“Bespoke is Rolls-Royce.” Bold words from the company but with the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, we’re finding it hard to disagree with that statement after going through the list of detailed craftsmanship on what is billed as the “new standard in authentic, bespoke luxury motoring.”
With a focus on the Oriental theme, the ultimate Phantom has 10 metres of fabric silk adorning its interior. The designers behind the Serenity travelled to Suzhou, China to source unspun silk thread that was then hand-dyed and woven at 140 threads per centimetre to produce the “Smoke Green” colour of the underlying silk fabric.
Once installed, every single petal of the crimson blossom flowers are hand-painted, taking up to an unbelievable 600 hours of work per panel. The style of painting used is a centuries-old technique called ‘unconscious painting’ where the work is painstakingly rendered again and again to enable the artist to recreate natural forms until their balance and nature is understood without thought.
Rear occupants rest their bottoms on seats made from rare smoked Cherrywood which is also applied on the Serenity’s door cappings, dash fascia and rear centre console, further inflated with bamboo applications as well.
Mother of Pearl which are laser-cut and hand-applied onto various parts of the Serenity add to the Oriental theme. These are found in the wood on each petal as well as the bespoke clock and driver’s instrument dials.
The outside is distinctively a Rolls-Royce Phantom with a bespoke Mother of Peal paint, the most expensive one-off paint ever developed by Rolls-Royce. Added in a three stage pearl effect, it is hand-polished for 12 hours to create the outlook you see before you.
As a precursor of what to expect before entering the cabin, two colour coachline with three colour blossom motifs can be found which signify the positions of the owner and chauffeur with the entrance to the rear indicated on the right-hand side of the car with the blossom on the rear wing and coachline ending at the B-pillar.
As Sir Henry Royce once said, “When it does not exist, design it.” With the Rolls-Royce Serenity, it goes to show that there is no limit as to what constitutes luxury in an automobile.
Keyword: The Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity: Taking Bespoke To The Next Level