We covered the exclusive Phantom Scintilla’s debut at the Quail and got some good information about where the car’s inspiration came from. Today, Rolls-Royce released a quick video that goes a little behind the scenes. In a rare opportunity, we get to hear from the people who helped bring the Phantom Scintilla to life – designers charged with bringing a unique vision to life.
The first half of the video largely covers familiar ground. Matthew Danton, Bespoke Design Lead, recites the original brief for the Spirit of Ecstasy and how it inspired the Phantom Scintilla. The name, which, by the way, comes from the Latin word for spark. It refers to the ‘spark’ of inspiration that gave birth to the brief – which was issued from Claude Johnson, Managing Director of Rolls in 1910 to Charles Sykes. Along with the dialog, we get a good look at the uniquely-finished Spirit of Ecstasy the Phantom Scintilla wears.
Making It
Things get even more interesting when the focus shifts to Celina Mettang, a bespoke designer. We get a much more intimate look at the Gallery centerpiece. Titled Celestial Pulse, it seeks to channel the Spirit of Ecstasy’s sense of movement and fluidity. It continues the trend of the interior upholstery, which features an uninterrupted line of embroidery that runs the entirety of the cabin. The artful embroidery comprises over 850,000 stitches. It’s undoubtedly part of why the interior took almost two and a half years to develop.
Speaking of upholstery, the material trimming the rear seats is a silver twill fabric dubbed “Motion Textile.” The design is yet another nod to the Spirit of Ecstasy. “We wanted to create a single graphic that almost looks like a watercolor artwork,” Mettang says. “We call it painting with thread.” While you may be familiar with Rolls’ Starlight headliner – which features fiberoptic lights that give an impression of the night sky in the car’s roof – the Phantom Scintilla also features lights in the door panel that “appear to glow from within.” The aforementioned headliner also features a unique lighting sequence.
The video showcases a lot of intimate details that only ten lucky customers – and, maybe some friends and family or really lucky journalists – will ever get to see. Case in point: the Phantom Scintilla has bespoke sill plates that read “Phantom Scintilla, Private Collection, One of Ten.” See something most never will, and check out the three-and-a-half minute video.