Rolls-Royce is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with four special editions, which are being introduced ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The lineup consists of one Cullinan and three Phantom Extended vehicles, that are billed as a “magnificent international celebration of Chinese cultural heritage.” However, the company isn’t limiting the models to China as the country’s “culture transcends national boundaries.”
Their unique nature is immediately apparent as each special edition has a two-tone design as well as a hand-painted coachline with a dragon motif. Each dragon faces right, which “symbolically represents the East – the direction of the rising sun.”
Bigger changes occur inside as three of the special editions have fascia panels featuring a hand-painted dragon. Rolls-Royce says the dragons are painted red, which represents good fortune and prosperity in Chinese culture.
The works of art took over two weeks to create and this was due to the fact they have a three-dimensional appearance. The distinctive look comes from artists using multiple hues of red, which were applied on top of each other in four individual stages. Rolls-Royce says the resulting 3D effect is so realistic that the “artwork appears to have been carved into the fascia.”
The panels aren’t the only unique touch as there are red dragons on the headrests. Each took around 20 hours to complete and required 5,449 stitches.
Three of the models have piano black rear picnic tables with an inlaid stainless steel version of the circular Chinese zodiac calendar. On top of that, “the names of the animals representing each year are inscribed in traditional Chinese calligraphy, with the dragon highlighted in gold.” The fourth vehicle is more conservative as it has a piano black veneer with an inlaid stainless steel dragon.
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The real highlight is the first-ever depiction of a dragon in the starlight headliner. It consists of 677 individually placed fiber-optic ‘stars’ that form an “abstract dragon motif” and they’re surrounded by an additional 667 lights. The unique headliner took three months of design and development, and just placing the lights takes over 20 hours.
Last but not least, there are bespoke lambswool carpets and unique Gallery artworks in each of the Phantom Extended commissions. Rolls-Royce says they’re crafted from carbon fiber and evoke “dynamism and motion.”
