Rolls-Royce rolled out its new Phantom Zenith Collection over the weekend at the 2016 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy.

The bespoke collection will be the last Phantom Coupe and Phantom Drophead Coupe cars produced, as the all-new Phantom due to be launched in 2018 will not have coupe and convertible versions.

“As we begin to write a bold new chapter in Rolls-Royce history, I am delighted to present a bespoke collection that celebrates the Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé. Phantom Zenith Collection motor cars speak of the marque’s unrelenting commitment to setting and advancing the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. 

The seventh generation Phantom was launched in January 2003, followed four years later by the Phantom Drophead Coupé 2007, the Phantom Coupé in 2008, Wraith in 2013 and the open-top Dawn in 2016. 

The Phantom Zenith Collection – representing some of the very last Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé motor cars ever to be built - will serve as collectors’ pieces and all 50 examples have been commissioned. 

The collection features a suite of exquisitely executed bespoke pieces. 

In conceiving these two motor cars, the Bespoke design team dedicated themselves to understanding how both cars augment the lifestyles of the marque’s discerning customers. For example, the split-tailgate has been enhanced with the addition of a beautifully engineered companion to a perfect touring day’s picnic. A glass shelf, housed within the rear section of the tailgate can be deployed serving as the perfect place from which to serve champagne. A fridge occupies a large portion of the boot, whilst the comfort of those who wish to sit on the rear-tailgate is ensured with the use of the finest padded leathers.

Phantom Zenith Collection customers were invited to complete their collection with the addition of a special Rolls-Royce picnic hamper, personalised to match the materials and colour palette of the customer.  

On opening the coach doors, beautiful laser etching to the armrest cappings stylishly express the locations of the global debut of the experimental version of each car - Villa D’Este on the shores of Lake Como for 100EX, the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s forebear, and Lake Geneva for the 101EX, the car that would become Phantom Coupé. 

The central fascia drawer houses a removable aluminum case, laser engraved with their motor car’s unique identification number surrounded with a beautiful application of Best English Blacking – a technique most commonly associated with fine gun-making. Within this, sits a single piece of the Phantom assembly line at the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. This collectors’ piece is completed with the expression of co-ordinates, stating the exact part of the assembly line from where the metal was extracted. 

Both cars did much to bring Rolls-Royce customers from the rear compartment to the drivers’ seat. This is elegantly referenced with three design touches. The speedometer is presented in brushed steel – serving to draw the eye towards a key signifier of the car’s unique, power delivery. The interior design colour scheme further nods through the use of a highlight leather colour for the front seats that harmonises perfectly with a darker rear compartment. Finally, the Starlight Headliner, a design that made its debut on Phantom Coupé, is given a subtle bespoke treatment with individually hand-woven stars clustered to the front and faded to the rear. 

In styling the exterior and interior colour and materials palette, designers drew from Rolls-Royce history. The subtle contrast presented in the Madeira Red and Jubilee Silver Phantom Coupé, for example, is inspired by a 1930s Phantom II. 

A bolder contrast can be seen in the presentation of Midnight Blue and Artic White that echoes the genteel ambiance of a very special 1930s Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental, whilst a new glass clearcoat has been engineered to enhance Phantom’s mirror-like shine. 

Design touches from the marque’s recent history also served to inspire. Hints of the 2011 Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection can be seen in the presentation of the central tunnel, whilst Blood-Orange tips to the instrument dials reference Wraith’s aviation inspired motif. 

Further attention to detail is expressed with cupholders, machined from aluminium, serving as a perfect visual and reminder of Phantom’s blend of timeless elegance melded to contemporary design. 

These new collection is currently being crafted at Goodwood. 

2016 also represents the final year of production for the seventh generation Phantom limousine, with customers invited to commission deeply personal, bespoke expressions of this seminal motor car. Order books for these very last commissions will close imminently.