- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reveals the Phantom Scintilla Private Collection, inspired by the grace, dynamism, and beauty of the Spirit of Ecstasy
- The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, created in a ceramic finish, recalls the Greek sculpture, ‘The Winged Victory of Samothrace,’ which inspired the original brief for a Rolls-Royce mascot in 1910
- ‘Celestial Pulse’ Gallery artwork and animated Bespoke Starlight Headliner capture the fleeting moment of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s presence
- Embroidery on coach doors and rear fabric seats is composed of 869,500 stitches, extending to areas never before used in a Phantom
- The embroidered door motif, made up of 633,000 stitches, is the most complex door design ever seen in a Rolls-Royce motor car
- Chris Brownridge, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, delivered the first of only 10 commissions of this Private Collection at ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’ in Monterey, California
“Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.” Claude Johnson, Managing Director, Rolls-Royce Limited – Original brief for a Rolls-Royce figurine (1910).
For more than a century, the Spirit of Ecstasy has symbolized elegance and human achievements, inspiring works of art, from music to photography and moving images. As Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates its 120th anniversary, it pays homage to its muse in a unique Private Collection, Phantom Scintilla. Limited to ten examples worldwide, this collection celebrates the legacy of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presented the first commission to a client during Monterey Car Week 2024.
A New Chapter in a Familiar Story
In 1910, Rolls-Royce Managing Director Claude Johnson commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a Rolls-Royce mascot. Johnson was inspired by a Greek marble statue he had admired on a recent visit to the Louvre, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, dating from 190 BCE – a deity descending from the heavens.
Sykes felt the statue was too domineering to be a suitable subject. Having traveled in Silver Ghosts, he believed a more delicate figure would better express the marque’s grace, silence, and subtle power. It is believed that he took his real-life inspiration for what would become the Spirit of Ecstasy from Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montagu’s secretary and paramour, to bring this vision to reality.
Today, 120 years later, the Bespoke designers at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have created Phantom Scintilla by introducing new materials and subtle references to the captivating vision of The Winged Victory of Samothrace.
An Inspiration of Marble
The inspirational statue was sculpted in Parian marble, a fine-grained white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. Renowned for purity and radiance, this material allows light to penetrate to a depth of several centimeters, creating a luster that appears to come from within. To capture the translucence and power of the marble, designers introduced a new interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy in a ceramic finish.
Exterior: Greek Inspiration
Phantom Scintilla is presented in a two-tone Bespoke exterior finish. The upper body is in Andalusian White, with the lower body in Thracian Blue, inspired by the colors of the sea around the island of Samothrace, from where the statue of The Winged Victory of Samothrace originates. A subtle metallic flake mimics the sparkle of sunlight on the water. The hand-painted double Coachline and Wheel Pinstripes in Spirit Blue complete the graceful exterior.
Interior: Expressive Movement
The interior features design elements, textures, and a continuous graphic inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy’s dynamic form. The coach doors and fabric seats feature an embroidery pattern flowing through the cabin. This process of “painting with thread” uses distinct colors, thicknesses, and stitch orientations to create a luminescent effect.
Bespoke artisans crafted 36 sections of embroidery, which were then seamlessly stitched together. The full interior composition took more than two and a half years to develop. Goodwood artisans used more than 633,000 stitches, taking 40 hours to produce each interior.
The embroidered motif on the doors is made of stitches combining Blue Grey, Arctic White, Spirit Blue, Powder Blue, and Pastel Yellow thread, complemented by illuminated perforations. By night, the embroidery takes on a luminescence, appearing to glow from within. The seats are upholstered with a twill fabric with a subtle reflective sheen, and stitching in Blue Grey, Arctic White, and Spirit Blue thread continues the graphic spanning across the four doors.
“Celestial Pulse” Gallery Artwork
The centerpiece of Phantom Scintilla is a Bespoke artwork in the Gallery. Entitled Celestial Pulse, the work consists of seven ribbons, each individually milled from solid aluminum, then given the same finely-grained ceramic finish as the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. The artisans polished the edges to catch ambient lighting, creating a sense of movement and fluidity.
Claude Johnson’s original brief for a Rolls-Royce mascot is embossed on a plate concealed in the glove compartment. It reads: “Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.”
Graceful Details
The theme continues on the rear picnic tables, with a graphic capturing the Spirit of Ecstasy’s fluidity of motion. The motif is applied with the masking technique on top of the glossy iridescent surface, then hand-sanded and coated with a matte finish, creating the illusion of two subtle, shifting colors. The full Arctic White wood set is finished with a lacquer mixed with iridescent metallic particles.
While the commission is among the most valuable Rolls-Royce Phantoms ever delivered in North America, no precise pricing was released. At the time of the reveal, all commissions destined for North America are spoken for through the US network of dealers.
“Fleeting Moment” Starlight Headliner
Phantom Scintilla’s Bespoke Starlight Headliner features an animation inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy’s flowing gown. 1,500 fiber-optic “stars,” all placed and fitted by hand in a unique pattern, illuminate in sequence, adding to the sense of motion. The design, made up of 4,450 perforations, reveals glimpses of a metallic silver fabric beneath and creates a subtle interplay of light.
