Cars are truly a great work of engineering. In fact, they are really complex creations. This is especially true when carmakers give life to complex, premium models. For instance, Rolls-Royce has been giving birth to such creation, such as the Phantom. This recent handiwork from Rolls-Royce, though, is the most complex Phantom that the luxury carmaker has built so far.
One of the most recognizable symbols of superior status and extravagance, the Phantom is easily a luxurious and expensive masterpiece tailored to the taste and preferences of the carmaker’s discerning customers from around the world. Most of Rolls-Royce’s clients never think twice of making their Phantoms their very own, especially that they are wealthy enough to afford such high level of opulence.
Called the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia, this opulent creation boasts massively bespoke elements not only on the exterior, but also inside the cabin. Moreover, the experience of opulence in this luxury car extends beyond what its passengers can see and feel. After all, the most complex Phantom ever made also appeals to their sense of smell.
Phantom Syntopia Is A Haute Couture-Inspired Masterpiece Inside And Out
Rolls-Royce is undeniably a luxury house. Thus, it isn’t surprising if the carmaker takes inspiration from the world of haute couture to create a masterpiece of automotive engineering and design. In the case of Phantom Syntopia, Rolls-Royce collaborated with innovative fashion designer and Couturière Iris van Herpen. As a matter of fact, Phantom Syntopia takes its name from Iris van Herpen’s 2018 collection.
Based on the updated Phantom Extended, Phantom Syntopia takes on the principles of biomimicry, taking inspiration by patterns and shapes found in nature to create an art. It mimics Iris van Herpen’s 2018 collection, which features a series of highly sculptural garments brought to life through movement.
Phantom Syntopia represents the ethereal beauty of fluid motion in solid materials via its ‘Weaving Water’ theme. It employs a driver’s seat trimmed in hardwearing leather and the rear compartment in luxurious fabrics. Rolls-Royce wrapped the front seats with Magic Grey leather, and the rear seats with silk-blend fabric. The seats especially features a Weaving Water motif.
On the exterior, meanwhile, Phantom Syntopia comes wrapped in a one-off Liquid Noir paint that Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective developed especially for this bespoke vehicle. When bathed in sunlight, this paint delivers various undertones -- Purple, Blue, Magenta and Gold -- at different angles. Thus, it seems Phantom Syntopia changes colors at will. Moreover, its hood boasts a subtle rendering of the Weaving Water interior motif, thanks to the careful redistribution of the pigment during the finishing process.
Phantom Syntopia Has An Interior Crafted As A Three-Dimensional Suite
The breathtaking interior of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia immediately impresses as soon as the passenger opens its doors, with the Weaving Water Starlight Headliner immediately creating a great impact. After all, even Rolls-Royce admits that this version of the Starlight Headliner is the most technically challenging so far, as it involved almost 700 collective hours of work.
Rolls-Royce crafted the Weaving Water Starlight Headliner from a single sheet of flawless leather, which it derived from over 1,000 select hides. The headliner boasts a three-dimensional appearance, thanks to a silver ‘liquid metal’ texture made from woven nylon fabric, which Iris van Herpen had employed in her ‘Embossed Sounds’ collection.
This artwork comes finished with 162 delicate petals made from glass organza – a hand-done application that took nearly 300 hours to complete. Moreover, Iris van Herpen’s Couture team individually placed 187 of the 995 sparkling fiberoptic ‘stars’ alongside the artwork. These stars illuminate sequentially from the rear to the front, thereby create a feeling of movement.
According to Rolls-Royce, a team from Iris van Herpen even travelled to the carmaker’s headquarters to work with members of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective and create by hand some of the interior elements for the Phantom Syntopia.
Phantom Syntopia Is First Rolls-Royce To Feature A Bespoke Scent
As part of the effort to deliver an immersive experience when riding in Phantom Syntopia, Rolls-Royce decided to stimulate all senses as possible. Thus, the carmaker tapped an expert perfumer known as ‘the Nose of the Bespoke Collective’ to develop a subtle yet lasting fragrance, in close collaboration with the clients.
Rolls-Royce expert perfumer chose cedarwood as the core scent, sourcing the material from the clients’ home region. The base combines powdery notes of Iris and hints of leather. The scent expert then blended them with rose from Patagonia and a mild lemon.
A scent-releasing mechanism within the headrests releases the fragrance in suitably delicate doses for a sophisticated sensory experience. The system diffuses the through the ventilation system, and the intensity of the fragrance is adjustable to suit the preferences of the passengers. To ensure that the scent can maintain its distinctive profile in all conditions, the nearly two-year development process included rigorous testing in both very hot and very cold temperatures.
This essentially makes Phantom Syntopia the first Rolls-Royce car to feature a Bespoke scent tailored to the nose of its clients. This feature essentially sets the Phantom Syntopia apart from other luxury vehicles, although it made the car more complex than ever.
Source: Rolls-Royce