Rolls Royce's 2020 was awash with bespoke creativity

During 2020, an unprecedented year, the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective - a team of engineers, designers and craftspeople based at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England - brought the unique visions of the marque's global clientele to life with outstanding levels of creativity, craft and imagination.

At the onset of the pandemic, Rolls-Royce designers and clients alike found themselves confined to the safety of their homes. This led to a change in source of inspiration from travel and its associated items of luxury grandeur, to rich and textural surroundings of the home, architecture and moments of stillness found in nature.

Remarkably, Rolls-Royce's Bespoke division achieved a new record in 2020. On average, Bespoke commissions saw a robust increase over 2019, with a marked growth of personalised elements woven into the fabric of each motor car, providing further substance and sentimentality. 

What follows is a snapshot of some of the finest examples of Bespoke design and craftsmanship completed by the luxury house throughout 2020.

The 'Dusk in Tokyo Collection', comprising of the Phantom, Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan, celebrates Japan's capital city. A complex, multi-faceted white paint, eponymously named 'Dusk in Tokyo', characterises the coastal metropolis' high-rise glass and concrete buildings bathed in the warm light of early dusk. 

The Black Leather interior, punctuated by Rose Gold Bespoke Audio grilles and on Phantom, the fascia's Rose Gold clock case, depicts the contrast of long, dark shadows of the city's tall buildings with flourishes of the last reaches of the waning sun on glass. 

The Phantom's hermetically sealed gallery makes it possible to incorporate natural materials in a way never before possible in an automobile. In 2020, the Phantom 'Iridescent Opulence' took this approach to soaring new heights.

Featuring a truly Bespoke artwork that debuted as a concept in 2017, 'Iridescent Opulence' was created in partnership with Swiss materials specialist Nature Squared. The result is a gallery that houses over 3,000 sustainably sourced iridescent tail feathers, each shaped individually to accentuate their sheen and rich hue. The interior is completed with a Bespoke embroidery to the rear waterfall and silver inlays on the picnic tables.

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective developed a new and dynamic colour palette, named 'Neon Nights', in a limited run of just four of each colour.

The three brightly coloured hues, each inspired by the natural world, consisted of Lime Rock Green, Eagle Rock Red, and Mirabeau Blue. 

The Wraith 'Inspired By Earth' takes its design cues from the entire Solar System, and our own planet, as seen from space. The Royal Blue exterior references the water that covers 75% of the Earth's surface, while an air-brushed bonnet artwork depicts a satellite view of the Middle Eastern region centred on the United Arab Emirates. A hand-painted Emerald Green coachline incorporates the Sun and the Solar System.

The seats are made from Moccasin leather to mimic the sands of the Emirates' deserts, Navy and Cobalto Blue accents are suggestive of rivers and lakes, and Emerald Green piping symbolises nature in all its forms. The rear 'waterfall' features atmospheric clouds rendered in minutely detailed embroidery using Photoflash technology.

The fascia is embellished with a skilfully air-brushed satellite image of the Middle East. The Bespoke Starlight Headliner is embroidered to illustrate all the planets of the Solar System, centred on the Sun. 

Limited to just 50 cars, the Wraith Kryptos Collection is embellished with a cipher concealed in the Collection's Bespoke detailing. 

An engraving with green enamel detailing on the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine depicts the word KRYPTOS, in code. These seven deciphered characters, in addition to the translation of the embroidered double-R found on the headrests, will aid clients on their journey of discovery as they begin to identify these letters on Wraith Kryptos screen printed metal fascia.

The Wraith Kryptos' Bespoke exterior hue consists of a solid Anthracite base colour with blue and green mica flakes. Inside, a Bespoke Kryptos Green leather is set against either Selby Grey or Anthracite. A beautifully elaborate, bi-coloured headliner depicts an in-motion data-stream inspired motif which is accentuated by the illuminated door pockets.

The innovative 'Illuminated Fascia' of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost debuted following two years and more than 10,000 hours of development by the Bespoke Collective. The 850 stars echo the unique elegance of the Starlight Headliner.

The fascia achieves an true luxury feel using 152 LEDs and 90,000 laser-etched dots carefully carved into the surface of the dashboard. The lights are meticulously colour matched to the cabin's clock and instrument dial lighting and create a twinkling effect as the eyes move across the fascia. Extensive engineering work and three layers of composite materials ensure that the Illuminated Fascia is completely invisible while not operational.

The Gallery in the Rolls-Royce Phantom presented a unique opportunity for a South African client to display a highly personal work of art from globally celebrated South African artist, Dr Esther Mahlangu. Dr Mahlangu, a national icon in Africa from the Ndebele region, was the first artist to create an artwork in this way and the motor car was named 'The Mahlangu Phantom' in her honour.

The Cullinan proved the perfect canvas for a series of four individual Bespoke commissions dedicated to legendary Russian mountains, 'Elbrus','Krasnaya Polyana', 'Golden Mountain'  and Klyuchevskaya Sopka'.

The Iced Black Diamond, Iced Gunmetal Steel, Midnight Sapphire Blue and Premiere Silver exterior hues are inspired by frosty peaks and are complemented by darkened chrome exterior detailing on each of the Cullinans.

Inside, a map of Russia is depicted on the Starlight Headliner while mountain peaks are embroidered on the headrests. The engraved sill plates of each car bear an inscription naming the mountain region that inspired its design, as well as the height of the highest peak in each region.

The Dawn Silver Bullet Collection cuts a dash with a unique Aero Cowling and ultra-metallic Brewster Silver Paint, in a vibrant nod to the epic Rolls-Royce trials cars of the past.

The four-seat Rolls-Royce Drophead is transformed into an adaptable two-seat roadster by the addition of the rakish Aero Cowling with vapour-blasted titanium finisher, heightening the Collection's sense of speed and purpose. Limited to just 50 examples worldwide, the Aero Cowling windbreak proudly displays the Silver Bullet name and silhouette.

A Collection of two Black Badge Dawns and nine Black Badge Wraiths were commissioned for the United Arab Emirates. Boasting bold colour combinations and technical fibre, the Sportive Collection encapsulates Black Badges' expressive and unapologetic nature. In an innovative first, the interior features a technical fibre fascia that has been intertwined with a coloured weave to match the vibrant exterior colour combinations.

The hand-painted Coachlines feature a unique 'Sportive' motif, while woven-leather door panniers and engraved Bespoke audio frets further add to the dynamic ambience of the Collection. Commissioned by a Texan Rolls-Royce collector, this contemporary Phantom is finished in Arctic White with a double coachline and double pinstripe in Hotspur Red, indicative of the bold interior colourway.