2021 proved a record-breaking year for Rolls-Royce. The clientele of the long-time luxury brand grew even greater this past year, indicating the continued craftsmanship and extravagance of this beloved automaker.
Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, reflected positively on the achievement of the brand in 2021. Müller-Ötvös stated, “In what has been an unprecedented and unpredictable year, the House of Rolls-Royce has delivered the highest-ever annual sales results in the marque’s 117-year history. In 2021, we delivered 5,586 motor cars to clients around the world, having worked closely with clients to further expand the boundaries of creativity within our Bespoke Collective. This has resulted in some truly remarkable commissions.
“Rolls-Royce has once again demonstrated an innate understanding of craftsmanship, honing progressive and proprietary techniques amongst our highly skilled and talented team. Artisans continue to further the realm of Bespoke feasibility; precious and rare materials are used with ingenuity to create world-class examples of excellence in their field.”
With this powerful indicator of Rolls-Royce on the rise, 360 Magazine recaps the 2021 Bespoke highlights for Rolls-Royce.
The final collection of Wraith Kryptos was seen this past year, showcasing intricate and hidden ciphers throughout each car. Emphasis on hidden, each Wraith Kryptos is equipped with secret ciphers only a Rolls-Royce client could decipher, reminiscent of a rewarding puzzle.
These so-called “puzzles” found throughout the model were dreamt up and sent to the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood for review. Ultimately, sections of these riddles have been deciphered by cipher fanatics and Rolls-Royce clientele, but the final resolution remains unsolved.
Together, Rolls-Royce and Kengo Kuma combined the realms of extravagant automobiles and awe-inducing architecture to produce the Bespoke Rolls-Royce Dawn. This singular motor car emulates the feelings of glamour and opulence, much like the inspiration for the car of The Kita building in central Tokyo.
The overall design and aesthetic of Dawn will have drivers feeling as opulent as ever. With an exterior in the shade of Silver Haze, a silver-gray color, it mimics the appearance of The Kita’s structure. The shade of the exterior shifts when positioned in direct sunlight, illuminating a rich bronze shine. The outer style of the car comes complete with a silver hood and black coach line. Merging the interior and exterior is the open-pore royal walnut paneling showcased on the rear deck. This enhancement references the walnut paneling seen on ‘The Kita’s’ entrance lobby. The construction in this collaboration speaks to both companies’ eye towards detail.
GHOST EXTENDED URBAN SANCTUARY
Renowned for its purely lavish design philosophy, the Ghost Extended has a unique Bespoke trek. The Ghost Extended Urban Sanctuary prioritizes top material construction rather than aiming to make a bold statement. Inspiration for the automobile comes from a particular building within Shanghai’s Yu Yuan Gardens. The building has a unique ‘cracked ice’ effect on its wooden window shutters, emulated in the Ghost Extended through stitched panels in the seat inserts.
Regarding the detailed design intricacies of the Ghost Extended, the interior showcases a deep Navy Blue and Cashmere Grey color story. The colorway draws a distinctive and rare story whether one is driving themselves around or are being chauffeured. This chauffeur storyline continues through the reclinable Serenity Seating in the Urban Sanctuary. The easily reclinable seats make it seem as though one is taking a ride on a private jet.
Finishing off design elements, the Urban Sanctuary exterior is cast in gunmetal and jubilee silver, offset by a bold lime green coach line and wheel pinstripe. The edgy lime green color is showcased to mimic Shanghai’s nighttime neon lights.
DREAM GHOST
Ghost Extended is the spitting image of the first-ever personalized Illuminated Fascia. This first-of-its-kind request came from the South Florida luxury collector, David Bartosiak. Mr. Bartosiak had a vision for his personal automobile, calling upon the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. His request entailed the Illuminated Fascia to say ‘DREAM’ instead of ‘GHOST.’
He declared, “This wish speaks of the dream I had as a young boy, born under that beautiful night sky in 1983 in Vero Beach, Florida, the dream I instill in those around me every day, and the dream I hope my spirit carries on to the world when I’m gone.”
This incredible one-of-a-kind Starlight Headliner of Mr. Bartosiak’s features an astronomical alignment of the stars in the interior. The alignment references the sky over Vero Beach, Florida, on the day of his birth in 1983, as illustrated in 1,236 single fiber optic lights.
BESPOKE WRAITH IN PEBBLE PARADISO
Another specific commission came from a client based in Shanghai; she requested a rare Bespoke Wraith in the Pebble Paradiso blue color. The client referred to the automobile as her own “Shanghai seaside-inspired paradise.” The car features a hand-painted coachline in a Seashell hue, with a delicate orchid motif. This further exemplifies the client’s desire for sophistication combined with uniqueness.
The interior of the automobile showcases why the car is a true piece of artwork; a baby girl’s footprints are shown on the Piano White monitor lid. This enhancement references the client’s beloved, cherished daughter. The interior, too, has a two-tone design of Charles blue and seashell in natural grain leather.
