Before the Rolls-Royce Wraith disappears, as Rolls begins switching its cars to its newer platforms, the famous British brand is bringing yet another special edition of its two-door coupe but this one will have a secret encoded message in it. It’s the new Rolls-Royce Wraith Kryptos, borrowing its name from the Greek word meaning “hidden”, and only fifty cars will be made. Apparently, this new Wraith incorporates a “labyrinth of complex ciphers” for owners to decode.
“As a designer, I’ve always been fascinated by the notion that you can communicate messages that are understood by only an elite few, using symbols, pictograms, and ciphers. Finding the key becomes integral to appreciating the full meaning of an item that can otherwise be viewed simply as a work of art.” said Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer, Katrin Lehmann.
On the surface, the cipher designed into the car looks like it’s done for aesthetic purposes but it does actually hide an encoded message. For owners that want to take the time to really dig through and decode it, Rolls-Royce promises it will be worthwhile. In fact, the British brand claims that any owners that do end up decoding the message will experience “an enlightening conclusion”.
According to Rolls-Royce, only two people on Earth know the answer — the car’s designer and the CEO — and the secret is enclosed in an envelope which is locked away in a safe in the CEO’s office. Very clandestine stuff.
“The brilliant and creative minds of our Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective have excelled once again, creating an extraordinarily contemporary and compelling iteration of Wraith. The Wraith Kryptos Collection, on first glance, is a statement of dynamism. On closer examination, a series of messages are hidden behind a unique Rolls-Royce cipher. I look forward to seeing whether any of our clients will crack the code!” said the CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
The clues are scattered throughout the design of the car and the most obvious place to look is the headliner, which features a Matrix-esque data stream. The entire interior is given a green-ish color scheme and there are little ciphers embroidered into the headrests, rather than the usual Doube-R logo.
After staring at these images, and really doing some digging and research, I think I’ve actually cracked the code — “Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine”.