There are many ways in which one could indulge in Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke Collection customization program. To guide one through this forest of luxury, the carmaker has now released an example, coming in the form of the Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed Collection.
Before we start talking about what exactly the custom incarnation of the open-air Phantom brings, we have to explain the vehicle is here to celebrate the water speed record set by 1930s speed aficionado Sir Malcom Campbell. Back then, the gentleman was in such a hurry that he took his Rolls-Royce powered BlueBird K3 boat to an average speed of 126.33 mph (228 km/h), taking the record from the Americans. It all happened on Lake Maggiore in Italy.
Returning to the commemorative Phantom Drophead Coupe, the story starts with the Maggiore Blue exterior finish. Inspired by the Bluebird’s color scheme, this requires nine layers of paint. And for the first time for a Rolls-Royce, the hue makes its way into the engine compartment. Maggiore Blue was also used for the eleven-spoke wheels.
A Rolls-Royce specialist spends four hours paining the special coachline of the car, which is adorned with a Bluebird motif. Nonetheless, the aforementioned work is nothing when compared to the decking at the rear. Here, the traditional teak elements are replaced with brush steel. Each piece of the material is set in the panel by hand, with the job takin 70 hours after the initial mechanical action. You can also add over 10 hours of hand-brushing to that.
Maggiore Blue is also used for various interior accents, which come to assist the Windchill Grey leather finish in enchanting the audience. This was also a good occasion for Rolls-Royce to introduce a new type of wood. Named “Abachi”, the material is “cool to the touch with a satin-like tactility, and is bookmatched at an angle to echo the wake left by a boat moving at speed.”
As one could expect, the Bluebird motif is found in multiple places around the cabin. For instance, as you step on the throttle, the power reserve dial moves backwards, entering a yellow and blue zone. This is here to remind one of Campbell’s K3 boat, which “went into the blue” at maximum engine revs.
Even the glovebox features a “hand-embroidered panel expressing the records Campbell achieved at Lake Maggiore and Coniston Water.”
Only 35 units of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed Collection will ever see the light of day. The tribute has been set at GBP 435,000 (EUR 534,000 or USD 732,500).
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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