Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, which resides at the apex of the luxury world, has today become the subject of an exclusive and rare collection, the Phantom Tempus Collection. This arresting new iteration of Phantom is inspired by Time – how it passes, and how it can be made seemingly to stand still.  The Collection is strictly limited to just 20 examples, all of which have already been allocated to clients.

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

In Phantom Tempus, this remarkable force of nature is rendered as a centrepiece in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner consisting of fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery, creating the unique and beautiful Pulsar Headliner.

Another aspect of time – the illusion of its standing still – is captured in the ‘Frozen Flow of Time’ Gallery. This unique artwork is housed in the fascia from which the clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations. A single billet of aluminium is milled to form 100 individually contoured columns, representing the 100-million-year period of a rotational spin of a pulsar star. Each column is black-anodised and hand-polished to reflect the light. As the eye travels along it, the whole structure, though entirely solid, appears to ripple and flex.

A description of the Gallery can be found on an engraved plaque in the glove compartment, together with a quotation from Albert Einstein, “The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion“.

A swirling, twisting pattern of stars is presented on the interior of the doors. Created by hundreds of illuminated perforations, additional perforations in contrasting leather add a greater depth and detail to the effect, providing an atmospheric aura even when not illuminated.

The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is presented in a new Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, created to embody the darkness and mystery of space. The paint incorporates jewel-like blue mica flakes, which glitter and glint as they catch the light, representing the stars. This effect is highlighted by black exterior detailing.

Gracing the bonnet of Phantom Tempus is the Spirit of Ecstasy, now in her 110^th year, personalised with a unique date and location of particular significance to the client. A marriage, the birth of a child or even a major business success, can be engraved as a timeless reminder on the base of the iconic figurine.

As a finishing flourish, a unique accessory has been developed to accompany the Collection. Based on the widely acclaimed Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest, the Tempus Champagne Chest incorporates a distinctive element of the Collection. A pulsar artwork is hand-painted onto the table, below which, the perfectly appointed chest houses thermal flasks for chilling both champagne and caviar, four hand-blown crystal champagne flutes arranged to evoke the cylinders of a V12 engine and a fine mother-of-pearl caviar spoon.

For inquiries, please contact us for further details.

Rolls-Royce Whispers is the marque’s digital world of curated luxury, an Application created to meet the demands and tastes of an eclectic network of global clients. Over the course of 2020, Whispers has expanded and evolved, providing an engaging and inspiring experience for its unique online global community. Until today, Whispers has been the reserve of owners of Goodwood created Rolls-Royce motor cars. By popular demand, Whispers will now be available for partners of owners, providing a more holistic access as we approach the holiday season.

Already the epitome of customer-centricity, the Application has been evolved to consider the current restrictions faced by so many clients around the world, who, due to Covid-19 movement restrictions, are unable to travel to the Home of Rolls-Royce, in Goodwood, West Sussex. Many clients expressed a wish to maintain even closer contact with the marque, and in answer to these demands, Verena Masters, Head of Whispers, embraced the unique opportunity presented by the Application. Written dialogue is already available via the popular community messaging function. This function has now been developed to facilitate face-to-face video interactions, for more natural communication between clients and the marque. Now, patrons can experience Rolls-Royce’s Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence from wherever they are in the world, in the comfort of their own home.

A comprehensive suite of online live video options enables real-time communication with the marque’s executives, product experts and craftspeople. Clients may even view their motor car, live on the production line, at the marque’s manufactory – witnessing the ‘marriage’ – a seminal moment as the powertrain meets the chassis, or the fitting of the Spirit of Ecstasy.

New Ghost has naturally ignited considerable demand for this service. One-on-one live consultations with Rolls-Royce specialists and designers have provided detailed and personal product insights, which enable remote commissioning to take place. Materials and colours are defined, Bespoke accoutrements are envisioned, and unique motor cars are brought to life in consummate Rolls-Royce style – with effortless ease.

The curation of cultural and exclusive opportunities continues on Whispers courtesy of the marque’s Luxury Intelligence Unit. Most recently, members have enjoyed editorial inspiration on topics ranging from the forefront of moving-image art, guidance on how to cultivate a woodland, and even, the philanthropic endeavours of other Whispers members.

