GENEVA - McLaren launches the personalised new 720 S - and this is beautiful.

• Bespoke McLaren 720S personalised by MSO is unveiled in Geneva just 24 hours after global debut of second-generation Super Series
• Visual dynamism of McLaren Special Operations’ ‘Velocity’ theme celebrates extreme performance credentials of new McLaren supercar
• Fusion of Volcano Red and Nerello Red paint colours showcases the ability of MSO to create uniquely sophisticated, bespoke McLaren cars

Just 24 hours after the new McLaren 720S was revealed in all its glory at the 87^th Geneva International Motor Show, McLaren Automotive is highlighting the level to which buyers of its new Super Series will be able to personalise their car by unveiling a dramatic, bespoke 720S, created by McLaren Special Operations.

The McLaren 720S ‘Velocity’ by MSO signals the almost limitless scope of personalisation possibilities available to buyers who opt to commission their new Super Series car from McLaren Special Operations, the bespoke vehicle division of McLaren Automotive.

“The MSO mission is to fulfil customer desire for exclusivity in their choice of McLaren,” explained Ansar Ali, Managing Director of McLaren Special Operations. “The lean, sculpted beauty of the new 720S provides the perfect starting point for owners to be creative and the specification of this MSO 720S ‘Velocity’ showcases a taste of the customisation options that are possible.”

The striking ‘Velocity’ paint theme comprises two pearlescent hues of red; a newly formulated shade, Nerello Red, is used on the front and upper body panels of the car – including on the red-tinted visual carbon fibre bonnet – and fades into a vivid Volcano Red that covers the sides and rear of the car.

The unique paintwork is complemented by lightweight alloy wheels, finished in a subtle shade of metallic bronze by MSO. A range of exterior carbon fibre parts selected from the MSO collection also features on the 720S ‘Velocity’, further enhancing the bold and purposeful appearance of the new Super Series. In addition to the red carbon fibre bonnet, a gloss carbon Rear Deck Vent, gloss carbon fibre Service Cover, gloss carbon rear aero bridge and satin carbon Full Length Sill Cover are also fitted.

Step inside the spacious, light and airy cabin of the 720S ‘Velocity’ and you are greeted by Carbon Black Alcantara® trim throughout, providing a technical, sporting feel with a luxurious tactile finish and contrasting with Harissa Red leather details. Complementing the exterior ‘Velocity’ theme, Harissa Red highlights are continued throughout the interior, including on the fascia, steering wheel, doors and across the sports seats fitted as standard on the 720S, further enhancing McLaren’s most luxurious Super Series interior to date.

The McLaren 720S ‘Velocity’, which as a complete vehicle costs in the region of £335,000 as a McLaren Special Operations commission, is one of five MSO themes for the new McLaren Super Series that are explored in a boutique area of the McLaren stand at the 87^th Geneva International Motor Show. The other themes, ‘GT’; ‘Pacific’; ‘Track’; and ‘Stealth’, are displayed on screens, further demonstrating that MSO can fulfil almost any request to ensure that each personalised McLaren perfectly delivers the customers’ initial ideas and vision.

The portfolio of MSO enhancements featuring on the McLaren 720S ‘Velocity’ comprises:

• MSO Exterior Paint Theme (Nerello Red/Volcano Red)
• MSO Bronze Wheel Finish
• MSO Carbon Fibre Bonnet (red tinted gloss finish)
• MSO Carbon Rear Deck Vent (gloss finish)
• MSO Carbon Service Cover (gloss finish)
• MSO Carbon Fibre Rear Aero Bridge (gloss finish)
• MSO Carbon Full Length Sill Cover (satin finish)
• MSO Carbon Face Vents (satin finish)
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Facia with Harissa Red Leather IP Topper Centre and IP Topper Driver Side (Harissa Red contrast stitch on all stitch lines)
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Tunnel and Door Bin Lid with Harissa Red Contrast Stitch (including Black TPE Cup Holder and Key Fob Holder)
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Steering Wheel with Harissa Red Leather Centre Band (Harissa Red contrast stitch on upper and grips)
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Door Casings with Harissa Red Contrast Stitch and Harissa Red Leather Door Speaker Surround Inner
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Seats with Carbon Black Leather Large Insert Panels (cushion/seatback) and Harissa Red Leather Minor Insert Accent Panels. Harissa Red Contrast Stitch on all stitch lines
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Headlining with Harissa Red Contrast Stitch
• Full Carbon Black Alcantara® Quarter Panel Rear and Bulkhead Finisher (Harissa Red contrast stitch on decorative stitch lines)
• Carbon Black Carpet Rear Shelf and Bulkhead (Harissa Red contrast stitch on decorative stitch lines)
• Carbon Black Alcantara® B Pillar Lower with Harissa Red Contrast Stitch

For the sixth year running, Bentley Motors has been recognised as a Top Employer.

