This year marks the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese zodiac, and Rolls-Royce is honoring the occasion with a pair of bespoke Phantoms—one crafted for China and the other for the United States.
The vehicles, referred to as the Phantom Dragon editions, represent the first in what is expected to be a series of special Phantoms released during this centennial year of the nameplate.
For the Chinese variant, the inspiration stems from an ancient tale involving two dragons and a pearl. According to this story, the dragons were honored with the pearl as a reward for safeguarding humanity.
Dragon-themed elements are integrated throughout the car’s interior, which features red leather complemented by wooden panels on the dashboard. The upper section of the dash showcases marquetry depicting the two dragons, created from 297 individual wood pieces. They guard the pearl, symbolized by the dashboard-mounted timepiece.
Additional bespoke features include a starlight headliner, which offers an abstract depiction of two dragons in red and white, crafted from over 1,200 fiber-optic lights. The rear picnic tables are also equipped with inlaid stainless steel circular Chinese zodiac calendars, with each zodiac sign represented by its corresponding Chinese character and the dragon symbol highlighted in gold.
The U.S. Phantom Dragon edition, commissioned by Rolls-Royce of Orange County, is available exclusively through that dealership. This model also incorporates dragon motifs throughout, including in the headrests, where they are depicted with red accent stitching. Each embroidered dragon is composed of 5,449 stitches and takes 20 hours to complete. Additionally, the car features a hand-painted coach line on either side, subtly incorporating a dragon motif with the creatures facing to the right, symbolizing the east.
The Phantom Dragon editions were crafted by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke personalization department, which is currently enhancing facilities at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood plant in the U.K. to meet the growing demand for custom vehicles. Among the improvements are more Private Offices for clients commissioning bespoke creations like the Phantom Dragon Editions.
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