Rare and whimsical products continue to delight. The Whispers Concierge is in demand as signed first edition Harry Potter books, unique Hermès handbags and Yeezy Boost 380’s are sourced for members from around the world, as attention turns to the holiday season.

In an additional enhancement of the Whispers Application, members can now virtually exhibit their automotive collections for the network of fellow Rolls-Royce clients to peruse and admire. With the ability to search by name, location and even by car, members are able to connect with local, like-minded members, be it for business or leisure purposes.

For further information, please contact your Rolls-Royce Specialist.

As the first to unveil the New Ghost in Houston, Rolls-Royce of Houston launched the newly designed Ghost which Reflects the minimalist philosophy that underpins new Ghost, highlights of this transformative motor car are listed in short form below. For more details please contact our Rolls-Royce representatives for further Ghost details and commissioning options.

The most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet 

Succeeds the most successful product in the marque’s 116-year history 

Reflects ‘Post Opulent’ design philosophy, rejecting superficial expressions of wealth 

Built on rigid aluminium Rolls-Royce spaceframe architecture 

All-wheel drive and all-wheel steering for unprecedented poise and surefootedness 

World first Planar suspension system significantly increases agility and effortlessness 

Equipped with hallmark 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, delivering 571PS and 850nm 

For effortless egress, doors now electrically open as well as close 

Interior components tuned to specific resonant frequency to create a sense of serenity 

Down lit Pantheon grille discreetly illuminates Rolls-Royce iconography 

Illuminated Fascia debuts featuring Ghost nameplate surrounded by more than 850 stars.

To learn more about the New Ghost, contact your Rolls-Royce Specialist today.

It is in this vein that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents to its clients, perfect scale models of Cullinan, the marque’s stellar SUV.

As daily driving pleasures have been curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some other of life’s little luxuries have come to the fore. An authentic 1:8 scale replica of a full-sized Cullinan, in which every detail is reproduced with absolute perfection, can now be enjoyed by clients around the world, in the comfort of their own home.

Far more than a mere model, each miniature Cullinan is individually and painstakingly crafted by hand, to the client’s specification, from over 1,000 individual components. This process can take up to 450 hours – over half of the time required to build a full-sized Cullinan at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex.

The replica is hand-painted using Rolls-Royce colour-matched paint, then hand-polished to the marque’s exacting specification; the coachline is even applied using a fine brush, just as it is on the original. Clients may choose from a palette of around 40,000 ‘standard’ colours, or replicate their own personal Bespoke finish. The fully-functioning exterior lights are operated by a Cullinan-branded remote control; under the bonnet is a perfect likeness of the ‎iconic 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine.

On opening the coach doors, illuminated treadplates are revealed, leading to an interior designed and executed with the materials, skill and attention to detail lavished on Cullinan itself. From the headrest embroidery and wood finishes to seat piping and stitching, these Bespoke creations allow clients to recreate their full-size vehicle with astonishing accuracy, or even envision future Cullinans to add to their collection.

Presented in a display case at almost a metre in length, the replica is set on a gloss-black base mounted on a plinth allowing it to be appreciated from all angles. The Perspex window can be removed enabling the minutiae of the doors, luggage compartment and engine bay to be viewed in detail.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “This scale replica brings a new dimension to Cullinan’s Effortless, Everywhere philosophy. Our super-luxury SUV is now as perfectly at ease in the serene surroundings of its owner’s residence as it is in the most challenging and hostile terrain on Earth.” He continued, “It demonstrates, and reminds us as a company, that Inspiring Greatness applies at every scale. It is not just about the big things: we seek and achieve greatness in everything we do, down to the smallest item and minutest detail.”

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a brand that encourages the pursuit of dreams, and now a new generation of aspiring designers are being encouraged to bring their automotive dreams to life through a special ‘Young Designer Competition’. Launched to provide parents and children with a welcome distraction during the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, Rolls-Royce is calling on aspiring designers up to the age of 16 to design their dream Rolls-Royce of the future. The competition enables designers of the future to let their imaginations and creativity run free, even while they remain bound to their homes.

