Rolls Royce is no stranger to the art world. We imagine more than a few multi million dollar paintings have been bought by rich folk chauffeured to sales in a Roller, and at the height of the Beatles’ fame John Lennon famously had his Phantom V painted in bright Romany colours.
A new series of six bespoke Phantoms inspired by natural elements certainly isn’t as wild or controversial as Lennon’s, but there’s a solid art connection. The idea for the cars originated from a conversation between César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa, and Sacha Jafri, who is apparently a famous British artist. Though since the only thing I like to draw are elevens on the ground from stoplights with AMGs and BMW M cars, I’ll confess I’ve never heard of him.
Jafri, the press blurb tells us, is particularly famous in his field for a piece called “The Journey of Humanity,” which holds the official Guinness World Record for the largest painting ever produced on canvas. So in addition to the five cars inspired by nature’s five elements – earth, water, wind, fire and air – a sixth car represents humanity.
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Each of The Six Elements cars gets Jafri’s trademark heart motif hand painted on the side, a unique Six-Elements engraved base for each car’s Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, a bespoke piece of art on the console and its own NFT, which can be traded independently of the Phantom.
The cars are being sold to raise money for charity and if the owner chooses to sell the NFT a royalty will be paid into a digital wallet very time it changes hands, raising more money for good causes. And since the six Phantoms have already found owners in Dubai and the Middle East the project has passed its initial $1m target.
