At this years Dubai International Motor Show, the Goodwood based manufacturer unveiled not just one, but four vehicles consisting of the Celestial Phantom, Alpine Trial Centenary Collection and Chicane Phantom Coupé. As you would expect, all of these cars are incredible, for us one stood out above the others, the most beautiful of all of them, the Rolls-Royce Celestial Phantom.
When Rolls-Royce introduce a new car, even the those with little interest in motoring take notice. Within the automotive industry there are a small handful of brands that can truly lay claim to being the greatest car-maker in the world, Rolls-Royce is definitely one of them. For us and millions of others, Rolls-Royce is the absolute pinnacle, an icon just like the finest Chanel Handbag or a rare Patek Philippe watch.
The extraordinary Celestial Phantom first debuted at the Frankfurt IAA wowing the press and general public. True to form, Rolls-Royce have not sat back on their laurels soaking up the international praise and adulation, they have taken the model to even greater heights by adding 446 diamonds meticulously hand-set into the door-cappings, centre console lid and rear-privacy divider. This one-of-a-kind masterpiece was created to celebrate a seminal moment in Rolls-Royce history, the handover of the first Phantom to its owner at midnight on 1 January 2003.
The exterior colour scheme evokes the night sky – integrating fine glass particles into the paint to achieve an alluring sense of depth and light. The theme continues when one opens the coach doors of this very special Phantom Extended Wheelbase. Upon entering the car, occupants are welcomed with a new take on Starlight Headliner, a Bespoke feature that has captivated Rolls-Royce’s discerning customers more than any. The constellations, exactly as they were at midnight on that historic evening, are represented by over a thousand fibre optic lights hand-woven into the Celestial Phantom’s headlining.
The finest leathers, presented in a Dusk hue, allude to the inky quality of a cloudless night sky. Bespoke glassware and an exquisitely appointed picnic set express the manner in which a customer’s lifestyle and passions can be seamlessly integrated into their personal, highly Bespoke Rolls-Royce. Hallmark attention-to-detail is evident throughout. The night-sky constellation arrangement was verified by the South Downs Planetarium to ensure authenticity, whilst hand-stitching to the headliner subtly maps out the constellations. The exterior is finished with engraving to wheel centres while an uplit Spirit of Ecstasy figurine elegantly alludes to the car’s ethereal theme. Dining under the stars takes on a new dimension with a themed re-imaging of the famed Rolls‑Royce Picnic Set. The glassware features a beautifully hand-engraved Celestial motif whilst celebrated porcelain maker Nymphenburg was commissioned for the sets plates, providing an exquisitely presented image of the constellations.
These words and pictures will probably be the closest most of us will get to the Celestial Phantom, some of us will look up at the stars and imagine what it must be like to own a car like this, while one person just needs to look around and see hundreds of twinkling stars, only this time from the luxurious interior of the Celestial Phantom.