘Diamonds are Forever’, ‘Moonraker’ and the seminal ‘Goldfinger’ – the rear leather waterfall is embroidered with a diamond, while the treadplates and Spirit of Ecstasy are fittingly finished in gold.

Challenging Status Quo

Created in collaboration with Francis Rossi OBE – lead singer and lead guitarist of Status Quo – the Status Quo Wraith celebrates five decades of music from the revered British rock band. Rossi OBE has brought to life the unique design of his iconic green-and-white Fender Telecaster guitar – one which he painted himself and still owns to this day – and the white-and-black Telecaster of his late friend and bandmate Rick Parfitt, with embroidered front headrests boasting a unique impression of each instrument. Inspired by the cover artwork from the band’s 1973 album ‘Hello!’, a silhouette of the four Status Quo legends is stitched into the leather waterfall, while the copper door flights are engraved with lyrics from ‘Caroline’ / ‘Don’t Drive My Car’.

“I’m delighted to be involved in a project that brings together many of my friends in British Music. Status Quo as a band have performed all over the world, meeting and working with incredible people, as we carved out our own story. Rolls-Royce also flies the flag for British creativity and is known throughout the world and I very much look forward to working with Rolls-Royce’s designers to create a fitting tribute to Status Quo’s musical legacy and also to Rick Parfitt who had a lifelong love affair with luxury cars.”

Ronnie Wood – ‘I Feel Like Playing’

Renowned as much for his career with TheRolling Stones as his role with Faces, Ronnie Wood has commissioned a Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ to celebrate his solo career. Wood’s signature is stitched into the headrests, with lyrics from ‘I Gotta See’ – taken from his seventh solo studio album ‘I Feel Like Playing’ (2010) – engraved onto the copper door flights. The album’s artwork was created by Ronnie Wood himself, and he has mirrored his cover art in the embroidery adorning the leather waterfall in the rear of the car.

Two exceptional motor cars will join the collection at the most anticipated hotel, THE 13.

Two exceptional motor cars will join the collection at the most anticipated hotel, THE 13. 

Reserved for the hotel’s most important guests, the two highly Bespoke gold infused creations will become the flagships of the 30 strong collection of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, commissioned by luxury entrepreneur Stephen Hung, Joint Chairman of THE 13 HOLDINGS LIMITED, to reflect his bold vision, as expressed in the design scheme of his refined and remarkable hotel.

Select guests will be conveyed in sumptuous style – ensconced in the world of Rolls-Royce and surrounded by Bespoke enhancements commissioned by Mr Hung – designed to make the experience as effortless and luxurious as possible.

Identified by the inclusion of 24 carat gold on both the exterior and interior, the two distinctive motor cars will be heralded as the finest in the fleet and at the time of commissioning, the most expensive Rolls-Royce Phantoms ever built.

Luxury visionaries, like Mr Hung, come to Rolls-Royce in the knowledge that the marque’s craftspeople accept no compromise. 

Characteristic care and attention has therefore been applied to the creation of one of the car’s defining features, an exterior finish enhanced with the finest particles of 23.75 carat gold, a weight chosen for even disbursement, achieving a perfectly executed finish. 

The result is the most expensive and meticulously engineered paint the marque has ever produced – a challenge welcomed emphatically by the experts at the Home of Rolls-Royce.

Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “A Rolls-Royce motor car is commissioned to express the tastes, desires and lifestyle of its patron. 

It is testament to the skill of the artisans that so elegantly express their craft at our Global Centre of Excellence in Goodwood, that this bold and technically challenging design scheme has been executed so perfectly.”

The Surface Finish Centre at the Rolls-Royce Global Centre of Excellence in Goodwood installed new and specialist equipment to ensure no contamination could occur during the painting of the two motor cars. 

The finish uses 250% more paint than other Phantoms, resulting in an impressive 10 layers, one of which consists of a 40 micron deep layer of Gold, combined with glass and aluminium to provide an alluring shimmer. 

Rolls-Royce Material Scientist, Nick Geehan, commented, “Only at the Home of Rolls-Royce would a team embark on such an ambitious project on behalf of one of our patrons. 

We accept nothing but perfection – the finish took eight attempts to mix the perfect colour; an apt number when considering the significance of lucky number eight in Macau, the home for these precious Phantoms.”

An uplit 24 carat gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, the graceful figurine who proudly guides every Rolls-Royce, sits atop a gold-coloured Pantheon Grille and hallmarked Rolls-Royce badge, made using 97.1gms of 18ct gold before being plated in 24 carat gold to match the interior gold highlights. 

Vitreous enamel is used to form the signature RR emblem and is surrounded by 336 pavé set brilliant-cut diamonds. A golden twin coachline is hand-painted by Mark Court, Rolls-Royce’s resident expert coachline painter, using a fine squirrel hair paintbrush.

Within the coach doors, renowned Rolls-Royce umbrellas, on hand to protect occupants from undesirable weather or awaiting paparazzi, are also personalised by incorporating a gold handle and a golden trim to match the colour themes of the hotel. 

Gold tread plates engraved with ‘PHANTOM Specially Commissioned by Stephen Hung’ remind occupants of the distinctive origins of these remarkable motor cars.

A seminal moment for any building of architectural significance lies in the breaking of the ground.  

In the case of THE 13 hotel, this historical occasion was captured in the two Gold Phantoms through the application of a starlight headliner, created to depict the Macau constellation on the night of THE 13’s ground-breaking. 

Gold thread is handwoven into the star-scape to identify this constellation and a gold plaque, engraved with the date and location, reminds the world’s elite of the position of this new centre of luxury in Macau.

The grand entrance of the hotel is strikingly echoed in the interior of these Phantoms. On entering the Extended Wheelbase Phantom, guests are greeted by a black and white seat feature which boldly reflects the chequered floor of the entrance hall of the hotel. 

Drawing on skills from artisans at the Home of Rolls-Royce who trained in saddlery, the seats are covered in large scale hand-woven black and white leather panels providing a three-dimensional texture to the interior cabin. 

A new gold coloured pearl effect leather has been created to edge the seats, ensuring occupants enjoy a stately experience as they are cosseted from the environs of bustling Macau.

Extraordinary attention-to-detail informs every Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design. This is boldly expressed in a beautiful treatment of the instrument dials and clock with both referencing THE 13‘s red and gold theme. The clock was designed in collaboration with master jeweller, Graff.

All 30 Bespoke Phantoms, that represent the largest single commission in Rolls-Royce history, are destined for THE 13.