The Rolls-Royce Phantom Centenary Private Collection is a landmark tribute celebrating 100 years of one of the most revered luxury motor cars ever created. Limited to only 25 highly bespoke vehicles, this collection is described by Rolls-Royce leadership as the most complex, technically innovative, and artistically ambitious project ever undertaken. It represents a century of Phantom’s legacy, honouring the people, moments, craftsmanship, journeys, and stories that contributed to the Phantom nameplate becoming an enduring symbol of luxury, success, and cultural influence.
According to Chief Executive Chris Brownridge, the Centenary Phantom is a “meticulously engineered work of art” built on the Phantom VIII platform and intended to immortalise the spirit of the previous seven generations. Over 40,000 hours of work and numerous newly developed techniques were required to achieve the extraordinary levels of detail in this collection. The design team treated the car as a canvas to retell Phantom’s life story, from early pioneers to iconic owners, in a highly curated artistic language.
The project involved unprecedented collaboration: a record number of designers spent a year mining Phantom’s history, transforming archival material into 77 individual artistic motifs. These elements became the foundation for a wide series of bespoke techniques across textiles, leather, metalwork, wood, and embroidery. Head of Bespoke Design, Martina Starke, describes the final result as “a collective work of art” demonstrating deep respect for Phantom’s legacy.
EXTERIOR: A MODERN HOMAGE TO PHANTOM’S HOLLYWOOD ERA
The exterior evokes the glamour of Phantom’s golden age, particularly the Art Deco era of the 1930s. Rolls- Royce developed a Bespoke two-tone paint scheme, using Super Champagne Crystal over Arctic White on the lower body and Super Champagne Crystal over Black on the upper section. The finish is unique, created by infusing iridescent crushed-glass particles into the clear coat. For the Centenary edition, champagne- toned particles replace standard clear flakes, and the quantity is doubled to create exceptional depth and luminosity.
The centrepiece of the exterior is a one-of-a-kind Spirit of Ecstasy, recreated from the very first version fitted to a 1925 Phantom. This figurine is cast in solid 18-carat gold and coated in 24-carat gold, then hallmarked in London with a special “Phantom Centenary” mark. The base features hand-poured vitreous enamel with the collection’s inscription. For the first time in history, the RR Badge of Honour on every side of the car appears in 24-carat gold and white enamel. Adding another symbolic touch, the car features disc wheels engraved with 25 lines each, representing the 25 cars in the collection; collectively the 100 lines celebrate Phantom’s 100 years.
INTERIOR: A CENTURY OF STORIES TOLD THROUGH ARTISTRY
The Phantom Centenary’s cabin is an immersive experience that unfolds like a historical anthology. The design pays tribute to early Phantoms, which featured leather in the chauffeur’s area and rich textiles in the passenger suite.
EXTERIOR: A MODERN HOMAGE TO PHANTOM’S HOLLYWOOD ERA
The exterior evokes the glamour of Phantom’s gold- en age, particularly the Art Deco era of the 1930s. Rolls-Royce developed a Bespoke two-tone paint scheme, using Super Champagne Crystal over Arc- tic White on the lower body and Super Champagne Crystal over Black on the upper section. The finish is unique, created by infusing iridescent crushed- glass particles into the clear coat. For the Centenary edition, champagne-toned particles replace standard clear flakes, and the quantity is doubled to create ex- ceptional depth and luminosity.
The centrepiece of the exterior is a one-of-a-kind Spirit of Ecstasy, recreated from the very first ver- sion fitted to a 1925 Phantom. This figurine is cast in solid 18-carat gold and coated in 24-carat gold, then hallmarked in London with a special “Phantom Centenary” mark. The base features hand-poured vitreous enamel with the collection’s inscription. For the first time in history, the RR Badge of Honour on every side of the car appears in 24-carat gold and white enamel. Adding another symbolic touch, the car features disc wheels engraved with 25 lines each, representing the 25 cars in the collection; collective- ly the 100 lines celebrate Phantom’s 100 years.