Rolls-Royce designs and builds the world’s most extraordinary cars, each a unique expression of the owner’s personality, imagination and creativity. From paint to embroidery, Starlight Headliner to art and design installations, anything is possible. Aspiring designers entering the challenge can now draw on their own creativity and desires to imagine the design of their very own super-luxury car.

The new competition is an extension of that which is run each year at the Rolls-Royce employees’ Family Day Celebration, held at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. This eagerly anticipated activity delights creative young minds, as well as proud parents and grandparents. Rolls-Royce is opening up the competition to a worldwide audience to: stimulate design talent; inspire greatness; and provide a welcome distraction from self-isolation and social-distancing measures being adopted by many countries around the globe.

The marque’s Design team will judge all entries and select an overall winner, who will receive a rendered illustration of their design – a true once-in-a-lifetime, money-can’t-buy prize – as well as a chauffeur-driven journey in a Rolls-Royce Phantom for their first day back to school, with their best friend. Runners-up will receive a hand-signed certificate from Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Young designers can share their innovative designs for a future Roll-Royce at:

http://rolls-royceyoungdesignercompetition.com

Rolls-Royce patrons are a unique subset of society – entrepreneurs, visionaries, heads of state, royalty, founders and the brightest stars of the entertainment industry. These clients are global denizens, connoisseurs, patrons of the arts, philanthropists, collectors of fine and exquisite items; individuals untethered by common constraints such as time and money.

These individuals have complete confidence in Rolls-Royce’s ability to delight and inspire them. However, due to their highly mobile international lifestyles, they have been seeking a means to have more regular personal involvement with the marque – more experiences, more access, and more immersion in the luxury world open to Rolls-Royce as the world’s leading luxury brand.

Of course, these individuals have existing access to concierge services, personal shoppers and consultants to support various aspects of their lives, but they wanted something different from Rolls-Royce – something above and beyond.

This rarefied group of individuals wanted Rolls-Royce to facilitate a coming together of the extraordinary people who make up the marque’s worldwide client fraternity. Like-minded individuals, they sought to unlock the inimitable treasures that abound within the global Rolls-Royce community and wanted to share their interests, their tastes, their products and collections and their thinking amongst each other.

This is Whispers. A digital House of Rolls-Royce, Whispers acts as an entrepôt to a world that Rolls-Royce intimately and uniquely understands – a digital gateway to a curated world of luxury.

Over two years ago, under a cloak of secrecy, Whispers was launched to a select group of globally distributed clients. A test-phase followed and after garnering a positive response, Rolls-Royce continued to evolve and adapt Whispers in close collaboration with its users. Today, Whispers is fully deployed in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, with large numbers of Rolls-Royce clients already enjoying the benefits of belonging to this exclusive group of exceptional achievers.

Membership is limited to owners of a new Rolls-Royce motor car. Whispers is indeed, the most exclusive members’ club in the world.

A Global Community of Like-minded Individuals
Through Whispers, Rolls-Royce offers, to the delight of its clients, access to an amazing and sometimes whimsical collection of luxury offerings, transformative experiences, exclusive Rolls-Royce previews, inspiring articles and thought pieces, undiscovered destinations and perhaps most importantly, the ability to securely contact and privately commune with some of the world’s greatest minds.

Whispers offers patrons the opportunity to liaise securely with fellow Rolls-Royce patrons, the Chief Executive and members of the Board of Rolls-Royce, to share ideas and networks, business opportunities and social contacts that fortify and inspire those who change the world.

An Inspiring and Sometimes Whimsical Collection of Luxury Offerings
An ever-changing collection of beguiling products has been curated to surprise, delight and intrigue. Members can create their very own bespoke experiences or products. They are invited to work with experts to design and build their own personal racetrack, or commission a personalised Monopoly set incorporating one’s own properties and assets. Need entertaining? – book a private performance by the New York Philharmonic. Commission a beautiful portrait of your favourite pet or design your very own minaudiere.

From truffles to caviar or crafting your own Cognac, patrons can peruse and purchase a diverse and eclectic selection of luxurious products and curiosities – all on the Whispers platform, in the comfort of their own home.

Transformative experiences
Whispers provides Rolls-Royce clients access to transformative, inspiring and entertaining experiences. From backstage-access at the Grammys, front-row seats at Fashion Week, walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards, VIP previews of Art Basel, to meeting artists at Coachella, players at Wimbledon or athletes at the Olympics, Whispers unlocks a world of exclusive access.