A rare Cullinan was produced in 2021 to celebrate the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) historic Golden Jubilee. The exterior of the car is polished to perfection in crystal over artic white, with a hand-painted double coachline, the upper line in hotspur red, the lower in fame green. The power of style was continued with a gold bullion coach line motif, the national flag in hotspur red, fame green, and black on the C-Pillar Motif, showcasing a unique double wheel-center pinstripe.
The interior illustrates treadplates that read ‘50th.’ The interior design mimics that of the exterior, with arctic white, black, and hotspur red leather, in contrast to a fame green contrast stitch of the UAE’s emblem upon each headrest. The showpiece of the car is the gold 50th-anniversary motif decked in the fascia, rear waterfall, and picnic tabletops.
CULLINNAN IN PIKES PEAK BLUE
Car enthusiasts Ben and Christine Sloss were in search of a Bespoke Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Los Gatos.
A colorway typically not shown in Bespoke of pikes peak blue, the color references the Colorado hill-climb, a beloved experience of the clients. Pops of forge yellow spice up the color story in the hand-painted coachline, wheel-center pinstripes, and brake calipers, the Black Badge Cullinan showcases the use of the colors in the flag of Modena. The doors of the Black Badge Cullinan are embellished with Mrs. Sloss’ racing logo – a formal stiletto.
A once-in-a-lifetime collaboration saw Rolls-Royce and the House of Hermès come together to create a Bespoke Phantom for Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. Phantom Oribe is a motor car named mimicking the client’s world-class collection of ancient Japanese ceramics, Oribe ware. The client’s private jet was able to showcase the use of Rolls-Royce paint to create a matched set with the Phantom.
The interior is finished in Hermès Enea green leather. A first for Rolls-Royce, the door armrests, center, rear consoles and, most particularly, the signature headliner is equipped with the famed Hermès ‘Toile H’ canvas.
The Phantom Tempus Collection narrowed to 20 examples of Rolls-Royce Phantoms. A new edition of the Phantom notes the concept of time – how it goes and how it can ostensibly stand still.
The aesthetic of the design for this project hints at themes of time and the cosmos. One key theory imposed into the design comes from the pulsar, a mysterious astronomical phenomenon found only in the deepest sections of the galaxy. The pulsar is essentially a complex, white-hot star that sends electromagnetic radiation in pulses, hence making it a common suggestion of precise clocks through the universe.
The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is dripping in a new Bespoke paint of kairos blue. The rich color symbolizes the uncertainty and deepness of space. To further the cosmos inspiration, the paint features jewel-like blue mica flakes that glint when caught by the light.
Another first for Rolls-Royce comes with the Phantom Koa – it is the first Rolls- Royce Phantom to use Koa wood. Koa wood is a unique species of tree only found growing in the Hawaiian soil. Inspired by car enthusiast Jack Boyd Smith, Jr. and his wife Laura, the car captures the essence of the tenderness and character of Koa.
Koa is guarded by state and national parks, and it only grows in Hawaii. The only way to harvest the wood is from private agricultural land, making it as rare as you can get. A Rolls-Royce Wood Specialist refers to the ability to find Koa as a ‘one in a million chance.’
Mr. Smith’s Bespoke commission took almost three years of cooperation to generate, but it is now a part of his collection of motor cars in the JBS Collection Museum.
LANDSPEED COLLECTION
Another limited collection, the Landspeed Collection consists of 25 examples of Black Badge Dawn and 35 of Black Badge Wraith. The creativity for the collection came from George Eyston’s noteworthy life and accomplishments. Hints of the landscape of the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Thunderbolt made himself the fastest man on Earth, are incorporated into the collection as well.
Throughout George Eyston’s life, he was awarded three major honors: the Military Cross, the Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur, and the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Each of these honors is prominent in the Black Badge Wraith and Dawn Landspeed. Clever easter eggs that reference the original medal ribbons are placed throughout the cars in the driver’s door, as it was made from the same Grosgrain weave silk of the medals.
Imagined with the essence of Moscow at night comes the design of the Black Badge Cullinan ‘Black and Bright’ by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Moscow. The 2021 model of the Black Badge Wraith ‘Black and Bright’ was an elevated design of the model popular two years ago.
Found only at the Muscovite dealership, this narrow collection showcases five Black Badge Cullinans. Each car is available in edgy color combos of magma red, orange metallic, twilight purple, forge yellow, and turchese. Black Badge Cullinan’s Technical Carbon veneer is individualized to a corresponding color inlay design, while starlight headliner matches the exterior and interior highlights.
ROLLS-ROYCE COACHBUILD: BOAT TAIL
Coachbuilding is promised as a long-lasting feature of Rolls-Royce after the production of three Boat Tails amidst the contemporary coachbuilding development.
The process of coachbuilding is an extremely refined tactic of Rolls-Royce Bespoke, set aside for those who are looking to push the boundaries and seek change.
Boat Tail is a handcrafted creation, where bodywork and interior are produced with the client’s eye to exact requirements. A Boat Tail tells the story of Rolls-Royce’s deep history, while still offering a new, modern design.
The first of the three Boat Tails were exhibited at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in October, 2021. The second will make its first appearance at Villa d’Este 2022.
