Ultra-exclusive Rolls-Royce Phantom is more artwork than car

Rolls-Royce has taken to Pebble Beach to show off the latest limited edition from its Bespoke coachbuilding division: a highly exclusive reworking of the Phantom, inspired by the marque’s Spirit of Ecstacy mascot.

Named the Phantom Scintilla and limited to just 10 examples, it’s the company’s first ‘production’ car to feature a ceramic bonnet emblem – a reference to The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a Greek marble statue that almost inspired the Spirit of Ecstasy.

According to Rolls-Royce, sculptor Charles Sykes felt the statue was “too domineering” to represent its cars. Sykes instead took inspiration from Eleanor Thornton, secretary (and mistress) of the second Lord Montagu.

The Scintilla is painted Andalusian White and Thracian Blue, bespoke shades that take inspiration from the seas around the island of Samothrace, while its shoulder line and wheels get hand-painted stripes in darker Spirit Blue.

Meanwhile, the starlight headliner has a flowing pattern referencing the Spirit of Ecstasy’s gown, and the dashboard panel is decorated with seven interwoven aluminium ribbons.

The glovebox is engraved with the brief of Claude Johnson, Rolls-Royce’s founding managing director: “Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.”

Rolls-Royce will build just 10 examples, all of which have sold for a price well clear of the ‘standard’ Phantom’s £417,200, but it serves just as much as a showcase for the scope of the company’s Bespoke programme and as a learning tool for its next projects.

Celina Mettang, in charge of colour and trim design at Rolls-Royce Bespoke, told Autocar that the company’s limited-run Private Collection commissions are important as both a team-building exercise and because they encourage flexibility. 

“I think that’s the most important point as a creative,” she said. “Once you get stuck into something repeatedly, it makes it easier, but it doesn’t really challenge your mind and your creative perspective. That’s what we really appreciate about how we work at Rolls-Royce Bespoke design: that we try to keep very flexible and agile when it comes to creativity.”