Worldwide luxury travel experiences are offered. An expedition to Antarctica or an African Safari can be facilitated at the touch of a button. And, of course, Whispers members are invited to join Rolls-Royce at exclusive, hosted experiences, for example, an Art Weekend visiting the private collection of one of the world’s most prestigious collectors, or a weekend at the sumptuous Villa D’Este Concours D’Elegance. Members may receive an invitation to an intimate dinner on the production line at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, or even a private, curated tour of luxury goods manufacturers in the capitals of global luxury. Additionally, members of the Whispers community receive exclusive world-previews of new Rolls-Royce products and offerings before they become public knowledge.

Hidden Gems
As global denizens and owners of a Rolls-Royce, the marque’s patrons are accustomed to effortless luxury travel. Now, drawing on Rolls-Royce’s global presence and unique immersion in the world of luxury travel, clients receive recommendations, via Whispers, of new or little-known but highly recommended hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs around the world – many of which are endorsed by fellow-members who have come across them on their own world travels. Assistance is available to plan itineraries and ensure the very best seat or suite is secured.

Inspiring Greatness through Evocative Thought Pieces
Whispers collates inspirational ideas and creative thinking gleaned by Rolls-Royce’s own Luxury Intelligence Unit from around the globe.  Inspiring thought pieces are tailored according to the patron’s personal choices and interests. Philanthropic endeavour, sporting achievements, artistic excellence and cultural idiosyncrasies feature in editorial content designed to enlighten and inspire the reader.

Whispers is an exclusive, digital home for Rolls-Royce clients around the world. Constantly adapting and refreshing to always ensure that its content remains current, relevant and in-line with the client’s interests, Whispers draws together many of the world’s most affluent and interesting people. Private, curated, inspiring and lovely, Whispers is truly the most exclusive Members Club in the world.

“Black Badge reflects the desires of a distinct group of Rolls-Royce clients: men and women who take risks, break rules and build success on their own terms. Indeed, before we launched Black Badge in 2016 the idea of creating a product that would satisfy this subversive cohort – that is highly dynamic and wilfully rebellious in aesthetic – caused a great deal of internal debate. However, once the marque’s designers, engineers and craftspeople began pursuing this dramatic alter ego, it became clear that these motor cars could not only exist comfortably beneath this revered and historic brand but they would define a new space within the super-luxury market. In this spirit, the time has come for Rolls-Royce’s boldest and darkest expression of Black Badge yet. The King of the Night, Black Badge Cullinan.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Introduction

At the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presented Black Badge; a permanent Bespoke family of motor cars that defined the taste patterns of an emerging generation of super-luxury consumer. These unapologetic and highly dynamic products responded to those who refused to be defined by traditional codes of luxury and did much to attract new customers to the marque, reassured by Rolls-Royce’s fluency in their bold aesthetic and uncompromising lifestyle requirements.

This highly successful alter ego is codified by the mathematical symbol that represents a potential infinity, which is placed discreetly within the motor car’s interior. This marking, known also as the lemniscate, was applied to Sir Malcolm Campbell’s record-breaking Rolls-Royce-powered Blue Bird K3 hydroplane, denoting that it belonged to an insurance class reserved for boats with unlimited and therefore infinite engine power. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars selected this hallmark for Black Badge to reflect its own unrelenting pursuit of power.

Rolls-Royce debuted Black Badge with Wraith and Ghost in 2016 followed by Dawn in 2017. Today, the family is completed with the introduction of Black Badge Cullinan: the darkest and most urban statement of Black Badge yet.

Cullinan Goes Black

Created to satisfy overwhelming demand from younger, more adventurous clients, Cullinan in its silver badge guise was launched to global acclaim in 2018, immediately becoming the world’s pinnacle super-luxury SUV. Combining luxury in its purest form with genuine practicality and off-road capability, Cullinan unequivocally delivered on the promise of an experience that is Effortless, Everywhere.

The Rolls-Royce of SUVs did much to reach a new group of clients looking for unfettered access to the world’s wildest places and most enriching experiences. Yet, within this group exists a subset of individuals who seek to subvert the motor car’s domineering presence by permanently cloaking it in the night. Cullinan has conquered the world’s wildest reaches. Now it is time for Black Badge Cullinan to conquer new urban frontiers.

