Rolls-Royce Marks Phantom’s 100th Anniversary With Its Most Elaborate Woodwork Ever
Rolls-Royce is celebrating the centenary of its flagship Phantom with an unprecedented display of craftsmanship: the most elaborate woodwork in the company’s history. This intricate design, featured in a one-off Phantom build, took a full year just to develop and necessitated specialized training for the artisans who meticulously brought it to life. Given the increasingly complex and bespoke designs emerging from Rolls-Royce’s personalization department, this new creation truly sets a new benchmark for automotive luxury and artistry.
New And Old Techniques Combine for Unparalleled Detail
To honor the Phantom’s illustrious 100-year legacy, Rolls-Royce pushed the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship by incorporating three techniques never before seen in one of its vehicles:
- 3D Marquetry: This technique takes the classic art of marquetry (creating patterns from two-dimensional pieces of wood veneer) to a new dimension by introducing raised elements. This adds unprecedented depth and texture to the designs, creating a truly three-dimensional effect.
- 3D Ink Layering: Layers of ink are meticulously added to achieve an extraordinary level of precision and clarity within the woodwork. This method allows for incredibly fine detail and depth in the depicted images.
- Gold Leaf Application: For the first time, Rolls-Royce has integrated gold leaf directly from the factory into a vehicle interior. This centuries-old practice of adhering thin sheets of gold to surfaces required bringing the technique up to stringent automotive durability standards and providing specialized training for the craftspeople involved. Squares of 24-carat gold leaf, as thin as 100 nanometers, are hand-laid to depict flowing roads across the veneers.
These groundbreaking techniques were integrated into a comprehensive one-year development process, during which Rolls-Royce’s craftspeople underwent rigorous training to master their application.
A Canvas of History: Phantom’s Legacy Etched in Blackwood
The elaborate woodwork spans across the doors and wood panels of the one-off Phantom, featuring intricate images that reference the model’s rich history. To cover such a large expanse, the design was broken down into smaller sections, meticulously assembled in a mosaic-like fashion. Veneer sheets were carefully chosen for specific spots based on their unique grain patterns, and speaker grilles were seamlessly milled directly into the wood. Rolls-Royce opted for Blackwood as the primary material due to its distinctive and beautiful grain.
Using lasers, everything from historical maps and landscapes to individual flowers and trees was etched into this fibrous canvas at three different depths. The deeper etchings appear darker, expertly creating shading and adding to the illusion of depth. Other areas received the innovative 3D ink treatment, building layers of ink to achieve an extraordinary level of precision and clarity in the depicted scenes.
Phantom Turns 100: A Century of Automotive Excellence
The Rolls-Royce Phantom name first graced production cars in 1925. These first-generation models hold historical significance as they were among the first foreign-brand cars to be assembled in the United States, at a Rolls-Royce plant located in Springfield, Massachusetts. Over the next seven decades, five more generations of the Phantom followed, each cementing its status as the pinnacle of luxury motoring. Notable appearances include the Phantom III, which famously served as James Bond nemesis Goldfinger’s ride.
After a 13-year hiatus, the Phantom made a grand return in 2003 as the centerpiece of BMW’s successful relaunch of the Rolls-Royce brand. That seventh-generation sedan also spawned elegant coupe and convertible versions before being replaced by the current, eighth-generation Phantom in 2017. Today, it remains the biggest, most opulent Rolls-Royce model, occupying a price point that ensures its rarity and exclusivity, even when compared to other prestigious models like the Rolls-Royce Ghost sedan, Cullinan SUV, and Spectre coupe. This unparalleled woodwork is a truly fitting tribute to a century of automotive grandeur and bespoke luxury.
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