Rolls-Royce must be getting desperate for the Names Department to come up with “Phantom Metropolitan” as the name for the 2015 models. The last time “Metropolitan” was used was on a Nash, and that was eminently forgettable too.
RR came out with the usual PR Speak at the release at the Paris motor show saying that the styling and car were inspired by the modern cityscapes all over the world. However, as well as a silly name, you get – wait for it – hand-crafted wood-inlay marquetry decorating items such as a fold-out table. I’m sure that will have all the people with more money than sense queuing outside the RR dealerships.
A different Metropolitan.
But I shouldn’t knock RR just because I can’t afford one. Perhaps possible owners will go for the Bespoke Personalization that is being offered. Just relax in the knowledge that bespoke craftsmen took several days to hand-cut 500 wood veneer pieces for the table. A similar scene is etched into the wood panel dash.
Externally, the Paris show car was painted in Darkest Tungsten which Rolls-Royce said is inspired by city skylines. A hand-applied coachline traced the silhouettes of skyscrapers.
More PR Speak, Rolls-Royce developed a new hue for the seat leather – Aetherius Grey – to “echo the color palette of the modern city”, while 6,800 two-tone stitches to the central rear seat flutes depict a towering building.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös said Paris was a fitting location to debut the Phantom Metropolitan Collection.
“This is a city that echoes Rolls-Royce’s very special brand promise in perfectly combining the timeless and modern in a manner that celebrates the art of the master craftsperson,” he said.
“Our customers across the globe delight in challenging our designers and craftspeople to create true, one-of-a-kind pieces of automotive art. This latest collection serves to showcase the extraordinary scope for Bespoke personalization afforded to every patron of the marque.”
The debut follows this year’s release of the Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed collection and Pinnacle Travel Phantom.
The special collections serve to promote the company’s in-house Bespoke personalization team that not only creates paint colors to match personal possessions, but also offers extensive customizations from headlining glowing with ‘stars’ to teak decking.
According to RR, nearly every Phantom sold word-wide is personalized by Bespoke.
Two months ago, Rolls-Royce recorded its largest sale of Phantoms with 30 extended wheelbase cars sold to a Macau hotel-casino boss.
That required a little more than would be left in the croupier’s purse with the Phantom being priced at $855,000 plus on-road costs, while $990,000 buys the extended wheelbase as required by the Macau Casino. There must be money to be made in such establishments. ;-))
