Rolls-Royce has showcased a new one-of-one commission dubbed the Phantom Dragon. Celebrating Year of the Dragon, the build, commissioned by a client from China, features intricate interior design incorporating Chinese cultural elements.
The Phantom Dragon offers a contemporary rendition of the Chinese legend of two dragons with a pearl. The dashboard features a bespoke gallery with a floating effect, achieved through the art of marquetry – one of the most demanding techniques applied in a motor car interior.
The gallery runs the full span of the center console and is made of 297 individual pieces and four different wood species. A Rolls-Royce artisan spent three months intricately cutting out veneer shapes, then assembling and fixing them by hand. The base layer is crafted from smoked eucalyptus; the outline of the shapes is rendered in sycamore veneer and filled with ash burr.
Striking woodcraft is portrayed throughout the commission, including high gloss smoked eucalyptus elements, and canadel door panels fashioned from natural open pore smoked eucalyptus. This is complemented by ardent red and black leathers on the front and rear reclining seats respectively, complete with the client’s family name in ancient Chinese calligraphy.
Curated by Rolls-Royce creatives in China, Phantom Dragon is a tribute to the cultural symbol, and it also captures the client’s personal taste.
“Our goal for this project was to express China’s most revered symbols and the client’s personal iconography impactfully yet respectfully, while also subtly incorporating Rolls-Royce’s design handwriting. In this motor car, our artisans have accomplished this using different mediums, capturing the rich legacy of the region, the client and the Rolls-Royce brand,” said Shuai Feng, lead bespoke designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Private Office Shanghai.
The theme continues with the starlight headliner, now showcasing two dragons and rendered in red and white. This composition features 768 red and 576 white fiber-optic lights, each hand-fitted and surrounded by 24 shooting stars. The whole interior of the one-of-one Phantom Dragon is finished in iced diamond black to contrast the unique design elements.