• Global recognition for employment practices
• Talent development and recruitment processes commended

Bentley Motors has been recognised as a Top Employer for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s attention to excellence in personal development and employee conditions.             

The award - presented by the Top Employers Institute - highlighted Bentley’s emphasis on continuous improvement, employee conditions and dedication to the company’s 4,000-strong workforce.   

 

Commenting on the achievement, Marlies Rogait, Member of the Board for Human Resources, said:     

“Maintaining our status as a Top Employer is not only recognition for our business, but for our colleagues as well. We are very proud of our highly-skilled workforce and are committed to ensuring they have every opportunity to reach their potential.

“Everyone in the business, from the craftspeople in the factory, to the executive team in the boardroom, are incredibly passionate about what they do. This passion for success only helps reinforce our position as the world’s number one luxury car brand.”                   

The annual international research - undertaken by the Top Employers Institute - recognises leading employers around the world, which provide excellent working conditions, make every effort to continuously enhance recruitment processes and nurture and develop talent throughout all levels of the business.

Bentley Motors recently launched its 2017 trainee recruitment, with 60 positions available for apprentices, undergraduates and graduates, across all business areas.   

Looking further ahead, to support the company’s future investment in its employees and the community, Bentley is playing a pivotal role in bringing a University Technical College to Crewe. Focused on Engineering and Design, the school will offer an inspiring education for 14-18 year olds seeking a pathway to future employment. 

The final Rolls Royce Phantom MK VII has been built, ready to usher in the MK VIII version.

From the creation of ‘New Phantom’ in 1925, every generation of this most fabled name in luxury has served to define its moment, not only in Rolls-Royce’s history, but in world history. Quite simply, it has been the choice of the people who have defined our world and made it turn for the last 90 years.

Phantom I (or ‘New Phantom’ as it was then known) carried the weight of expectation of living up to its eminent predecessor’s billing as ‘The Best Car in the World’. Needless to say it emphatically succeeded. In doing so, elevating Rolls-Royce to a place beyond a maker of superlative motor cars, to the very standard by which all luxury endeavours are judged.   

78 years later, Phantom VII, the first Goodwood Phantom heralded the renaissance of Rolls-Royce and established its own legend, returning the marque to its rightful place as the only conceivable mode of conveyance for the world’s most famous, wealthy and influential individuals.

Today, after 13 years defining luxury, Phantom VII leaves the stage with a fittingly artful tribute to the skills of the craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce. This very last seventh generation Phantom signals the end of the first successful chapter in the renaissance of Rolls-Royce under new custodianship and the establishment of a true global centre of luxury excellence in West Sussex, England.  

Phantom – at the pinnacle of luxury for over 90 years 

Like its modern successor, that first generation Phantom was developed in an environment of fevered secrecy, borne of the weight of expectation surrounding such an important car. Lead engineer Ernest Hives even went as far as to scatter armoured plating around the factory to substantiate the project’s codename Eastern Armoured Car (EAC).  This kind of fervour and global scrutiny surrounding its development was perhaps not seen again for over seven decades, when a small team of engineers and designers ensconced themselves in total secrecy in a disused bank in central London. Their task was to create a Phantom, worthy of the name and reverential to its history, whilst making a truly bold statement on Rolls-Royce’s pinnacle position in a new luxury landscape.

The mission would have been familiar to Hives, who himself was tasked with creating a modern Rolls-Royce for an era of profound change. Both Phantoms I and VII had to plot the marque’s course amidst a backdrop of the shifting tastes and sensibilities of its wealthy patrons.

In designing Phantom VII, the task set before Ian Cameron and his team of designers cannot be overstated. Rolls-Royce, under new custodianship, had just five years to successfully design, develop, engineer and test a motor car worthy of re-entering the consciousness of a rapidly emerging yet increasingly global elite. The world was watching.

