Every year at the Quail, a handful of hyper-exclusive vehicles with price tags the size of many country’s GDP debut. This year, it’s Rolls-Royce’s turn, and they’ve taken an interesting approach. Rolls-Royce reveals the Phantom Scintilla as an extravagant homage to the brand’s iconic face – the Spirit of Ecstasy. Only ten vehicles will be commissioned, and the Rolls-Royce CEO, Chris Brownridge, delivered the first of them at The Quail in Monterey.
Andalusian White and Tracian Blue
On the outside, the Phantom Scintilla sports familiar two-tone paint that often accompanies regular Phantoms, if such a thing exists. The upper portion of the car is finished in Andalusian White, and the lower half is Tracian Blue. Rolls-Royce says that Tracian Blue was a conscious choice, inspired by the waters around Samothrace – where The Winged Victory of Samothrace originates. More on that later. Hand-painted double pinstripes in Spirit Blue complete the look.
While Phantoms definitely have a certain presence on the outside, the inside is usually where things get seriously opulent. That’s certainly the case with the Phantom Scintilla. Designs and embroidery patterns inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy adorn the cabin. Rolls says 36 sections of embroidery were constructed by Goodwood-based artisans, stitched together using more than 633,000 stitches and requiring a full forty hours to complete for each car.
There are some other exclusive features that serious collectors will likely appreciate. Each Phantom comes with a centerpiece – or Gallery. The Phantom Scintilla’s Gallery piece is named Celestial Pulse and features seven ribbons milled from solid aluminum and ceramic finished to match the car’s Spirt of Ecstasy. Even cooler? The original brief requesting a Rolls-Royce mascot is embossed on a plate in the glove box. The requirements read: “Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.” Sounds expensive.
Spirit of Ecstasy With A Unique Finish
Rolls-Royce ties the truly bespoke touches in this car directly to the Spirit of Ecstasy. If you didn’t know, the Spirit’s design was inspired by The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a Greek sculpture on display at the Louvre since 1884. Charles Sykes, the man charged with coming up with a Rolls-Royce mascot, borrowed heavily from the sculpture. He also borrowed from Eleanor Thornton. She was an actress and model primarily remembered for being the mistress of John Edward Scott-Montagu. Combining a little bit of Winged Victory with real-life inspiration from Ms. Thornton, Sykes created the Spirit of Ecstasy.
In a further nod to Winged Victory, the Spirit of Ecstasy on the Phantom Scintilla wears a ceramic finish. The Parian marble that comprises Winged Victory is renowned for its unique finish and radiance. While finishing the Phantom’s Spirit of Ecstasy in marble would’ve been infinitely cooler, we understand that there are apparently some things money just can’t buy.
Want One? Too Bad
Only ten of these Rollers will ever roll into customer hands, and apparently, all North American allocations are spoken for. There’s no official pricing, either – you know how it goes. Or, probably not if you’re under the impression you can just buy one of these things. Rolls says these commissions are “among the most valuable Phantoms ever delivered in North America.” We’ll take their word for it.