Black Badge Cullinan Exterior: The King of the Night

While clients can draw on the marque’s 44,000 ‘ready to wear’ paint options or commission an entirely individual Bespoke hue, it is anticipated that many will opt for Black Badge’s signature Black. Multiple layers of paint and lacquer are meticulously applied and hand-polished 10 times at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, representing the most comprehensive surface finish process ever applied to a solid paint color. The depth and intensity of Black Badge Cullinan’s coachwork serves as the perfect canvas upon which to throw a contrasting hand-painted Coachline into stark relief.

On the prow of the motor car lies the defining expression of Black Badge. The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, which has taken many forms throughout the marque’s history, is presented in high gloss black chrome. For the first time this finish extends onto its mounting plate, creating the darkest Black Badge yet.

This transformation pervades the other symbols of Black Badge. The ‘Double R’ badge on the front, flanks and aft invert to become silver-on-black, while chrome surfaces such as the front grille surround, side frame finishers, boot handle, boot trim, lower air inlet finisher and exhaust pipes are darkened. While they appear black, the vertical grille bars remain polished, reflecting the blackened surfaces that surround them to add a frisson of movement that hints at the motor car’s dynamic intent.

The overall effect artfully simplifies and enlarges the motor car’s exterior design graphics, emphasizing its imposing proportions and confident stance. This is further dramatized by all-new 22-inch forged alloy wheels, reserved exclusively for Black Badge Cullinan. Designed in the Black Badge house style, the gear-like graphic emphasizes the model’s vast reserves of power while also recalling an infinitely occurring lemniscate.

The gloss black and polished design also creates the perfect stage for the marque’s first-ever colored brake caliper. The high gloss Red paint has been specifically developed to withstand the rigors of elevated temperatures generated by the motor car’s uprated braking system while still offering a perfectly smooth finish befitting of Rolls-Royce.

Black Badge Cullinan Interior: Superlative comfort. Audacious design

Ordinarily, great efforts are expelled to distance occupants from a Rolls-Royce’s mechanical function. However, the marque’s Colour and Trim experts gently sensationalized the engineering substance of Black Badge, seamlessly blending superlative comfort, bold aesthetics, advanced materials and precise, meticulous craftsmanship.

This ethos is perfectly embodied by Black Badge Cullinan’s Technical Carbon veneer. In the spirit of Sir Henry Royce’s founding philosophy, “When it does not exist, design it”, a collaboration between the marque’s designers, engineers and craftspeople saw the creation of a new luxury material. Inspired by masterpieces of urban architecture, a naked-weave carbon-fiber finish has been developed to create highly accurate repeating geometrical shapes that produce a powerful three-dimensional effect.

Each leaf of Technical Carbon is finished with six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours then hand-polished to Rolls-Royce’s hallmark mirror finish. This process takes 21 days and is only deemed complete once every piece is inspected by a craftsperson to ensure complete reflective uniformity across each of the 23 pieces within the car.

Starlight Headliner has joined historical Rolls-Royce iconography such as the Spirit of Ecstasy, Pantheon Grille and ‘Double R’ monogram. Its presence in Black Badge Cullinan intensifies the cabin’s ambiance by casting a low light over the lavish leather seats. Presented in fine Black leather, handwoven with 1344 fiber optic lights, it is a true reflection of the sky at night and incorporates eight brilliant white shooting stars that dart at random predominantly over the front occupants, subtly acknowledging the motor car’s owner-driver appeal.

Reflecting the marque’s Bespoke philosophy, Black Badge Cullinan benefits from a near-infinitely configurable interior color palette. Black Badge clients often use interior space as a stage to create dramatic high contrast colorways, so for Cullinan Rolls-Royce’s Colour and Trim designers created a bold new leather color, Forge Yellow, to offer as part of the brand’s curated collection. As with all leather colors, this can be commissioned for the motor car’s Viewing Suite or incorporated into the design of a highly Bespoke Recreation Module tailored to the client’s exacting specification.

