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Check out some of the coolest Rolls-Royce Bespoke projects of 2023

The vast majority of buyers who order a new Rolls-Royce customize the car to some extent — the sky is the limit, and we're not talking about the one embedded into the headliner. As 2023 draws to a close, the British brand is highlighting some of the coolest requests it received. Rolls-Royce notes its Bespoke department received several unprecedented requests in 2023; one customer even asked for a special scent, and engineers had to develop several new paint processes. One of the highlights is the Phantom Syntopia, which the company labels "the most technically complex Bespoke commission ever undertaken." Created jointly with Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, it explores a theme called "Weaving Water" with custom details on the hood, the dashboard, and the headliner, which took nearly 700 hours to make. Travel inspired several Rolls-Royce customers in 2023. Three units of the Cullinan Black Badge Lucid Nights were built for the South Korean market and painted in Lime Green, Indy Red and Tucana Purple, respectively, as a tribute to the neon-lit streets of Seoul. Moving closer to the brand's headquarters, the one-off Phantom Cinque Terre features styling cues inspired by some of Italy's most touristic villages and the wine made in that region. The headliner notably incorporates a map of Italy embroidered with no less than 14,338 individual stitches. Limited to 25 units, the Ghost Black Badge Ekleipsis Private Collection features styling cues from the world of astrology. It's finished in a color combination inspired by a total solar eclipse, and its headliner gains an animation that mimics an eclipse and lasts for seven and a half minutes. The dashboard gets a clock whose bezel incorporates a brilliant-cut 0.5-carat diamond — the first in Rolls-Royce's history. Riding in the one-of-one Rose Blossom Phantom should feel like sitting in a summer garden, without the sunburn and the wasps trying to taste your drink. Rolls-Royce embroidered flowers into the dashboard and the headliner, and it added four species of butterfly (Swallowtail, Peacock, Common Blue and Duke of Burgundy) to bring the backdrop to life. The headliner in this car required over 200 hours of work. Some buyers take a more personal approach to customization.

5 thoughts on the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Dudes associated with Rolls-Royce have said some pretty memorable things. T.E. Lawrence called the cars “above rubies,” while Charles Royce presciently observed — in 1900 no less — “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.”  IÂ’m not into jewelry, so the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre is definitely better than rubies, and itÂ’s an EV with a lot of character and purpose. Chuck and Tom were right. This luxury grand tourer is one of the best cars IÂ’ve ever driven — as it should be given it starts at $422,750 — but it also succeeds as an EV.  HereÂ’s five thoughts as to why. 1. ItÂ’s dressed impeccably My test car has a striking two-tone exterior of Arctic White and Midnight Black, recalling a signature cue of great Rollers of the past. A spokesman said two-tone paint dates to the 1920s, notably on the Phantom V, then took off during the coachbuilt cars in the ‘30s. By the 1950s, the paint scheme had become a Rolls-Royce calling card. It looks like the Spectre is wearing a tuxedo. Upon arriving for my drive at Meadow Brook Hall, a century-old mansion with a history almost as deep as Rolls, I was asked if I had a preference. There was a pink car, a pretty blue one and some others. I pointed at this one immediately. Furthering the coachbuilt vibe, you get in and out of the car via two huge rear-opening doors. Like on other Rolls-Royces, they can open and close themselves. 2. What an interior Naturally, itÂ’s a beautiful cabin. The wood, chrome and leather look and feel rich. The one I tested has a gorgeous blue interior with a navy blue backdrop and sky blue accenting along the top of the dash. A sliver and white clock is set in the middle of the instrument panel. The seats are two-tone blue with the RR crest embroidered in the headliners. ThereÂ’s a fair amount of room in the backseat, and my knees didn't even touch the seat in front of me.  The turn-by-turn navigation is outstanding. There's a camera in the middle of the dashboard with arrows telling you which way to go. It's not distracting because the aesthetic of the SpectreÂ’s dashboard is so simple, yet elegant. It's a quiet cabin — more serene than the Cullinan — and stoutly keeps the outside world at bay. Look up and youÂ’re greeted by the Starry Night Sky. Look down and note the plush carpet. I encourage you to drive barefoot. 3.

Rolls-Royce looks to the heavens with diamond-encrusted Celestial Phantom

The Middle East is a vital market for Rolls-Royce, particularly in the Gulf emirates. So the British automaker wouldn't let the region's premier auto show go by unnoticed, and to that end has rolled into the Dubai Motor Show with an array of special editions.
Chief among them is the Celestial edition Phantom, a customized limousine that initially debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show but has returned to Dubai with the addition of 446 diamonds hand-set into the door panels, center console and cabin privacy partition. Taking the spirit of the Phantom's trademark starlight headliner even further, the Celestial edition reproduces overhead the constellations exactly as they were on the evening of January 1, 2003, when Rolls-Royce delivered the first Phantom to its owner, as verified by the South Downs Planetarium in Chichester, England.
The Bespoke division also fitted the Celestial Phantom with inky blue leather, special glassware and a custom picnic set. The wheel hubs are also engraved and the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament uplit, demonstrating just a few of the possibilities awaiting those with the means not only to buy a new Rolls-Royce, but also commission special features from the Bespoke department.