Rolls-Royce is a brand that pays great attention to personalization. Automakers give customers the freedom and flexibility to build their dream car with a wide range of bespoke options. The company recently showcased its customization capabilities with six Phantom Series II cars revealed at a private event in Dubai.
What makes these cars unique are the artists that Rolls-Royce works with to build them. Rolls-Royce Abu Dhabi and Rolls-Royce Dubai initiated the project, commissioning British artist Sacha Jafri to provide six vehicles unique artwork in the Gallery, a glass-enclosed space that extends across the Phantom’s dashboard.
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The cars are designed to represent the five elements – wind, water, air, earth and fire – and humanity, a reference to Jafri’s “Journey of Humanity”. This work of art holds the official Guinness World Record for being the largest canvas painting ever produced.
Rolls-Royce started the project in late 2020, taking two years to complete. Jafri got it done at his company house in Goodwood, working with a corporate bespoke designer in Dubai. Each vehicle also includes Jafri’s heart motif in the hand-painted train lines and the carved base for each vehicle’s Spirit of Ecstasy statue.
Rolls-Royce also offers each Phantom with an NFT (non-fungible token), which the owner can sell, with each transaction resulting in a royalty being paid to a digital wallet that raises funds for future charitable donations. The project to build cars is a way of raising money for charity and has already exceeded its $1 million goal, providing funds to charities in the areas of health, sustainability and education.
“We saw this project as a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas between the art world and our own specialties in design, materials and workmanship; a real sense of discovery and sharing of inspiration radiates from these incredible cars,” said Michelle Lusby, Lead Bespoke Designer based in Rolls-Royce Private’s Dubai office.
Rolls-Royce updated the Phantom earlier this year. The Series II received a smaller Ghost-like flared grille, retro-styled wheels, and other minor changes to the big luxury car, which was available in an extended wheelbase configuration.
