Rolls-Royce debuts The Spirit of Ecstasy" - The first in a series of fascinating films

Have you ever heard of this hotel called "The 13"? Well, if you are a consistent reader of Forbes, you will know that the 13 is the world's most luxurious hotel that is built for the universe's richest personalities. Located in the heart of Macau, The 13 holds the record of having the most expensive rooms at approximately S$8.9 million per night per accomodation. Slated to commence business sometime in the middle of this year, The 13 holds 200 ultra-luxurious suites and maintains a fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantoms that will be used to ferry the hotel guests around the metropolitan city. Talking about Roll-Royce, The 13 has recently commissioned two of the 30 Phantoms as the hotel's flagship carriers. Reserved for the hotel’s most prestigious  guests, the two highly-bespoke gold infused Phantom is a reflection of the bold vision of luxury entrepreneur Stephen Hung, who also sits on the board of The 13 HOLDINGS LIMITED as the Joint Chairman. The two gold Rolls-Royce Phantoms are decked in luxury through and through. Assembled and out-fitted by the marque’s highly-skilled craftspeople, the exterior glittery finishing is enhanced with the finest particles of 23.75 carat gold, a weight chosen to achieve a perfectly executed paintwork. The Surface Finish Centre at the Rolls-Royce Global Centre of Excellence in Goodwood used a specialised equipment to ensure that no contamination can occur during the painting of the two motor cars. The 10-layered finish uses 250% more paint than any other Phantom. With a layer of Gold, the finish is an alluring shimmer of glass and aluminium. The overall result of it is the most expensive and meticulously engineered paint the marque has ever produced. Giles Taylor, who is the Director of Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “A Rolls-Royce motor car is commissioned to express the tastes, desires and lifestyle of its patron. It is testament to the skill of the artisans that so elegantly express their craft at our Global Centre of Excellence in Goodwood, that this bold and technically challenging design scheme has been executed so perfectly.” Nick Geehan, the Materials Scientist at Rolls-Royce, added: “Only at the Home of Rolls-Royce would a team embark on such an ambitious project on behalf of one of our patrons. We accept nothing but perfection – the finish took eight attempts to mix the perfect colour; an apt number when considering the significance of lucky number eight in Macau, the home for these precious Phantoms.” The two gold Phantoms are typical of Rolls-Royce's quest for attention-to-detail. This is boldly expressed through the exquisitely-designed instrumentation dials and clock, both of which bear striking resemblence to The 13‘s red and gold theme. The clock was designed in collaboration with master jeweller, Graff. Anticipating every possible weather scenario, specially-themed brollys are affixed within an arm's length, at the doors, to shield embarking passengers from undesirable weather or reporters. The umbrellas are woth some mention because they are distinctly personalised with a gold handle and a golden trim. The grand entrance of the hotel is a stark resemblence of the gold Phantom's interior. When one enters the vehicle, he or she will be greeted by a black-and-white seat feature which boldly reflects the chequered floor of the entrance hall of the hotel. Sewed by artisans who are deftly-skilled in saddlery, the seats are covered in large scale hand-woven black-and- white leather panels that give off a three-dimensional texture to the interior cabin. A new gold coloured pearl effect leather has been created to edge the seats, making sure that the passengers enjoy a stately experience as they set sights on the bustling Macau from the inside of the Phantom. The exterior of the gold Phantoms are, well, gold. The number plates are threaded with gold and engraved with the words ‘PHANTOM Specially Commissioned by Stephen Hung’. The hallmark figurine that is affixed on the gold-coloured Pantheon Grill, is plated with 24-carat gold. Vitreous enamel is used to form the signature RR emblem and is surrounded by 336 pavé set brilliant-cut diamonds. A golden twin coachline is hand-painted by Mark Court, Rolls-Royce’s resident expert coachline painter, using a fine squirrel hair paintbrush. The definition of luxury certainly simply could not cross beyond what the two gold Phantoms have set.