A final touch completes the interior seating: the Infinity lemniscate motif is embroidered into the fold-down rear arm-rest as an elegant reminder of the power contained within. This simple but potent symbol is also incorporated in the illuminated treadplates and engraved on the brushed and darkened steel clock case. Red-tipped clock hands and instrument display needles also serve as a discreet reminder of the motor car’s dynamic prowess.

Black Badge Cullinan Engineering. The Architecture of Luxury’s dark side

Black Badge is far more than an aesthetic treatment. In creating this class of motor car, it was of vital importance for Rolls-Royce to conceive a meticulously considered dynamic personality that perfectly harmonized with the motor car’s remarkable visual identity. Indeed, the exceptionally high expectations of the marque’s clients defined a rigorous testing protocol lasting more than three years to ensure that Black Badge Cullinan was relevant to their needs.

Key to the visceral thrill of Black Badge Cullinan is the Architecture of Luxury, Rolls-Royce’s proprietary all-aluminium architecture that debuted with Phantom. The sub-structure not only delivers extraordinary body stiffness but its flexibility and scalability allowed Cullinan to be fitted with all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering in its silver badged guise. These dynamic features have been comprehensively exploited and re-engineered for Black Badge while retaining the peerless quality of ride that has driven Rolls-Royce’s success.

The Architecture of Luxury has been engineered to meet size and weight requirements of different propulsion systems. When the driver presses the ‘Low’ button situated on the gear selection stalk, they unlock Black Badge Cullinan’s full suite of technologies. This is asserted by the proud amplification of the motor car’s 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 through an entirely new exhaust system, announcing its arrival with a deep, authoritative basso profundo.

It was deemed unnecessary to make changes to the engine’s ample internal capacity, however the flexibility of the twin-turbo V12 has been exploited to generate an extra 29PS creating a total output of 600PS. The sense of a single, infinite gear has also been sensationalized with the addition of a further 50NM of torque, bringing the total to a 900NM.

Black Badge Cullinan benefits from a Bespoke transmission and throttle treatment that creates a sense of urgency without ever undermining its Rolls-Royce peerage. The drive-train, ZF 8-speed gearbox and both front and rear steered axles work collaboratively to adjust the levels of engagement depending on throttle and steering inputs. Changes to suspension components and settings add to the suite of dynamic technologies that ensure an appropriate balance between dynamism and refinement. The result is an extremely well-mannered tourer at low speeds and a vivid driver’s device when pressed.

To bolster confidence when exploiting Cullinan’s alter ego, the braking bite point has been raised and pedal travel decreased. Redesigned brake disc ventilation also allows consistency in these changes while braking at elevated temperatures.

Black Badge Cullinan is now available to commission with Rolls-Royce Houston.

On 4 May 1904, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce met for the first time at The Midland Hotel, Manchester; an encounter that would change the course of automotive history. Exactly 115 years later, the marque they agreed to form that day continues to set global standards for innovation and excellence, and uphold their legacy as the originators of ‘the best car in the world’.

Rolls and Royce would doubtless be astonished at the cars produced under their names in 2019. The century (and more) that has elapsed since their first 10hp machine made its debut at the Paris Salon has seen materials, technology and manufacturing methods utterly transformed. Yet in several key areas, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars retains unbroken links to those pioneering days; and in its approach, instincts, and values, it would be immediately – and pleasingly – recognizable to its founding fathers.

A return to coachbuilding

The lines and styling of the first Rolls-Royce cars are clearly influenced by the horse-drawn carriages they replaced. This is no coincidence since they were handcrafted by the same master coachbuilders, who effortlessly transferred their skills and artistry from the outgoing tradition to the new technology. Coachbuilding at Rolls-Royce ended in the 1960s, but in 2017, the craft made a triumphant return in the form of ‘Sweptail’ – a fully bespoke, coachbuilt commission for a customer seeking ‘the ultimate grand tourer’.

‘Sweptail’ is a truly unique creation, with a never-to-be-repeated silhouette and individual interior touches, including a champagne cooler specifically proportioned to hold only a bottle of Dom Pérignon ’73. Nevertheless, with its Pantheon grille and rear overhang, it remains absolutely true to the Rolls-Royce brand and design language.