Rowing to the safety of pastiche or even tribute to Phantom I and its successors would have been a grave error. The 21^st century’s wealthy and influential demanded authenticity and sovereignty in the luxury houses they choose to patronise, so a thoroughly contemporary, singular vision of Rolls-Royce luxury was the only possible path.

3 January 2003 saw Cameron’s vision finally unveiled to the world as the global media descended upon the marque’s factory on only its third day of official operation. Like Hives and his ruse to keep the press off the scent, Phantom VII was designed and developed under a cloak of absolute secrecy. On unveiling that first car, the press were unanimous in their reaction, praising Rolls-Royce and its new custodians for bringing to the world a thoroughly modern interpretation of the classic lines and proportions that had maintained a stately presence at the world’s great occasions for three quarters of a century.

Underneath that imposing yet elegant coachwork lay the foundations on which the opening passages of the next great chapter in Rolls-Royce history was built. A totally new aluminium spaceframe, designed and engineered for strength and weight-saving, and propelled by a magnificent 6.75l naturally-aspirated V12 Rolls-Royce engine developed the abundant yet whisper-quiet performance that has become the hallmark of modern Rolls-Royces.

Behind Phantom’s now emblematic coach-doors lay an exquisitely crafted interior – realised by using only the finest materials by a new artisanal workforce drawn from the local area’s boat-building and saddle-making industries. These first craftspeople, part of a workforce on that first day of just 350, served as the masters to a burgeoning new generation of 1,700 skilled craftspeople, their careers made possible by the success of the all-important seventh-generation Phantom.

For the first time since the age of the coachbuilder, patrons of luxury were offered true personalisation through the marque’s Bespoke programme, with Phantom serving as an exquisite blank canvas from which its patrons’ boldest visions could be expressed.

Media and customer acclaim soon affirmed that, like Hives, Cameron and his team had re-established the legend of the ‘Best Car in the World’. It was stated at the time, that the establishment of the marque’s centre of excellence and the concurrent development and launch of Phantom in just five years, stood as the ‘last great automotive adventure.’ Phantom once again represented the start of a bold new era – a period many close to the marque acknowledge as the most significant in its history. In just 13 years, Rolls-Royce had established itself once again as the yardstick by which all other luxury goods are judged.

The final Phantom VII – a study in luxury

Now, as this most significant motor car prepares to gracefully leave the stage, it is fitting that the final Phantom VII, a beautifully appointed extended wheelbase limousine, has been created to celebrate the golden age of travel that Phantom defined.

This remarkable example, commissioned by a renowned contemporary Rolls-Royce collector, perfectly serves to illustrate the extraordinary attention-to-detail and deftness of touch that has defined the first chapter at the marque’s home in Goodwood, West Sussex.

The art of marquetry – so beautifully used throughout Phantom’s life – depicts a stylised 1930s ocean liner, reflecting this particular patron’s fascination with the design and iconography of this grand era. The nautical theme continues with the application of tone-on-tone embroidery evoking the movement of the sea, exquisitely applied to the interior’s Powder Blue leather.

In true Phantom style, every possible detail has been considered. The clocks, featured in both the front cabin and the partition wall have been designed to echo the style of the radio clocks that adorned grand ocean liners. The Bezel, expressing 24 time zones, sits proud of the main clock, and reminiscent of HG Well’s time machine, allows the owner to rotate it in either direction depending on where they find themselves in the world.

The maritime theme even extends to Phantom’s indulgent lambswool carpets which feature a hand-cut wake effect elegantly created by the marque’s master craftspeople – perhaps a nod to the fact that this final Phantom has passed, leaving the world in its own wake.

The exterior is finished in a stunning Blue Velvet, completed with a twin coachline with ocean liner motif to the shoulder, and offset beautifully by pinstripe tyres and a solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy. This carefully tended hand-crafted scheme completes a stunning final expression for the last Phantom of its kind.

The completion of this very final motor car, and the decommissioning of the Phantom production line after 13 years, sets the stage for the introduction of Phantom VIII, underpinned by an all-new aluminium architecture of luxury. Like its predecessor it will advance the standards set by its illustrious forbears.

Its arrival will herald the beginning of yet another great chapter in the history of the world’s most compelling and celebrated name in luxury.

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.