There are only a handful of global brands that could withstand the test of time and the whirling turbulences of the economies. Amongst these resilient few, only one or two stood out as trademarks that anyone could easily draw an inference to. One of them is luxury automobile manufacturer Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Ever since it was founded 113 years ago, Rolls-Royce has established itself as a coach-builder for the world’s wealthiest and most influential people. And in the remote world of affluence, Rolls-Royce knows that taking on the conventional approach of assembling cars with the same specifications is unlikely to be the correct route to delight its customers, who are mostly, if not all, well-known personalities with unique tastes and insatiable preferences. Rolls-Royce’s solution to evergreen consumer satisfaction is the Bespoke department. Comprising a highly-specialised team of designers, engineers and craftspeople, the Bespoke Department, which calls Goodwood, England, its home, is the brain behind every customised Rolls-Royce. In the words of Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: “Rolls-Royce patrons live in a world beyond material acquisition, indeed they seek to commission, curate and collect. This is why they come to houses like Rolls-Royce to commission deeply personal luxury items, knowing this will be executed at the hands of the world’s most skilled artisans. In commissioning these extraordinary objects in close collaboration with our designers they create a timeless legacy, often profoundly inspired by the most important moments in their lives.” He added: “Rolls-Royce will never stray from this path, ensuring the precious relationship between patron, house and artisan is never derogated by proliferation. This unique approach is beautifully expressed in just a small collection of some of the remarkable commissions executed at our centre of global excellence in 2016.” Today, whilst practically every model that rolls out from Rolls-Royce has been customised by the Bespoke Department to varying extents, what follows is a sneak peek at some of 2016’s finest Bespoke models from the marque.  The Phantom Zenith Collection The term “Zenith”, according to the Oxford Dictionary, refers to “the time at which something is most powerful or successful”. Quite naturally, there is no better vocabulary than "Zenith" to describe Rolls-Royce’s most posh and pricey model, the Phantom. And there is no grander affair to retire its seventh generation than the special commissioning of the Bespoke Phantom Drophead Coupe and the Phantom Coupe. Named as the Phantom Drophead Coupe Zenith and the Phantom Coupe Zenith and exclusively limited to only 25 units under each model, the Phantom Zenith Collection represents the epitome of ultimate automobile luxury. Typical of Rolls-Royce style, every possible comfort has been considered. The addition of the champagne fridge, which is large enough to hold two bottles and eight Rolls-Royce glasses, is a fine demonstration of the extent of luxury that Rolls-Royce has laid out for its patrons. As a final touch, the central fascia drawer is built to house a priceless memento signifying each car’s status as one of the very last. On opening, owners will discover a removable polished aluminium case, laser engraved with their motor car’s unique identification number surrounded with a beautiful application of Best English Blacking, a not-known technique most commonly associated with fine gun-making. The Peace and Glory Phantom The Peace and Glory Phantom is the one and only car in the world, built for a special customer in Vietnam. Based on the seventh generation Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the rear central console in the Peace and Glory Phantom is wrapped with fur that exquisitely replicate those found on tiger. That is not all. The cabin features a wealth of unique interior fittings, echoed with a subtle gold coach-line and motifs on the Madeira Red exterior. Furnished in a two-tone design of Moccasin and Fawn Brown leather, the interior is finely embellished with multiple personalised motifs stitched into the hide and laid into the veneer, all by hand. The Bespoke white instrument dials on the driver’s console are an elegant colour contrast with the Consort Red steering wheel rim. Mr Fux’s Pebble Beach Dawn The Pebble Beach Dawn belongs to US collector Michael Fux, a connoisseur collector. The Dawn, coated in ‘Fux Blue’, a colour specially developed by Mr Fux himself, contrasted nicely with the Arctic White interior and rear deck. To achieve that harmonious colour setting, designers wrapped the entire interior, including steering wheel, instrument panel cowling and interior veneers, in Artic White. The result is a truly