2022 Rolls-royce Cullinan on 2040-cars

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Rolls-Royce reveals Year of the Dragon-themed customer commissions

Most buyers who order a new Rolls-Royce customize it through the brand's Bespoke department, and four recently requested a car inspired by the Year of the Dragon, which starts on February 10 in China. The company is highlighting the meticulous design changes it made. The batch of four Lunar New Year-themed cars is split into three units of the Phantom Extended and one example of the Cullinan. And, surprisingly, not all of them are headed to the Chinese market; Rolls-Royce says that the orders came from three different continents. Its designers started by creating a dragon logo specifically for the four builds. It's hand-stitched or hand-painted depending on the application. Red has historically been associated with the Year of the Dragon, it represents prosperity and good fortune in Chinese culture, and it defines the look given to three of the four cars (the fourth hasn't been unveiled yet). One of the Phantom Extended models is finished in a two-tone Cherry Red and silver livery with hand-painted Phoenix Red pinstripes and the dragon logo on each fender. The Cullinan is finished in Selby Gray and Cherry Red with white pinstripes and logos, while the second Phantom is black with Phoenix Red pinstripes and no dragon logos.  Painting the dragon logo that appears on the dashboard in three of the four cars is a complex, multi-step process that takes over two weeks. Rolls-Royce notes that the logo is the work of one artist who overlays multiple shades of red in four individual stages to achieve a 3D effect. Look up and you'll see another dragon; it's in the Starlight headliner. It consists of 677 stars that shine to create a dragon's shape and an additional 667 stars spread out across the panel. Designing this headliner took over three months and making it requires over 20 hours. There's no word yet on how much Rolls-Royce charged for each commission, but we're guessing price wasn't a concern.  Related video:

Rolls-Royce Wraith looks rad in red [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post called this car the "St. James Edition," which is incorrect. It's not a full-on special edition, rather a bespoke color. And an awesome one, at that. Of all the cars that would look right in red, and of all the colors you could specify for a new Rolls-Royce, ordering up a bright scarlet Wraith might not seem like the first choice to many. Fortunately there are plenty of other options available in the Rolls-Royce catalog. But for those who disagree, the British luxury automaker offers St. James Red, the bespoke color seen here. The color is offset by chrome brightwork on the grille, window frames, and door handles. The wheels are done up in a two-tone silver and gloss black, while the interior is swathed in what we're sure is only the softest, most supple black leather known to man. Of course, since it's a Wraith, there's power to match that racy exterior. This coupe is, after all, the most powerful vehicle Rolls-Royce has ever offered, packing a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 with 624 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, propelling over 5,000 pounds of luxury to 60 in a scant 4.4 seconds. More than adequate, indeed. If there was ever a Rolls that could get away with the bright red approach, surely it's the Wraith.

Rolls-Royce celebrates brand's 120th with Ghost Prism

The Ghost might be Rolls-Royce’s smaller, “entry-level” car, but those words donÂ’t mean much when referring to the storied British automaker. With an almost $350,000 starting price, the Ghost is nearly as exclusive as its larger counterparts, but the recently announced Prism model will be even harder to get. Rolls said it would produce just 120 units of the car to celebrate its 120th anniversary in 2024, though itÂ’s unclear how many are already sold. As these things typically go, high-value clients and famous people tend to get the first crack at exclusive models, as theyÂ’re meant to be rolling advertisements for the brand. Last year was the brandÂ’s best ever, as it moved more than 6,000 vehicles in 2023, with America and record growth in the Middle East leading the charge. The automakerÂ’s demo car came in Gunmetal gray, which it said took 16 hours of hand polishing and a ten-step process that involves four layers of paint application. A high-gloss black-gray color is applied to the grille and trunk lid, which involves polishing the paints to such a high-gloss finish that they appear metallic. The dark colors highlighted with bolder hues are meant to convey the appearance of a prism, hence the carÂ’s name. Buyers can choose between four accent colors: Forge Yellow, Mandarin, Phoenix Red, and Mandarin. The color is applied to the brake calipers, lower bumper inserts and coachline, which Rolls said is a styling element that ties together the “mechanical, aerodynamic, and sculptural elements of Ghost.” Inside, the car gets Rolls-RoyceÂ’s famous Starlight Headliner with 1,040 individual LED “stars” across the interior roof. While these exclusive features are selling points for the Ghose Prism, Rolls said buyers still get access to its entire catalog of colors, materials, and options. Most people extend the automakerÂ’s already extreme purchase prices by several thousand dollars, pushing the average purchase price far above what we see on paper. Related Video