October 1, 2010
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is showcasing its bespoke capabilities via five new customized vehicles at the prestigious Paris Motor Show.
The cars are all highly personalized, featuring custom exteriors and finely detailed upholstery. The collection includes three of Rolls-Royce’s signature Phantom coupes and two of its lower-priced Ghost saloon automobiles.
“We are presenting a collection of Rolls-Royce bespoke Phantom models to showcase what can be achieved with our bespoke program,” said Wayne Kung, product communications manager of North America at Rolls-Royce, London.
“These vehicles present a small sample of what is possible through bespoke,” he said. “Any detail can be customized.
“In these cars, we have bespoke clock faces, gauges, paint, leather, drinks cabinets, mother-of-pearl inlays, carbon fiber in place of wood veneering, to name a few highlights.”
Rolls-Royce is a subsidiary of the BMW Group. Among its customers are corporate bosses, celebrities and heads of state, such as the British queen.
The Paris Motor Show is biennial automotive exhibition highlighting new production vehicles and concept cars.
Paris models
Rolls-Royce said its bespoke program lets owners realize their personal vision for their cars by tweaking subtle details on their models.
For example, customers can request personalized tread plates, specify embroidery for head restraints and piping on leather seats, as well as choose any color shade for the car’s exterior.
The five models revealed in Paris are:
• A Phantom Extended Wheel Base vehicle in bespoke Gunmetal metallic, boasting full natural leather grain, black seat piping, veneered cup holder lids, mother-of-pearl inserts to its door cappings and a Rolls-Royce inlay on all the headrests.
• A Phantom Drophead coupe in Carrara White metallic, featuring a single coachline in Hotspur Red, painted wheel centers, steering wheel spokes in crossbanded elm cluster, veneered front cupholder lids and lambswool floor mats.
• A Phantom coupe in Syrah Red metallic with twin coachlines in black, a black starlight headliner, a silver bezel black clock face, black carbon fiber veneer, cupholder lid and steering wheel spokes and full seat piping in Consort Red.
• A Ghost model in bespoke Ghost Silver 100 with a single coachline in crème light, black stained ash veneer, and black contrast stitching.
• A Ghost model in bespoke Midnight Sapphire, featuring seat piping in fleet blue and Spirit of Ecstasy inlay to the door cappings.
All the vehicles have custom, Paris Motor Show treadplates.
Here is a photograph of the Phantom Extended Wheel Base model:
The automaker also presented the four-person picnic set that it first announced earlier this year and showed off during another vehicle reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance auto show last month (see story).
The company claims the picnic set took six months and more than 1500 hours to design and develop.
Prestige trumps slump
Rolls-Royce claimed during its press conference for the Motor Show yesterday that it is in a financially healthy position, despite the lagging economy.
The automaker attributes its optimism to its extreme focus on customer service and quality, which position it well to succeed despite the lagging economy.
The company is targeting new customers with its Ghost line of Coupes – which just began production this year – and hopes to extend the appeal of its higher-end Phantom line.
The company has also expanded its leather shop with 10 new positions to help meet the demand for vehicles.
“Ghost production is running at full speed to meet the demands of our clients,” Mr. Kung said. “Our clients are our top priority, and we will listen to their requests.
“Our customers come from widely varied backgrounds from across the globe,” he said. “There is no specific target, though our customers are very successful, and are passionate about automobiles.”
Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Luxury Daily, New York
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