Rolls-Royce has created two gold-infused Phantoms ordered along with 28 other Phantoms for the most anticipated hotel in Macau called The 13. Reserved for the hotel’s most important guests, the two bespoke gold infused creations will become the flagships of the 30 collection of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, commissioned by Hong Kong real estate luxury entrepreneur, Stephen Hung.
Identified by the inclusion of 24 carat gold on both the exterior and interior, the 2 distinctive cars will be heralded as the finest in the fleet and at the time of commissioning, Rolls-Royce claims that they are the most expensive Phantoms ever built.
Characteristic care and attention has been applied to the creation of one of the car’s defining features, an exterior finish enhanced with the finest particles of 23.75 carat gold, a weight chosen for even disbursement, achieving a perfectly executed finish. The result is the most expensive and meticulously engineered paint the marque has ever produced.
The Surface Finish Centre at the Rolls-Royce Global Centre of Excellence in Goodwood installed new and specialist equipment to ensure no contamination could occur during the painting of the two cars. The finish uses 250% more paint than other Phantoms, resulting in 10 layers, one of which consists of a 40 micron deep layer of Gold, combined with glass and aluminium to provide an alluring shimmer.
Rolls-Royce Material Scientist, Nick Geehan, commented, “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 8 attempts to mix the perfect colour; an apt number when considering the significance of lucky number 8 in Macau, the home for these precious Phantoms.”
An uplit 24 carat gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, sits atop a gold-coloured Pantheon Grille and hallmarked Rolls-Royce badge, made using 97.1gms of 18ct gold before being plated in 24 carat gold to match the interior gold highlights. 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.
Within the coach doors, renowned Rolls-Royce umbrellas are also personalised by incorporating a gold handle and a golden trim to match the colour themes of the hotel. Gold tread plates engraved with ‘Phantom Specially Commissioned by Stephen Hung’ remind occupants of the origins of these cars.
The grand entrance of the hotel is echoed in the interior of these Phantoms. On entering the Extended Wheelbase Phantom, guests are greeted by a black and white seat feature which boldly reflects the chequered floor of the entrance hall of the hotel. The seats are covered in large scale hand-woven black and white leather panels providing a three-dimensional texture to the interior cabin. A new gold coloured pearl effect leather has been created to edge the seats, ensuring occupants enjoy a stately experience as they are cosseted from the environs of Macau.
