Rolls-Royce Drives Into Its Second Century With Phantom Centenary
Limited to 25 vehicles globally, this Private Collection motor car is the most technologically and creatively ambitious bespoke project ever undertaken by the luxury house, celebrating 100 years of the iconic Phantom nameplate
Marking the 100th anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic automobiles, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Phantom Centenary Private Collection at a private event near the brand’s headquarters that Cool Hunting attended. It’s a landmark edition of just 25 hand-built vehicles each featuring many design firsts for the company. The development of this extraordinary program started in 2022 and required over 40,000 collective hours of work from the marque’s Bespoke Collective. Described as the magnets of the company’s bespoke collective, this Private Collection edition is the most technologically complex and creatively ambitious endeavor Rolls-Royce has ever executed—an ode to a century of design and engineering excellence, employing brand-new techniques like 3D marquetry, 24-karat gold leafing, and multi-layer ink processes, marking three Rolls-Royce firsts in woodworking alone. The vehicle itself is designed as an immersive master artwork, featuring 77 works of art intended to tell the story of the first hundred years of Phantom through people, places, and stories featured on the cars interior surfaces. This “honours Phantom’s legacy, defines its present, and projects the principles that will shape the model’s next 100 years and beyond,” says the brand.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom has captivated the world’s most influential figures since its inception in 1925, spanning eight generations. It is a vehicle “chosen by the most influential people of their time, of their generation, whether they’re captains of industry, film stars, or artists in all sorts of creative areas that really go on to define their generations” noted Emma Begley, the brand’s Director of Global Communications, at the presentation. This group includes Queen Elizabeth, Lady Gaga, John Lennon, 50 Cent, Shaq, JP Morgan and so many more. The significance of the Phantom extends beyond its physical presence; when Rolls-Royce relaunched its brand in 2003 at Goodwood, the Phantom was the foundational choice that allowed the com, pany to show the world it could “once again create a truly unrivaled car with nothing like it in its presence, its craftsmanship and its exclusivity” Begley adds. This commitment to unrivaled quality and individualization requests defined Rolls-Royce’s reputation as a bespoke partnership and positioned the marque as an authentic luxury house. Today, the Phantom remains at the heart of the modern identity and business, acting as the canvas for the most ambitious bespoke projects undertaken by the brand.
On the exterior, the Phantom Centenary Private Collection evokes the golden age of Hollywood and the flowing silhouette of the 1930 Phantom II Continental. The body is finished in an uncommon two-tone livery, Arctic White for the side body and black for the upper body, and a long, cigar-shaped line chosen to exaggerate the Phantom’s iconic, uninterrupted flow. Both black and white paints are infused with a specially developed Super Champagne Crystal coating, utilizing glass flakes to provide a “subtle champagne sparkle”. This celebratory application is carried forward in the gold details throughout the vehicle. For the first time, the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine is cast in solid 18-karat gold and plated with 24-karat gold, honoring the functional need for durability while ensuring a beautiful finish. This special Spirit of Ecstasy also features smaller, more delicate wing shapes, commemorating the original Phantom I Spirit of Ecstasy. The iconic ‘RR’ Badge of Honour is also updated for only the fourth time ever, presented in 24-karat gold and white enamel. Completing the exterior aesthetic are the car’s unique disc wheels, each engraved with 25 rings, which collectively total 100 rings to celebrate the centenary year.
The interior of the Centenary Collection unfolds a century of Phantom stories across multiple bespoke canvases. Recalling the marque’s earliest days, designers conceptualized the front seats as a sketch and the rear as a painting, reflecting the heritage when chauffeurs sat on durable leather while rear passengers enjoyed lavish fabrics. The white leather front seats are laser-etched with black line work depicting historical scenes. In contrast, the rear seating is crafted from high-resolution printed textile and embroidery, serving as a contemporary interpretation of the 1926 Phantom of Love. The textile artwork is a three-layered tale, incorporating more than 160,000 stitches to seamlessly blend seven embroidered motifs representing influential owners with a printed background of historical places and past Phantoms. Sound like a lot? It is. The brand’s famous Starlight Headliner contributes to the storytelling with 440,000 stitches forming a mulberry tree motif, referencing Henry Royce’s garden at his estate in the south of France where he and his team worked in the winters. Stained Blackwood door panels showcase the most intricate woodwork ever created for a Rolls-Royce, combining 3D multi-directional marquetry, laser etching, 3D ink layering, and gold-leafing chronicling significant journeys, with routes traced in 24-karat gold leaf. Each set of doors took over a year to complete. Each time you enter the rear of the car you’ll notice a new detail.
The Phantom Centenary Private Collection is an extraordinary achievement, not only for its meticulous craftsmanship but for its rarefied exclusivity. Limited to just 25 examples (which are already spoken for), this collection motor car represents “the most technologically complex and creatively ambitious private collection that we have ever done” says Begley. As Celina Mettang, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer, noted, “The Centenary is our love letter to Phantom—it’s automotive romance, where every detail holds memory”. Collectors will likely spend more time looking at it in their garage rather than driving or being driven in it, as is often the case with limited edition cars, but those fans of the brand will welcome a moving manifestation of a century of automotive history to their collections.
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