NEW £2.5M ROLLS PHANTOM MARKS 100 YEARS IN STYLE

Special edition highlights key centenary moments with high-end details

- RACHEL BURGESS

Rolls-Royce has unveiled a special-edition Phantom described as the “most technically extraordinary car ever built” by the Goodwood maker, to mark the model's centenary.

Limited to 25 examples, the £2.5 million Phantom Centenary Private Collection has been created to showcase defining moments from the model's past 100 years.

While it retains the same technical specifications as a standard eighth-generation Phantom, including a twin-turbo 6.75-litre V12, the limited model is distinguished by its appearance both inside and out.

The exterior design has “a strong reference to [Rolls-Royce’s] past”, according to its designer, Matt Denton, using two-tone paint inspired by the 1930 Phantom II Continental. There is a new gold-flake crystal overpaint applied on top of both the white and black to create a metallic shimmer, a unique Spirit of Ecstasy and bespoke disc wheels. The ‘RR’ Badge of Honour, on the front, rear and sides of the car, is in 24-carat gold and white enamel for the first time.

The most notable changes appear inside, where innovations new to Rolls include the use of 3D marquetry, a decorative art form; 3D ink layering; and 24-carat gold leafing.

The rear seats portray three different stories through the ages, including an image of Rolls’ Conduit Street showroom, where the first Phantom was launched, and Henry Royce’s oil paintings of southern France. The process, which was “inspired by Savile Row tailoring techniques”, uses 45 individual panels carefully aligned to the shape of the seats.