“Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.”
Claude Johnson, Managing Director, Rolls-Royce Limited – Original brief for a RollsRoyce figurine (1910)
“The unveiling of a Private Collection is always a landmark moment. These rare and collectible motor cars, limited to just a handful of examples worldwide, are true masterpieces. They illustrate the boundless ingenuity and skill of the creatives and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce, and stimulate ideas among our clients for their own commissions. They also affirm Rolls-Royce’s status as an authentic luxury house. We do not simply build motor cars — we create rare, complex and exquisitely crafted super-luxury products that are highly prized by collectors today and will be cherished long into the future.
Crafting exquisite Bespoke products and shaping extraordinary experiences directly responds to the requirements of today’s super-luxury consumers. This approach will continue to shape our business. We will grow our global network of VIP-only Private Office outposts, where our designers collaborate directly with our clients to co-create the most extraordinary motor cars, wherever they are in the world. We will expand our home in Goodwood to grow the scale of our Bespoke offering, and we will continue to craft the most intricate and sophisticated experiences and Bespoke luxury goods in the world. Phantom Scintilla, which honours our enduring muse, the Spirit of Ecstasy, is the perfect expression of these principles.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
For over a century, the Spirit of Ecstasy has symbolised elegance and human achievement, inspiring countless works of art, from music to photography and film. In 2024, as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates its 120th anniversary, the marque pays tribute to this timeless muse with a unique Private Collection: the Phantom Scintilla. Limited to just ten examples worldwide, this magnificent collection honours the ethereal beauty, grace, and legacy of the Spirit of Ecstasy.
The design of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla evokes the fleeting wonder of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s presence. The exquisite interior features are inspired by the fluid movement of her robes as the motor car glides by. Graceful bespoke embroidery flows throughout the cabin, capturing the Spirit of Ecstasy’s elegant dynamism and culminating in a complex Gallery artwork. These carefully curated design elements subtly reference the figurine’s origins, drawing inspiration from Parian Marble—the material used over 2,000 years ago by an unknown Classical Greek sculptor to create The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the statue that inspired Claude Johnson’s original idea for a Rolls-Royce mascot.
The name “Phantom Scintilla” is derived from the Latin word for ‘spark’—a bright flash that is witnessed only for an instant. This reflects Claude Johnson’s initial spark of inspiration for a mascot, embodied by the aforementioned Greek statue, and captures the Spirit of Ecstasy’s ethereal grace—something glimpsed only briefly as the motor car passes by but leaves a lasting impression.
A New Chapter in a Timeless Story
In 1910, Rolls-Royce Managing Director Claude Johnson commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a mascot for the marque. Johnson had been profoundly impressed by The Winged Victory of Samothrace during a visit to the Louvre in Paris, and he envisioned a similar figure to adorn the brand’s vehicles. However, Sykes felt the statue was too commanding to represent the subtlety and grace of Rolls-Royce. Instead, he drew inspiration from Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montagu’s secretary and muse, to create the Spirit of Ecstasy, a delicate and ethereal figure that perfectly encapsulated the marque’s silence, power, and elegance. In creating the Phantom Scintilla, the Bespoke Collective has reconnected with Johnson’s original inspiration, introducing new materials and subtle references to The Winged Victory of Samothrace.
Material Magic
The famed Winged Victory statue is sculpted from Parian marble, a fine-grained white marble known for its purity and radiance, which allows light to penetrate several centimetres, giving it a unique, luminous quality. For Phantom Scintilla, the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine has been given a ceramic finish that evokes the texture of Parian marble while preserving its familiar femininity and ethereal presence—finally uniting the visions of both Johnson and Sykes.