The Architecture of Luxury

Henry Royce began his automotive career by building an improved version of the 10hp two-cylinder French Decauville – the first car he bought when his eponymous electrical company became successful. When Rolls saw and drove Royce’s machine, he knew he had found a British car that could outshine the continental competition and agreed to sell all the cars Royce could build. In its first two years, Rolls-Royce produced a mere 10 cars: in 2018, it delivered 4,107 – the highest annual total in its history – to customers in over 50 countries.

To satisfy global demand for its products, the company has developed a common platform that underpins all new models. Known as The Architecture of Luxury, it comprises an aluminum spaceframe that can be scaled to fit different applications by using different-sized floor pans and cross members: new production processes ensure stiffness and integrity, as well as delivering the company’s signature Magic Carpet Ride.

Black Badge

Black Badge is Rolls-Royce’s response to a small and select group of clients who have asked the marque for motor cars with specific, focused characteristics that reflect their different take on life, success and the luxury they consume. These people choose to define themselves differently from their wider social group; a subset within a subset.

For over a century such individuals, possessed of a dark and restless spirit, have been drawn to Rolls-Royce’s unique allure. Luminaries including Sir Malcolm Campbell, Howard Hughes and Muhammad Ali have all shared the marque’s founding philosophy; an uncompromising refusal to accept the status quo and a constant yearn to innovate, create and advance.

Their restless spirit was also shared by the marque’s co-founder; himself one of the great disrupters of his day. The Honourable C.S. Rolls was a man in a hurry. Not satisfied with fundamentally altering the road-car landscape, he sought more and pursued his appetite for advancement and adventure in the air; a passion that would ultimately lead to his untimely demise aged just 33.

It is this indomitable spirit that, since the launch of Black Badge, has captivated so many of today’s young owners, who are drawn to Rolls-Royce in the knowledge that no other luxury house is possessed of the vision and flexibility to meet their demands both in design and engineering terms. Indeed, Black Badge serves to amplify the inherent characteristics that have driven so many new, younger patrons of luxury to the marque.

In conceiving Black Badge versions of Wraith, Ghost and Dawn, the marque’s Bespoke designers and engineers drew upon their instinctive understanding of the unique lives of these extraordinary men and women to create both design and engineering treatments that perfectly amplify the inherent values of these great Rolls-Royces.

Black Badge models are the ‘alter egos’ of the standard models: darker, edgier, with more power and torque and enhanced driving dynamics to open up the Rolls-Royce brand to new audiences.

Styling details include a dark-chrome Spirit of Ecstasy, wheels and carbon-fiber interior components, plus the ‘inverted’ black-on-silver ‘RR’ logo: as with every other Rolls-Royce, however, customers can add whatever Bespoke elements they wish, so even a Black Badge car can be any color you desire.

Effortless, everywhere

In July 1917, a British diplomat, Hugh Lloyd-Thomas, was dining in a Cairo club with his wife, Aileen, when a man in flowing robes swept in and demanded: “Whose Rolls-Royce is this outside?” When Aileen said it was hers, the man announced that he was commandeering it “in the name of His Majesty’s armed forces” and drove away. He was, of course, T. E. Lawrence, more familiar to millions as Lawrence of Arabia; both he and the car would be immortalized in one of the most famous photographs of the First World War.

A century after Lawrence’s exploits, Rolls-Royce once again produced a car capable of conquering the most hostile environments on Earth. The Cullinan super-luxury SUV caused an international sensation on its launch in 2018, and set the new global standard in luxury off-road motoring. Cullinan was engineered from scratch to enable customers to go anywhere, see anything and do everything they desire with total confidence, while cocooned in the comfort and splendor embodied in the Rolls-Royce name. To prove its all-terrain credentials, the car completed a 12,000-mile odyssey through some of the world’s most challenging terrain, in partnership with National Geographic. As well as the Scottish Highlands, the Austrian Alps and the American West, Cullinan’s itinerary included the arid wastes of the Middle East, where it effortlessly confirmed Lawrence’s assertion that ‘a Rolls in the desert is above rubies.’

“We are deeply conscious of our heritage: it is a tremendous privilege to be continuing and building on work that began 115 years ago,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars. “But we also understand that our founders were visionaries, always looking to do things in new and different ways. It’s that spirit of excellence and innovation that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars embodies and celebrates today.”