One-Of-One Rolls-Royce Uses An Unexpected Material That Took Nine Months To Master
No one has ever accused Rolls-Royce of being subtle. Furthermore, when you order a Rolls from the factory, you are given a lot of leeway as to how you want your car customized. You can, essentially, commission a car to be made just for you if you add enough zeroes to the end of the purchase price.
One such commissioned Rolls-Royce is what the brand is calling the "Phantom Hummingbird." As the name implies, it's a Phantom sedan with a hummingbird motif. What makes this custom Phantom stand out is that instead of just using paint to depict the hummingbird, Rolls-Royce went to the effort of making a hummingbird inlay using mother of pearl and abalone shell. Yes, abalone the sea snail.
According to a press release, this is the first time abalone has ever been used in a Rolls-Royce, and probably for good reason. The whole process took upwards of nine months, including time to learn how to work with the material, which is very brittle. "Abalone Inlay Expert" isn't exactly a common line on anyone's resume.
A custom Phantom bound for Dubai
The custom Rolls-Royce Phantom is reportedly going to Dubai. In addition to the hummingbird, there is also a flower motif throughout the car, because why not go all out with a theme? The hummingbird is made out of 53 individual pieces of shell, and the flowers are 84 pieces. It's literally a rolling work of art.
On the outside, there's an accompanying hummingbird and flower on the bodywork, plus a white pinstripe over a purple burgundy-ish paint scheme. It's not at all understated, but it's not garish either.
This commission is based on the extended wheelbase Phantom, which is powered by a 563 horsepower, twin-turbo 6.7-liter V12. The giant twin-turbo V12 is probably doing its best not to betray the tasteful exterior and interior. Rolls-Royce famously doesn't list prices on its website, but based on models that SlashGear has driven in the past, the price is definitely well north of $500,000. Because a privately commissioned Rolls-Royce with a custom abalone hummingbird inlay going to Dubai doesn't exactly say 'budget car'.