Bentley is looking to take on 60 intakes for the coming year, more than last year, and the recruitment starts now.

• 60 opportunities for 2017 intake
• Vacancies at apprentice, undergraduate and graduate level
• Applications now open at www.bentleycareers.com 

Bentley Motors has launched the company’s 2017 trainee recruitment campaign with 60 positions available for apprentices, undergraduates and graduates to start in autumn 2017

Applications are now open at www.bentleycareers.com until November 27^th, with vacancies covering commercial areas including Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Finance and Purchasing, as well as the traditional Engineering and Manufacturing opportunities.  

Commenting on the latest recruitment drive, Marlies Rogait, Member of the Board for Human Resources, said:

“Each of our schemes offer a solid foundation upon which to build the skills and knowledge required to become experts and professionals in their chosen field.

“We continue to demonstrate our commitment to future talent by recruiting in significant numbers and 2017 is no exception. We are looking to attract extraordinary candidates – Bentley experts of tomorrow – who can add to our already highly-skilled and passionate workforce.”  

Bentley has recently received national recognition for its future talent and skills development programmes after being named as a Top Employer for the fifth consecutive year.

Bentley’s apprenticeship programme, with 22 positions available, offers an invaluable way of gaining recognised qualifications while undertaking key training at Bentley, for three or four years, dependent on which area the apprentice is working in.  

The majority of apprentices will be undertaking the manufacturing programme, learning skills within areas such as wood, paint and mechatronics. The first year of their programme will include theoretical learning at South Cheshire College, before working in practical areas of manufacturing at Bentley.  

The graduate scheme, offering 13 vacancies, is a two-year development programme where recruits are given the opportunity to work on business projects, working in a specific department, or across a number of functions.

The undergraduate scheme, of which there are 25 places, is a 12-month development programme focused on undergraduate degree students looking to complete a year out in industry as part of their studies.

In a further sign of commitment to future talent, Bentley is playing a pivotal role in the recently opened University Technical College in Crewe. Focused on Engineering and Design, the school offers an inspiring education for 14-18 year olds seeking a pathway to future employment.

The stunning David Brown GT s showcased in patriotic Red, White and Blue as the company keeps growing.

British-based, bespoke, luxury sports car maker, David Brown Automotive, has released ‘Best of British’ images of three of its latest production-specification Speedback GTs in patriotic red, white and blue exterior paint finishes. 

David Brown Automotive has come a long way since revealing the Speedback GT prototype in 2014. The latest images show production-specification cars numbered 003, 004 and 005, in colours that resemble those of the Union Flag, and which celebrate the company’s growth and continued development as a proud, British automotive manufacturer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 At present, five cars have been sold, built and delivered to their new owners, with further cars in build. The company currently has the capacity to produce six to ten cars each year with plans to increase this in the very near future.

David Brown Automotive uses a combination of engineering, state-of-the-art technology and traditional coachbuilding manufacturing techniques to build each car, which comprises 142 panels and highly sophisticated systems and electronics. 

Through these specialist, low-volume manufacturing processes, the Coventry-based sports car manufacturer is redefining modern coachbuilding, to build fully engineered, limited-edition, bespoke automobiles made from handformed aluminium with entirely handcrafted interiors, each specially commissioned by the customer.

Each and every Speedback GT has a completely unique colour, which is developed by the company for each owner and specially created for each individual car. The cars pictured, painted in Ruby Tuesday, Blue Moon and White Knight, are painstakingly prepared, painted and lacquered over a period of eight weeks each, finished to achieve a rich, deep and flawless finish. The unique colour and depth of car number 004 benefits from an incredible 14 different layers of paint to achieve its dazzling finish.

“I’m so proud of the team who have achieved so much in such a short space of time,” said company founder David Brown. “It’s an amazing feeling to be delivering production-specification vehicles to their delighted new owners. It was a fantastic coincidence to have three cars finished in red, white and blue finished and together at the same time for the photoshoot and just epitomises that David Brown Automotive really does represent the best of British automotive craftsmanship too.”

The end of 2016 and beginning of 2017 holds some exciting announcements for the company in terms of a new, state-of-the-art build facility as well as announcements for future models.

Priced at £495,000 exclusive of taxes, Speedback GT promises exceptional performance and handling, hosting a 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine with 510bhp and 461ft lb of torque, hitting 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds with a top speed of 155mph (limited).