● The House of Rolls-Royce marks 115 years of pinnacle luxury at event with Sotheby’s
● The two brands celebrated the occasion with a spectacular themed five-course dinner held in the newly expanded and re-imagined galleries at Sotheby’s headquarters in New York City
● Rolls Royce marked the occasion with the announcement of a one-of-a-kind 2020 Rolls-Royce Phantom to be offered this fall in a Sotheby’s online-only auction in partnership with RM Sotheby’s, the world’s largest auction house for investment-quality automobiles
May 4th 2019 marks the 115th anniversary of the historic first meeting between the Honourable Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, UK. This first gathering lead to the birth of what has become the most influential luxury brand in history, Rolls-Royce. To mark this occasion Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated the evening with an exclusive dinner at Sotheby’s in their newly expanded and re-imagined 90,000+ square foot galleries in New York City. The event was a gathering of two historic brands who combined possess nearly four centuries of experience in providing the word’s elite with luxury client service. During the immersive, interactive dinner, Rolls-Royce showcased its family of motor cars and announced an online-only auction of a custom Rolls Royce Phantom to be offered this fall.
The House of Rolls-Royce revealed initial sketches of a stunning Bespoke Phantom. While every Phantom that is delivered from Goodwood carries with it a significant level of Bespoke craftsmanship from marquetry, hand-worked leather to precious works of art within the Phantom’s unique Gallery, this one-of-one commission celebrating the 115th anniversary of Rolls-Royce includes an inspired color combination themed in red, including an original hand-crafted leather work of art within the Gallery.
“While Roll-Royce motor cars have a history of crossing the block at RM Sotheby’s, tonight we are looking to the future of the brand. The eight generation Phantom will carry the longest running name in luxury motoring into a new era. Built on the ‘architecture of luxury,’ this new Phantom commission offers one special owner the chance to enjoy a motor car that is bound to be a classic over the next 115 years,” said Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas.
“We are honoured that Rolls-Royce chose to partner with Sotheby’s and RM Sotheby’s to offer this incredible Bespoke Phantom. It is far more than a car – it is a work of art. In a testament to our commitment to innovation, we are excited that it will be offered through our online-only auction platform, which continues to be a driving force of our business and the channel of choice for new bidders and buyers,” said David Goodman, Sotheby’s Chief Digital Development & Marketing Officer.
The new Phantom will be Sotheby’s offered this fall by Sotheby’s in an online-only auction on Sothebys.com and delivered though one of Rolls-Royce Motor Car’s 44 retail partners in the Americas. Last year the company delivered 4107 commissions for a record year of growing the family of clients. The Americas remains the largest global region for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars where about one-third of all commissions are delivered. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars develops and delivers the world’s ultimate luxury vehicles. Each Rolls-Royce Motor car is hand crafted at the Home of Rolls-Royce, the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Goodwood England.
