Rolls-Royce is marking the 100th anniversary of the Phantom nameplate with a limited-edition 25-car run of Phantom VIIIs costing $3m apiece.
Called the Phantom Centenary Private Collection, the stunning black-and-white machines are the result of three years and more than 40,000 hours of development by designers, engineers and artisans in the marque’s Bespoke Collective. The cars are said to be the most complex and technologically ambitious Phantom Private Collection models to date.
Based on the current long-wheelbase Phantom platform, each example honours the nameplate’s storied history with myriad bespoke details – many requiring newly developed techniques.
Inside the sumptuous cabin, these elements take occupants on a journey through Phantom history. Highlights include a 24-carat gold map of the roads driven by co-founder Sir Henry Royce at his retreat in southern France, and an embroidered tapestry of Rolls-Royce’s original London showroom across the rear seats. The tapestry reportedly took five months of research and was created from 77 hand-drawn sketches.
The front seats, meanwhile, carry a motif of Roger the Rabbit – the codename for Phantom VII ahead of its 2003 launch – alongside seagulls and honeybees, nods to the Phantom I codename and the Rolls-Royce Apiary at Goodwood.
Gaze at the Starlight Headliner and you’ll spot nods to iconic Phantoms including a bird representing Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Phantom II, as well as the famous Mulberry tree under which Sir Henry Royce held summer meetings at his West Wittering residence.
Stained Blackwood veneer finishes the interior door panels, crafted using newly developed techniques in 3D ink layering, 3D marquetry and laser etching. The woodwork is said to be the most intricate ever created for a Rolls-Royce.
Another eye-catching feature is the Anthology Gallery inset into the passenger side of the dashboard, formed from 50 3D-printed aluminium fins inspired by the opened pages of a book. Each vertically brushed fin carries quotations from period Phantom magazine reviews.
Outside, a solid-gold Spirit of Ecstasy crowns the Pantheon Grille, while the black and Arctic White livery is inspired by the golden age of Hollywood. A specially developed paintwork finish provides the exterior with an iridescent shimmer, achieved with champagne-coloured crushed-glass particles.
For the first time in marque history, the exterior ‘RR’ emblems are manufactured from 24-carat gold with white enamel. The disc wheels each carry 25 engraved lines that recognise every example in the run and collectively represent 100 years of Phantom history.
Powered by a 6.75-litre V12, the Centenary Private Collection models are mechanically identical to other Phantom VIII’s. Open the bonnet, however, and you’ll be met with the finishing touch: a custom engine cover finished in Arctic White paintwork and detailed with 24-carat gold.
Priced at $3m each, all 25 Phantom Centenary Private Collection cars have already been spoken for.
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