The Rolls-Royce Phantom Hummingbird is a one-off V12 saloon with snail decoration
Rolls-Royce has revealed its latest one-off commission, inspired by the hummingbird and utilising snail shells as decoration
A Rolls-Royce of any kind is an exclusive thing, typically chock full of unique colour schemes, trim and often bespoke finishes designed specifically for the buyer. For its very best customers, though, it has the ability to go above and beyond to meet some of the most challenging and unusual requests, and the one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom Hummingbird is a prime example.
Commissioned as a ‘tribute to the client’s wife’ and curated by the Private Office of Dubai, this new special is based on a Phantom Series II Extended and took over nine months to develop. That’s not because it’s any better to drive, or be driven in, than an ordinary Phantom though, as it retains the standard 563bhp 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12. You have to look a little closer to see what’s new.
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Designed to reference the shimmer of a hummingbird’s colourful wings, Rolls-Royce incorporated abalone shell, derived from a marine snail, for the very first time in one of its cars. This isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, either, as the shell is notoriously brittle and difficult to cut into shape – Rolls-Royce went through six iterations of the process before settling on the best.
Combined with mother of pearl, of course, the shell is inset into Ash Burr veneer most notably on the ‘waterfall’ centrepiece element between the rear seats in which 84 pieces are combined to create a botanical motif. 53-piece hummingbird motifs are embedded in each of the Silver Birch picnic tables, with the cabin upholstered in a combination of Creme Light leather, tan detailing, ‘Seashell’ carpets and of course, finished with the trademark starlight headliner.
Finished in a two-tone dark ‘Wildberry’ red and ‘White Sands’ paint scheme, the exterior doesn’t look to have changed much at first glance, but there are nods to the interior treatment here too. Between the two colours is a hand-painted coachline which incorporates an intricate hummingbird element above the rear wheels (which themselves feature colour-matched red centre caps).
Exactly how much this Rolls-Royce Phantom cost its buyer is under wraps, but given you can easily spend over £500k on a ‘standard’ car with options, we wouldn’t be surprised if cost was close to the seven-figure mark.
