Rolls-Royce and Rock and Roll have a longer history together than you might think. When the King of Rock and Roll signed a big contract in 1961, the first thing he did was buy a Phantom V. John Lennon purchased his Phantom in 1965 and in 1967 had the Dutch art collective, The Fool create a bespoke psychedelic paint scheme at the suggestion of bandmate Ringo Starr. In 1970, the car came to America when Lennon moved there and was loaned to other rock stars including the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
Rolls-Royce will honor its musical heritage this year at Monterey Car Week with a special edition Wraith, Inspired by Music.
Decked out in a metallic paint scheme they’re calling Lyrical Copper, this bespoke Wraith has a myriad of touches and details that hint at the brand’s long association with music. Copper is used in all manner of audio systems and still considered to be the epitome of fidelity when it comes to transmitting the electrical impulses that create sound.
Copper-colored door inserts, and book matched copper finish features for the first time on Wraith’s fascia. Even the chaplets on the clock have been designed and meticulously crafted with a combination of warming copper and silver, while the radial lines of the outer bezel evoke vinyl records. The same copper tone extends to Wraith’s signature seat bullets creating a unified look both inside and out.
But, this “Inspired by Music” Wraith is more than a design study. It also features a custom audio system designed by what Rolls-Royce calls the world’s best automotive audio engineers. They spend two years to tune the system perfectly with the car and all its materials and surfaces. The 1300 Watt, 18-channel system provides extraordinary clarity thanks two bass speakers, seven midrange speakers, seven tweeters and two exciter speakers that are hand-fitted in the car’s headliner. Those exciters pull the sound up to ear level, creating a truer concert experience. Rolls’ engineers have even used active sound control to automatically adjust volume and equalization based on road and other ambient noises.
“Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’ appeals to those looking to Rolls-Royce for unique and creative motor cars,” commented Torsten Müller Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Its effortlessly cool appearance complements the superior Bespoke Audio system; the contemporary use of copper creates an atmospheric setting for the most encompassing music system on the market.”
Inspired by Music is the third in a series of bespoke Wraith cars that draw their inspiration from cultural centerpieces. The previous two, Inspired by Film and Fashion, made their debuts earlier this year.