“We were captivated by the qualities of Parian marble, and it became the focus of our research for many months. To create a clear and elegant connection to the iconic statue, we developed a ceramic finish that captures the translucence and purity of this unique stone, perfectly embodying the ethereal nature of our icon,” said Celina Mettang, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Exterior: Greek Inspiration
Phantom Scintilla’s exterior is presented in a two-tone Bespoke finish. The upper body is Andalusian White, while the lower body is Thracian Blue, inspired by the sea around the island of Samothrace, where The Winged Victory of Samothrace originates. A subtle metallic flake mimics the sparkle of sunlight on the water. The hand-painted double Coachline and Wheel Pinstripes in Spirit Blue complete the graceful exterior.
Interior: Expressive Movement
The interior is adorned with design elements, textures, and a continuous graphic inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy’s dynamic form—a collaboration between Bespoke designers and artisans. The graphic flows through the cabin, enveloping occupants in a continuous stream of energy.
“We aimed to create a singular graphic that appears almost like a watercolour artwork—we call it ‘painting with thread’. To achieve a luminescent effect, we used four different thread colours, thicknesses, and stitch orientations, covering areas never before explored in a Rolls-Royce. The result is the most intricate embroidery ever seen in a Rolls-Royce motor car,” explained Katrin Lehmann, Bespoke Colour and Material Designer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
The lead artisan, Brienny Dudley, experimented with various stitches and hues before selecting the tatami stitch, which was applied over six layers, interlacing in varying densities and complexities. The entire interior composition comprises 869,500 stitches and takes over 40 hours to complete.
“Bringing this design to life in three dimensions was an exciting challenge, requiring more than two and a half years of collaboration with our Bespoke design team to achieve the right detail, texture, and tactility in the embroidery. Working with both leather and fabric added complexity, as these materials respond differently to stitching. Thirty-six individually embroidered panels had to be perfectly aligned to create a seamless, flowing motif throughout the interior,” said Brienny Dudley, Bespoke Craft Specialist at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
The embroidered motif on the doors—the most intricate door design ever seen on a Rolls-Royce—comprises 633,000 stitches in Blue Grey, Arctic White, Spirit Blue, Powder Blue, and Pastel Yellow threads, complemented by illuminated perforations. By night, the embroidery glows with a mesmerising luminescence, appearing to sparkle from within. The seats are upholstered in twill fabric with a subtle reflective sheen, adding complexity to the material interplay within the interior. An additional 236,500 stitches in Blue Grey, Arctic White, and Spirit Blue thread continue the intricate graphic across the four doors.
‘Celestial Pulse’ Gallery Artwork
The centrepiece of Phantom Scintilla is a Bespoke artwork in the Gallery, which spans the full width of the front fascia. Entitled “Celestial Pulse,” the piece consists of seven ribbons, each individually milled from solid aluminium and adorned with the same finely-grained ceramic finish as the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. The edges are polished to a mirror shine, catching the light and creating a sense of movement and fluidity. Claude Johnson’s original brief for a Rolls-Royce mascot is displayed on an embossed plate concealed in the glove compartment, capturing the essence of the Phantom Scintilla Private Collection: “Speed with silence, the absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a beautiful living organism of superb grace.”
‘Fleeting Moment’ Starlight Headliner
Phantom Scintilla’s Bespoke Starlight Headliner features an animation inspired by the flowing gown of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Fifteen hundred fibre-optic ‘stars,’ all hand-placed in a unique pattern, illuminate in sequence, enhancing the sense of motion. The design is completed with an additional 4,450 perforations, deliberately enlarged to reveal glimpses of metallic silver fabric beneath, creating a subtle interplay of light.
Graceful Details
The sense of movement continues on the rear picnic tables, with a delicate graphic capturing the fluidity of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s motion. The motif is applied using a masking technique on the glossy iridescent surface, then hand-sanded and finished with a matte coating, creating the illusion of two subtly shifting colours. The wood set is rendered in Arctic White and finished with lacquer mixed with iridescent metallic particles. To achieve the desired effect, craftspeople apply up to 19 coats of lacquer—a process that takes more than 190 hours per motor car. The Private Collection name is engraved on polished stainless-steel treadplates, and each commission is supplied with a Bespoke car cover.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla Private Collection is available exclusively through the marque’s international Private Office network.
