This year marks 100 years of the Rolls-Royce Phantom ultra-luxury sedan. The automaker announced it would release a limited-production Phantom Centenary Private Collection to commemorate the milestone. Now we know how the 25 cars will look and the special touches and historical references they’ll have.
Although the Phantom hasn’t been in constant production since 1925, it has typically been the transportation of choice for the ultra-wealthy, celebrities, and heads of state. As a nod to the golden age of Hollywood and the Phantoms of the 1930s, the cars in the Centenary Private Collection are finished in Super Champagne Crystal over Black for the upper body, and Super Champagne Crystal over Arctic White for the lower body. To make the paint even more brilliant, Rolls-Royce infused the clear coat with iridescent glass particles and replaced the clear flakes with two times as many champagne-colored particles.
Even the “RR” badges got their own special treatment of 24-carat gold and white enamel. Up front, the Spirit of Ecstasy was redone in the style of the first one ever installed on a Phantom and made out of solid 18-carat gold, then covered in tarnish-resistant 24-carat gold. Under the hood, the 6.75-liter V12 features an Arctic White cover with 24-carat gold accents.
Like many classic Rolls-Royces, the Phantoms in the Centenary Private Collection have disc wheels, but theirs have 25 grooves in them to represent the production run.
Many people see leather seats as a key part of a luxury vehicle, but in the early days of the Phantom, leather was used for the chauffeur’s seat and luxurious fabrics covered the seats in the passenger compartment. The Centenary Private Collection has a similar division. The front row is furnished with laser-etched leather seats that depict references to Rolls-Royce’s history, such as a seagull – the codename for the 1923 Phantom I prototype – and a rabbit – as in “Roger Rabbit”, the codename for Rolls-Royce’s 2003 relaunch.
The illuminated Anthology Gallery features 50 3D-printed, vertically brushed aluminum “fins” arranged to look like the pages of a book, each with sculpted letters that make up quotes from the press across the Phantom’s history.
Rolls-Royce worked with a fashion atelier to develop the fabrics used in the second row, which was inspired by the 1926 “Phantom of Love” and its handwoven Aubusson tapestries. The upholstery tells the brand’s story through three layers.
Of course, woodwork is a major part of the Phantom Centenary Private Collection’s interior. Rolls-Royce’s artisans incorporated three techniques never before used in a Phantom, which we detailed here.
Above both rows is a Starlight Headliner with 440,000 stitches that show key moments in the Phantom’s history as well as honeybees, a reference to the 250,000 in the Rolls-Royce Apiary.
Given the Phantom Centenary Private Collection’s limited production run, the odds of seeing one of the commemorative Phantoms are low, but perhaps we’ll spot one at next year’s Arizona Concours d’Elegance. If we do, we’ll be sure to share it with you here.
