Rolls-Royce has presented three bespoke motor cars inspired by the ancient mural paintings of Dunhuang, China, commissioned through the private office in Shanghai.
The deeply personal trio of motor cars includes a Phantom Extended, Black Badge Cullinan, and Black Badge Spectre all featuring unique exterior colours reserved exclusively for Shanghai clients, and each inspired by local landscapes, art and cultural themes that draw inspiration from the more than 1,000 year old mural art painted on the walls of a network of sacred caves in the mountains near Dunhuang, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, and linked to the ancient history of the Silk Road trade routes.
The commissions share a design motif named Silken Spirit: conceived by the company's designer, Shuai Feng, and equally inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy — the iconic hood ornament of a figurine of a woman — and the flowing forms of imperial silk.
The most detailed expression of the collection appears in the hand-painted gallery artwork in Phantom Extended that’s presented in a two-tone finish of Ningye purple and English white. A silken spirit motif is hand-painted on the C-pillar, and into the cabin where it’s also depicted in a the Starlight headliner with 1,344 hand-placed fibreoptic “stars” and 192 “shooting stars”.
The centrepiece of the interior is the gallery artwork of a landscape painting on black leather, completed with the Silken Spirit motif embroidered in white and black thread, evoking the movement of flying apsaras — celestial beings in Buddhist culture, which are prominently portrayed in the mural art.
The Black Badge Cullinan Series II in Danqian pink rides on 23-inch forged wheels. The front seats are finished in Blushing pink leather, which extends onto the front doors to evoke the shifting cloud formations above the home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. The rear quarters feature Navy leather with Blushing pink piping and stitching, while the Silken Spirit graphic is inlaid in stainless steel on the front fascia and the waterfall section between the rear seats, and the Silken Spirit motif illuminated in Blushing pink light within the headliner.
The Black Badge Spectre — the new and electric essence of the Wraith coupe — is presented in Aero two-tone of Qingshan Blue and Diamond Black. Again, the Silken Spirit motifs are on the C-pillars and coachline while the Illuminated Pantheon Grille is presented in Turchese.
Inside, the front seats are completed in Turchese and Black leathers, and the rear seats are presented in black with contrast white stitching and piping. A leather centre console and lamb’s wool carpets also in Turchese and Black respectively, and the Silken Spirit motif also appears on the Illuminated Treadplates.
