Pebble Beach - Inspired
by Charles Stewart Rolls and the legend of the Schneider Trophy-winning
Supermarine S6B (powered by a Rolls-Royce R Type engine), Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars proudly present the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection. The
collection celebrates the spirit of human endeavour that drove a very
British hero and subsequently led Rolls-Royce to simultaneous world
speed records on land, air and in the water.
The first in the
collection of 35 Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection models – which feature
a suite of exclusive design concepts, colour combinations and new
materials – debuts today at the Pebble Beach Quail gathering in the
United States.
“Our founding
forefather Charles Stewart Rolls was a pioneer who pushed the boundaries
of motoring and aviation to the limit,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös,
Rolls-Royce CEO. “With our exclusive Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection we
celebrate this great British hero, presenting a car which hints at
experiments in early flight married to the best engineering, modern
design and exquisitely crafted materials. The collection takes
Rolls-Royce Bespoke to new levels of subtle, yet beautiful detailing.”
Finished in Aviator
Grey, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection features a contrasting matt
bonnet, window and grille surround while inside, the interplay of wood
and metal hint strongly at a cockpit theme. A Thommen, aviation-grade
clock with blood orange needle tips is embedded in the metal foil upper
fascia, complemented by matt black dials for power reserve, speedometer
and fuel gauges.
The lower fascia is
veneered in mahogany, painstakingly shaped by craftspeople just as the
early record-setting propellers were fashioned and features Sapele
contrast. Polished stainless steel veneer ‘onlays’ with bullet-shaped
ends are designed to match floor mat fixings.
Between 1931 and 1933
the Schneider Trophy was held in the South of England, soaring over the
Solent and the Witterings in West Sussex, a location no more than 10
miles from the current Home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Goodwood,
England. Collection cars celebrate the victorious S6B aircraft with
transmission tunnel in anodised aluminium with exposed torx fixings and
swage lines that echo the oil cooling veins on the S6B fuselage side.
These highlights are repeated on collection car armrests.
The leather-lined glove
compartment includes an embossed Charles Rolls quote following his first
flight with the Wright Brothers in 1908: “The power of flight is as a
fresh gift from the Creator, the greatest treasure yet given to man.” A
centre console chrome plaque describes Rolls – only the second man in
Britain to hold a pilot’s licence – simply as Pioneer Aviator, below a
representation of his sweeping signature.
Fitted with leather
floor mats, Aviator Collection cars have also been designed to
incorporate the Rolls-Royce of cup holders. Beautifully engineered in
highly polished aluminium, the designer’s aim was to deliver
functionality, but with that special combination of theatre and
jewellery, both of which are expected by every Rolls-Royce client.
