Although every single Rolls-Royce is a bespoke commission in its own right, some go extra miles several miles further to ensure that theirs is like nothing else that ever existed—or will ever be replicated in the future. The latest example is the Phantom Syntopia—created in collaboration with Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. RR confirms that the Phantom Syntopia is a one-off client commission and will join the client’s garage this coming May; the company also confirms that the Phantom Syntopia will never be replicated.
This haute couture-inspired bespoke commission on the exterior is painted in a one-off Liquid Noir—which changes color depending on sunlight and viewing angles: Iridescent in sunlight; Purple, Blue, Magenta and Gold undertones when viewed from different angles.
To achieve this effect, the marque’s darkest solid-black paint is finished with a clearcoat—mixed with a special pigment—selected for its color-shifting properties. Apparently, the pigment mixed with the clearcoat is what adds the shimmering effect. More specifically, developing the technique of applying this pigment—according to the company—took several months and over 3,000 hours of testing. And, the bonnet features a Weaving Water pattern that is replicated throughout the interior.
The famous Starlight Headliner has been given several twists here—quite literally. It is called the Weaving Water Starlight Headliner here. Those wavy things you see on the headliner were apparently crafted using a single sheet of flawless leather—selected from over 1,000 hides. Precise symmetrical cuts reveal a silver ‘liquid metal’ texture made from woven nylon fabric underneath, used in Iris van Herpen’s ‘Embossed Sounds’ collection, giving the Headliner a three-dimensional appearance. It is finished with 162 delicate petals made of glass organza, applied by members of Iris van Herpen’s Couture team who traveled to Goodwood for this work—a process that apparently took nearly 300 hours.
In addition, 187 of the 995 fiberoptic ‘stars’ were individually placed by hand alongside the artwork; illuminating sequentially, starting from the rear and moving to the front, they create a feeling of movement. In total, the entire Headliner alone involved almost 700 collective hours of work, the company said. The ‘Weaving Water’ theme continues throughout the rest of the cabin.
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