Rolls-Royce has worked with some unusual materials through its Bespoke program, particularly when customers want a car that nobody else can replicate. Its latest Phantom required the company’s craftspeople to figure out how to work with a material they’d never used in one of their cars before.
The project was commissioned through Private Office Dubai as a personal tribute from an unnamed client to his wife. Inspiration came from the hummingbird, with the design attempting to capture the bird’s distinctive colors and iridescence.
That required Rolls-Royce to look beyond conventional paint, leather and wood. The company’s craftspeople spent months developing a technique specifically for this commission before they could produce the finished decorative pieces.
The result is the Phantom Hummingbird, a one-off Phantom Extended that becomes the first Rolls-Royce ever to incorporate abalone shell marquetry.
Each Hummingbird Is Made From 53 Pieces
Abalone was selected because the nacreous interior of its shell produces a blue-green iridescence as light strikes it from different angles. Rolls-Royce combined it with mother-of-pearl to recreate the shifting colors found in hummingbird feathers.
Each of the Phantom’s rear Picnic Tables features a hummingbird assembled from 53 individual pieces of abalone and mother-of-pearl, with 18 pieces forming the wings alone. An additional botanical design on the Rear Waterfall panel between the back seats contains another 84 pieces.
Working with abalone presented an unusual problem because the material is extremely fine and brittle. Rolls-Royce says development took more than nine months and six iterations before its craftspeople found a suitable technique.
The Pieces Had To Be Finished By Hand
Each piece of abalone and mother-of-pearl is initially laser-cut 0.06 mm larger than required to compensate for the laser’s burn margin. Craftspeople then file every piece by hand until adjoining edges fit together without a visible seam.
Once the technique had been perfected, completing the two Picnic Tables and Rear Waterfall panel required another 45 hours. Ash Burr veneer provides the background, while Silver Birch cut from a single carefully selected log is incorporated into the Picnic Table designs.
The rest of the cabin uses Creme Light leather with Moccasin and Tan detailing, Seashell carpeting and a Starlight Headliner.
The Hummingbird Theme Continues Outside
Rolls-Royce didn’t limit the theme to the cabin. The Phantom Extended wears a two-tone combination of Wildberry on the lower body and White Sands above.
A hand-applied White Sands Coachline separates the colors and incorporates another hummingbird, this time hand-painted onto the exterior. Mechanically, Rolls-Royce hasn’t announced any special changes, keeping the focus firmly on the craftsmanship.
The company hasn’t disclosed what its customer paid for the Phantom Hummingbird either. Considering Rolls-Royce spent nine months simply developing a process for working with its centerpiece material, however, this is one Phantom that would be exceedingly difficult to reproduce.