This year, Rolls-Royce brings a bespoke Ghost to the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show, a car inspired by something that cannot be bought, but is innate…style.
Commissioned for an individual collector, this unique car takes the term Bespoke to the next level. Why? Well because this unique Ghost is finished in a paint created from diamonds, yup, diamonds!
Dubbed Ghost Elegance, the skilled craftspeople who reside in Rolls-Royce’s paintshop have created a paint made from 1,000 crushed diamonds. Named ‘Diamond Stardust’, Rolls-Royce claims that it is the most luxurious and lustrous exterior ever seen on a motor car, and the most expensive paint to grace the body of a Rolls-Royce car.
The paint process saw 1,000 diamonds go through extensive testing to ensure their radiance when used in a paint. Goodwood’s Technical Laboratory Leader, Paolo Travaglia, and his team of paint specialists, Rawdon Evernden and Joseph Piotrowski, spent two months of concentrated testing to achieve the perfect result. Examining the dimensions of the precious stones with the use of a high-powered microscope, the team carefully analysed their transmission and reflection of light. The density and strength of the diamonds created a challenge for the team to produce an easy marriage with the clear paint and its ability to spread gracefully over a surface, leaving the diamonds undetectable to the touch.
This process resulted in the creation of a very fine diamond powder which was then mixed into the paint. Additionally, a new and unique paint process was developed, including the application of an extra final layer of lacquer to protect the diamond particles during the hand-polishing process. This process added an extra two days of paint application by hand and a further day of finishing.
The diamond paint is applied to the top section of the car and as a result, “the paint finish glistens like no other” according to the automaker.
The final exterior touches to this one off Rolls-Royce Ghost have been applied by master coachline painter, Mark Court, with a squirrel-hair paint brush. The flanks of the motor car are accented with Mugello Red and Black twin coachlines. To enhance the exterior further, the centre of the 21-inch wheels are hand-painted with a Mugello Red pinstripe. Last but not least at the prow of the car, showcased in all her glory, is the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine.
Inside the cabin, the chauffeur’s ‘cockpit’ features black leather seats with accents of Mugello Red stitching on the doors, and piping on the seats. The colour black is continued in the lustrous carpet and lambswool footmats. The detailed fascia of smooth open pore Tudor Oak veneer is also complemented with a Mugello Red single stitch along the top of the dashboard, and finished with a Bespoke clock.
Adorning the rear sanctuary, the lounge seat is contoured with Selby Grey soft leather and also accompanied with Mugello Red stitching and piping. The inner pockets of the rear doors are lined with a favourite material of the owner; a Grey, Black and Red Tartan.
