If there’s one thing you can be certain of in this life, it’s that Rolls-Royce products are never cheap. Even so, to pay £888,000 for a Phantom is not something you see everyday, and yet that’s exactly what happened on Saturday evening, at a philanthropic event held by the British company at its home in Goodwood. The ‘Evelina Art for Allergy x Dine on the Line’ event was held in support of allergy research at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

The star of the show was undoubtedly a Phantom, a collaboration between Rolls-Royce and world-renowned artist Marc Quinn. The winning bidder of this headline lot is a valued collector of the marque. The car features a bespoke artwork featuring the iris of the winning bidder’s daughter, using the Rolls-Royce Phantom as his canvas. The artwork takes inspiration from Quinn’s on-going series of iris paintings, named We Share Our Chemistry with the Stars.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “Rolls-Royce is deeply privileged to have worked with Evelina London on this exceptional event. We are thrilled that Marc Quinn’s artwork, using Phantom as the canvas, raised a fabulous £888,000 and are humbled that nearly £2million was raised in total throughout the evening for this center of medical excellence in London.”

Commenting on the difference the donations will make, Professor Gideon Lack, Evelina London said, “The generous donations from the Art for Allergy event will make a dramatic difference to our research program and to our mission to prevent allergies, to protect against allergies, and to ultimately cure allergies in children.  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the team at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and event co-chairs Kate Storey and Marc Quinn for providing us with a fantastic platform to highlight the importance of our research and raise these significant funds. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of the guests, contributing artists and auction prize donors, without whom this achievement would not have been possible.”

Other phenomenal auction lots attracted substantial bids as well. Works by some of the world’s most sought-after artists included works by British artists Jake & Dinos Chapman, David Yarrow, Harland Miller and Mary McCartney. Proceeds generated from the auction will be donated to Evelina London to fund vital allergy research.