Rolls-Royce Phantom Centenary: Bespoke Craft Revealed
“Our Bespoke Collective of designers, craftspeople and engineers is exceptional at what they do. To honour Phantom in its centenary year, they pioneered groundbreaking techniques in their mastery of wood, combining 3D ink layering, 3D marquetry and gilding within a single surface. These intricate processes push materials to the limits of their natural tolerance, transforming each panel into a stunning, tactile swork of art Having seen first-hand the challenges and possibilities with wood techniques at Rolls-Royce, I can say with certainty that the Collective has unlocked remarkable new possibilities for Bespoke, a breakthrough made possible by their extraordinary dedication to the Phantom nameplate on its 100th anniversary.” Phil Fabre de la Grange, Head of Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
In 2025, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks the centenary of Phantom, a name that has defined the pinnacle of luxury for 100 years. Across decades and continents, Phantom sets the standard for what skilled craftspeople can achieve when they shape the rarest and most precious materials for an actual luxury motor car.
To celebrate this milestone, Rolls-Royce will unveil an exclusive Private Collection that honours the marque’s pinnacle product. Designers, craftspeople and engineers pushed their artistry further than ever, developing three woodworking techniques never before seen on a Rolls-Royce Phantom: 3D marquetry, 3D ink layering and gold leafing. These innovations showcase British craftsmanship and elevate fine woodwork within contemporary automotive design.
Each composition tells a distinct story, first sketched by hand, then translated into digital form and recreated in wood, capturing places, moments and journeys that shaped Phantom’s legend. The resulting surfaces reveal exceptional intricacy and richness, hinting at advanced methods and precise technologies behind their creation while preserving a natural, tactile character.
The interior door treatment created for the upcoming Private Collection stands as the most complex and detailed in Rolls-Royce history, with every journey etched into its surfaces as a tribute to Phantom’s century of achievement. The team devoted a whole year to these pieces and pushed veneer to sculptural limits, just as Phantom continues to expand what a motor car can represent. The artwork blends geographical maps, winding routes, sweeping landscapes, floral elements and depictions of experimental models into a single composition that rewards close inspection.
Artisans craft each section individually and assemble the whole like an intricate mosaic. Rendered in Blackwood, chosen for its distinctive grain, the design uses texture, contrast and reflectivity to celebrate the material and deliver a rich visual effect within a controlled monochromatic palette that suits the Phantom interior.
The team commissioned oversized veneer sheets to match the generous dimensions of Phantom’s doors. Based on the natural grain, they assigned each veneer leaf to a specific area of the composition. The designer considered how the grain catches the light at different angles so that fresh details and textures reveal themselves with every glance, enhancing both craftsmanship and passenger experience.
To keep attention on the composition, the team replaced metal speaker grilles with small openings milled directly into the wood, preserving acoustic performance while maintaining visual purity. They then stained the expansive panel to achieve absolute colour uniformity and a seamless, luxury finish.
Artisans laser-etched maps, landscapes, flowers and trees at three calibrated depths, each line of light and shadow echoing Phantom stories across a century. Deeper etching reads darker against the more reflective unetched veneer, which creates subtle shifts in colour and light and brings a sense of motion beyond the linework.
In contrast to the recessed motifs, the marque’s specialists developed 3D ink layering to build fine textures and intricate patterns directly on the wood surface. Layer by layer, they added detail with exceptional precision and clarity, advancing Rolls-Royce interior craft and underlining the bespoke nature of this Private Collection Phantom.
To introduce further relief, the designer employed 3D marquetry, placing raised motifs on top of the main surface and embellishing them with engraving and 3D ink layering. This three-dimensional approach adds depth and tactile intrigue, allowing occupants to feel as well as see Phantom’s narrative, and it reinforces the car’s standing in British luxury design.
The woodwork also introduces a Rolls-Royce first, gilding, also known as gold leafing, which turns Phantom’s most significant journeys into luminous threads of history. Drawing on cabinet-making traditions, the team adapted and refined the process to meet Rolls-Royce's temperature and humidity testing requirements. Five artisans from the Interior Surface Centre completed specialist training at West Dean College in West Sussex to master the technique before applying it to the Private Collection.
Once they completed the wood sections, artisans hand-laid 24-carat gold leaf to depict roads on the map, each one a golden thread in Phantom’s story. They used squares of leaf typically 0.1 micrometres, or 100 nanometres, thick, then sealed them with a protective coating for a hard-wearing, high-gloss finish. They precision-cut the road and inlaid it within the marquetry composition to integrate the precious metalwork into the wider design.
Through its complexity, precision and visual impact, this new wood treatment establishes a fresh form of wood sculpting and a clear evolution in contemporary craft. It is fitting that these innovations debut on a Private Collection celebrating Phantom, the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce luxury and a defining icon of bespoke automotive craftsmanship.
