This Phantom Hummingbird however interestingly features marquetry from abalone shells.
After being inspired by places, plants, and even poetry, it seems that Rolls-Royce has moved on from things starting with P and now turned its eye to birds. Specifically, the rather tiny and colourful hummingbird, which recently formed the centrepiece of its latest one-off Phantom.
Naturally dubbed the Phantom Hummingbird, this particular Extended is a bespoke commission created through Rolls-Royce Private Office Dubai as a tribute from a client to his wife. Though perhaps what is more intriguing about this particular bird-themed Roller is that it does not actually feature any actual bird bits (as one could perhaps have come to expect from the crazy world of custom double-Rs), but instead borrows something from the exact opposite of where avians tend to reside.
And that something turns out to be abalone shell, with the Phantom Hummingbird being the first Rolls-Royce ever built to feature abalone shell marquetry. The reason for its inclusion is fairly obvious however, as its inner surface has a naturally iridescent finish that produces a distinctive blue-green shimmer when it catches the light, making it rather fitting for recreating the similarly iridescent plumage of a hummingbird.
A pair of hummingbird motifs can consequently be found on the rear picnic tables, each comprising 53 individual pieces of abalone shell and mother-of-pearl. Of these, 18 pieces make up the wings, allowing them to catch the light differently depending on where the occupants are sitting.
A complementary botanical motif can also be found on the Rear Waterfall panel between the rear seats, consisting of another 84 individual pieces to depict the flowers that the hummingbird appears to be visiting.
All three marquetry panels are backed by ash burr veneer, while silver birch cut from a single log was also selected for the cabin after Rolls-Royce painstakingly examined its grain pattern to ensure it complemented the overall composition.
Funnily enough, Rolls-Royce is at pains to mention that abalone is considerably more brittle than the wood veneers and mother-of-pearl that its Bespoke Collective is accustomed to working with. Getting all those tiny pieces to fit together therefore took over nine months of development, with each individual piece laser-cut 0.06 mm larger than required before being carefully hand-shaped and fitted.
As for the rest of the interior meanwhile, the seats are trimmed in Creme Light leather with Moccasin and Tan accents, while Seashell-coloured carpets and Rolls-Royce’s familiar Starlight Headliner complete the rather lavish cabin.
Finally moving outside, the Phantom Hummingbird is finished in a two-tone Wildberry and White Sands exterior, with a White Sands coachline incorporating a hand-painted hummingbird motif that mirrors the marquetry inside.
Rolls-Royce says the hummingbird was chosen as a symbol of joy, resilience and finding beauty in every moment. In this case, that symbolism is rather more personal, given that the entire Phantom was commissioned as a tribute to one particular person.
And of course, this being a Bespoke Phantom, Rolls-Royce has not done the vulgar thing and disclosed how much this hummingbird Roller actually costs. Though given that the “base” car already costs the equivalent of a rather well-appointed house, the time and effort put into these modifications may well push the total final bill for the car towards the GDP of some small countries.
