Rolls-Royce recently announced the released of an extremely limited new iteration of the marque’s iconic Phantom limousine. The Phantom Tempus Collection consists of just 20 cars. And before you ask how much it costs to own one of them, you’ve run out of time, pun completely intended. All 20 vehicles have already been reserved by customers.
Looking to The Stars
A key inspiration for the Tempus Collection’s is literally out of this world. Far, far outside our universe in fact. Inspiration came from the pulsar, an astronomical marvel discovered in 1967. These dense stars can actually be thought of as incredibly accurate astrological clock, as they emit extremely regular pulses of electromagnetic radiation. Rolls-Royce captured the beauty of the pulsar and made it the cornerstone of the Phantom Tempus’s interior design. The original Phantom’s distinctive Starlight Headliner is reimagined as the Pulsar Headliner. Using specially designed fibre-optic lighting and bespoke embroidery, the cabin’s interior is transformed into a stunning replica of a spinning galaxy.
While the Pulsar Headliner represents the constant movement of time measured by the pulsar’s constant electromagnetic pulses, the dashboard has been reworked to capture the illusion of time standing still. The “Frozen Flow of Time” Gallery is placed on the car’s fascia, fashioned from a billet of hand-polished and black-anodized aluminium. The aluminium is milled to create 100 individually contoured columns. Rolls-Royce says that this represents the 100-million-year period of the celestial object’s rotational spin. Those familiar with the internal layout of the production Phantom would notice that the Gallery’s position on the dashboard is normally where the clock would be. However, in the Tempus Collection, this has been omitted by design. This represents the user’s freedom from the burdens and limitations of time.
In the glove compartment, Rolls-Royce has included a description of the Gallery on an engrave plaque, complete with a quote from Albert Einstein.
“The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
The Cold of Space
Following in the marque’s tradition, the Tempus Collection Phantom is complete with an exquisitely designed champagne chest with distinctive appointments. The Tempus Champagne Chest takes the original Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest and jazzes things up. The table is adorned with hand-painted pulsar artwork to fit with the Tempus Collection’s theme. Under the table, the chest contains thermal flasks for patrons to travel in style, enjoying the luxuries of chilled champagne and caviar. Also included are four hand-blown champagne flutes, arranged within to resemble the cylinders of the limousine’s V12 engine, as well as a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon.
In Blackest Night
Continuing with the Tempus Collection’s theme of time and space, the Phantom is painted in a new bespoke finish called Kairos Blue. Rolls-Royce created this finish specifically for the Collection to symbolise the darkness and mystery of space. The new paint finish uses blue mica flakes whose jewel-like quality catches light, making them sparkle like stars against the limousine’s black exterior detailing.
On the Phantom Tempus’ bonnet, Rolls-Royce included a chance for personalisation. The Spirit of Ecstasy, introduced 110 years ago, can be engraved with a date and location of significance to the buyer.
The Phantom is one of Rolls-Royce’s most iconic offerings and the Tempus Collection captures that spirit of grandeur and symbolism perfectly.
“Phantom is our pinnacle product, so producing a Collection Car is always a supremely important moment for us and our client,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “With Phantom Tempus, our sources of inspiration are on appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way we see the universe and our place within it.”
Only 20 of these cars were made, and all have already been reserved. Therefore for those looking to own one of these limousines, it might be a little too late. However, Rolls-Royce has created a Virtual Reality (VR) presentation, allowing for an immersive, 360° tour of the car’s interior and exterior.
To find out more about the Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection, including the VR experience, head over to their website here.
All images courtesy of Rolls-Royce.