unique yet contemporary layout. The Dawn, Ghost and Wraith Equally pleasing, the Rolls-Royce’s Dawn, Ghost and Wraith models continue in their individual quest to become the perfect canvas for the most discerning patrons of luxury in the world. The Wraith exudes a hint of playfulness with a vibrant interior that combines purplish-blue leather trim with ostrich leather on the central consoles and door panniers. Finished in emerald green, the Dawn is built with matching interior accents on Seashell leather. The Ghost, which is commissioned by a wealthy dealer from the Middle East, a distinctive hallmark of the car is its barrel oak veneer dashboard panel, which comes with a ‘folded back’ design. Once folded, one can see the musical inscriptions of owner’s favourite number. The ‘Blue Magpie’ Phantom Drophead Coupé Don’t be fooled by its striking racer-boy body-paint. The ‘Blue Magpie’ Phantom Drophead Coupe, which is tailored for a classy gentleman from Taiwan, incorporates a number of Bespoke features of regional significance. Its exterior is immaculately finished in Silverlake with an Andalusian White bonnet. Elements of gold are cleverly incorporated in the Bespoke twin coach-lines and the pinstripes the encircle the wheel centres. Within the cabin, the headrests are embroidered with an illustration of the blue magpie, a bird that is representative of Taiwan. The craftsmen’s attention to detail even extends to the car’s boot floor, which is uniquely finished in teak with white maple inserts. Nautical Dawn for Pebble Beach For many of Rolls-Royce’s patrons, a Bespoke car represents a long-held passion. To this particular Floridian customer, who has a love for high-performance yachts, Rolls-Royce has customised a nautical-themed Dawn, that draws inspiration from the lines of these fast craft. Delivered to her at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Nautical Dawn comes with a two-tone combination of Arctic White, mimicking the high-contrast appearance of a super-yacht. Complemented by a teak rear deck and ‘Canadel’ teak interior panels, the Nautical Dawn’s tread-plate concludes the oceanic theme.

Talking about real luxury, the Rolls-Royce Dawn is the model to beat. The ultra-opulent car has recently been conferred the “Best Luxury Car” award by an independent panel of top UK journalists at the UK Car of the Year Awards. The selection process was a stringent one. Shortlisted from a list of 56 models that were launched over the past 12 months, the Rolls-Royce Dawn was unanimously picked as the winner by a top-calibre group of 27 professional motoring journalists.   The Rolls-Royce Dawn received a number of strong compliments and testimonials from some of the leading authorities in the automobile circle. Ollie Marriage of Top Gear Magazine expressed that the Dawn is “A delight to drive and to be in – as only a Rolls-Royce can be.” Tom Ford from the same publication agreed, saying: “If luxury is at least on nodding terms with class, the Dawn manages to embody both. Silent running, a gorgeously complex roof mechanism and general air of butlerish brilliance make this peon to UK craftsmanship a winner.” Nargess Banks of Forbes Life, Wallpaper exclaimed: “The car is exceptionally elegant, marrying traditional expressions of luxury, with a modern take whilst remaining technological and hugely connected. It’s a movie star car!” Since its debut in March 2016, the Rolls-Royce Dawn has bagged accolades of recognition globally. The awards include those from some of the most highly-regarded names in luxury and automotive media. On a regional scale, publications and websites such as the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report India and The Straits Times have similarly extolled the open-top Dawn as the ultimate expression of true automobile luxury. Worldwide, increased demand for the marque’s most chic-looking road-gear is testament to the Dawn’s strengths as the ultimate fun-loving luxury car. This model is a major contributing factor for the marque. In the Asia Pacific region, Rolls-Royce’s sales has grown by five percent, a direct affirmation that automobile remains strong and resilient in a time of challenging market conditions for luxury goods. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, say: “Since its introduction in 2016, Dawn has introduced a highly dynamic new generation of men and women to Rolls-Royce. These patrons of true luxury have been drawn to the most glamorous expression of Rolls-Royce luxury in history. Every Rolls-Royce motor car is exquisitely hand-crafted at our centre of excellence in Goodwood, West Sussex. Plaudits like this are a glowing affirmation of the extraordinary skill of the 1,700 men and women engaged in the creation of the ‘Best Cars in the World’.”