INTERIOR: A CENTURY OF STORIES TOLD THROUGH ARTISTRY
The Phantom Centenary’s cabin is an immersive experience that unfolds like a historical anthology. The design pays tribute to early Phantoms, which featured leather in the chauffeur’s area and rich textiles in the passenger suite.
REAR SEATS: TEXTILE STORYTELLING AT COUTURE STANDARD
The rear-seat artwork is the most intricate textile composition Rolls-Royce has ever produced. Inspired by the 1926 “Phantom of Love” tapestries, the design uses three layers: High-resolution printed background, Second printed layer and Top embroidered layer. The fabric took 12 months to develop it in collaboration with a renowned fashion atelier, marking their first project outside haute couture.
The printing process was engineered exclusively for Phantom Centenary using adapted inks and precision calibration to meet Rolls-Royce durability and tactility standards. The embroidery alone totals more than 160,000 stitches, executed in Golden Sands and Seashell threads to achieve a “sketched by hand” appearance. Rolls-Royce artisans compared the technique to “drawing with thread”. using different stitch densities to mimic pencil texture. The entire work covers 45 individual panels, each fitted with Savile Row-inspired tailoring precision to match the seat contours.
FRONT SEATS: HERITAGE IN LASER-ETCHED LEATHER
The front seats feature hand-drawn illustrations laser- etched into the leather. Motifs include Phantom’s internal project codenames: a rabbit referencing the 2003 relaunch (“Roger Rabbit”) and a seagull symbolising the 1923 Phantom I prototype.
ANTHOLOGY GALLERY: PHANTOM’S STORY IN METAL
The centrepiece of the interior is the Anthology Gallery, which acts as a sculptural tribute to Phantom’s century of acclaim. It consists of 50 vertically brushed aluminium fins; 3D-printed and interwoven like the pages of an illuminated manuscript, with letters that form historical quotes visible from both sides. Dynamic lighting evokes the shimmer of fireworks, symbolising celebration and timelessness.
WOODWORK: THE MOST COMPLEX EVER ATTEMPTED BY ROLLS-ROYCE
The collection’s woodwork required more than a year of development and introduces three Rolls- Royce firsts 3D multi-directional marquetry, 3D ink layering and 24-carat gold leaf inlays. The stained Blackwood door panels depict landscapes connected to Henry Royce, including Le Rayol- Canadel-sur-Mer and West Wittering. They also illustrate significant Phantom journeys, like a 4,500-mile Australian crossing by a Goodwood- era Phantom. The designs incorporate laser-etched flowers, trees, maps, and roads highlighted with ultra-thin (0.1 micrometre) gold leaf. Royce’s residences are marked with tiny 2.76-mm golden dots. The wood transitions seamlessly into embroidered leather panels, extending the gold “road” and map motifs in thread. The rear picnic tables feature etched portraits of the 1925 Phantom I and Phantom VIII, mirrored again in embroidery, uniting past and present.
MECHANICAL AND AMBIENT ARTISTRY: A GOLDEN LEGACY
Even the engineering components receive celebratory treatment. The legendary 6.75-litre V12 is honoured with a bespoke Arctic White engine cover decorated with 24-carat gold. The Starlight Headliner, featuring 440,000 stitches, depicts a poetic outdoor scene inspired by Henry Royce’s garden at West Wittering. It includes the iconic mulberry tree under which Royce worked, square- crowned trees from Goodwood, a constellation of historical references such as the “Bluebird” motif, bees from the Rolls-Royce Apiary and hidden design-studio secrets like the mechanism from “The Bank”, the once-secret facility where the Goodwood Phantom was first conceived.
A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION TRIBUTE
Rolls-Royce designers describe the Phantom Centenary Private Collection as a once-in-a- generation responsibility and the most detailed bespoke commission in the marque’s history. It reflects a century of relentless pursuit of excellence, innovation, and uncompromising craftsmanship. The vehicle not only honours the Phantom’s past but sets an artistic precedent for its future, capturing the heritage, ambition, and cultural significance of Rolls-Royce’s most celebrated nameplate.