ROLLS-ROYCE PRESENTS PHANTOM SCINTILLA AT THE QUAIL, A MOTORSPORTS GATHERING 2024
A tribute to The Spirit of Ecstasy
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reveals the Phantom Scintilla Private Collection, inspired by the grace, dynamism, and beauty of the Spirit of Ecstasy.
- The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, created in a ceramic finish, recalls the Greek sculpture, ‘The Winged Victory of Samothrace,’ which inspired the original brief for a Rolls-Royce mascot in 1910.
- ‘Celestial Pulse’ Gallery artwork and animated Bespoke Starlight Headliner capture the fleeting moment of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s presence.
- Embroidery on coach doors and rear fabric seats is composed of 869,500 stitches, extending to areas never-before used in a Phantom.
- The embroidered door motif, made up of 633,000 stitches, is the most complex door design ever seen in a Rolls-Royce motor car.
- Chris Brownridge, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, delivered the first of only 10 commissions of this Private Collection at ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’ in Monterey, California.
‘Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.’ Claude Johnson, Managing Director, Rolls-Royce Limited – Original brief for a Rolls-Royce figurine (1910)
For more than a century, the Spirit of Ecstasy has symbolised elegance and human achievements, inspiring works of art, from music to photography and moving images. As Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates its 120th anniversary, it pays homage to its muse in a unique Private Collection, Phantom Scintilla. Limited to ten examples worldwide, this collection celebrates the legacy of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presented the first commission to a client during Monterey Car Week 2024.
A NEW CHAPTER IN A FAMILIAR STORY
In 1910, Rolls-Royce Managing Director Claude Johnson commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a Rolls-Royce mascot. Johnson was inspired by a Greek marble statue he had admired on a recent visit to the Louvre, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, dating from 190 BCE – a deity descending from the heavens.
Sykes felt the statue was too domineering to be a suitable subject. Having traveled in Silver Ghosts, he believed a more delicate figure would better express the marque’s grace, silence, and subtle power. It is believed that he took his real-life inspiration for what would become the Spirit of Ecstasy from Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montagu’s secretary and paramour, to bring this vision to reality.
Today, 120 years later, the Bespoke designers at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have created Phantom Scintilla by introducing new materials and subtle references to the captivating vision of The Winged Victory of Samothrace.
