Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reveals its latest masterpiece, the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis Private Collection. This exclusive collection is inspired by the mesmerizing and rare phenomenon of a solar eclipse, encapsulating the celestial interplay of light and darkness in the most exquisite way.
Unveiling the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis
The canvas for this celestial masterpiece is the iconic Rolls-Royce Ghost, infused with the subversive spirit of the Black Badge. Limited to just 25 exceptional examples, these bespoke motor cars coincide with the annular solar eclipse visible in parts of the Western Hemisphere on October 14.
Exterior: A Vision of Golden Darkness
The exterior of the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis is a sight to behold, with its Lyrical Copper finish. This captivating bespoke color incorporates powdered copper pigment, which initially appears dark but comes alive when touched by light, creating a rich and dramatic iridescence. The inserts below the Pantheon Grille and brake callipers are adorned in Mandarin, reminiscent of the intense solar pulses during an eclipse. The same Mandarin hue is hand-painted onto the coachline, featuring a delicate abstract representation of the transition from sunlight to darkness as the Moon gracefully covers the Sun.
Animated Starlight Headliner: Awe-Inspiring Eclipse Simulation
Step inside the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis, and you’ll experience a fully bespoke Starlight Headliner that mimics the awe-inspiring moments of a solar eclipse. As the coach doors close and the engine roars to life, the ‘stars’ in the Starlight Headliner dim, initiating a mesmerizing sequence. This sequence replicates the totality of a solar eclipse, with a circle of 940 ‘stars’ representing the bright corona of light around the lunar silhouette.
An additional 192 illuminating ‘stars’ simulate the ethereal spectacle of daytime stars that can only be witnessed during a total solar eclipse. The entire animation lasts precisely seven minutes and 31 seconds, mirroring the maximum duration of a total solar eclipse. Once this time elapses, the full constellation of stars in the night sky is restored. This technically advanced feature underwent a year of meticulous development, including three complete prototypes to perfect the design and sequencing of the ‘stars.’
Illuminated Fascia and ‘Diamond Ring’ Timepiece: Eclipses in Every Detail
The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis features an illuminated fascia adorned with 1,846 laser-etched ‘stars’ arranged in a symbolic timeline of a total eclipse. An arduous task that took over 100 hours to complete, as a single Bespoke designer meticulously adjusted the size and position of each ‘star’ to achieve the mesmerizing effect. The composition leads to a bespoke timepiece, which houses a brilliant-cut 0.5-carat diamond, evoking the ‘Diamond Ring’ effect seen during the brief moments just before and after the Moon obscures the Sun. This is the first time in Rolls-Royce history that a gemstone has been integrated into the clock’s bezel.
The assembly underwent rigorous adhesion tests to ensure the diamond’s secure placement. Finished with an etching on its dark aluminum surround, this contemporary masterpiece resulted from over 14 design iterations.
Panoramic Sunset Interior: A 360-Degree Sunset
The beauty of a total solar eclipse, with its golden twilight, has been ingeniously captured in the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis’ interior. Bi-colored seats feature a unique perforated artwork composed of over 200,000 individual perforations. Bold Mandarin leather, tinted in black and then perforated to reveal a brighter contrasting color beneath, creates a visual effect of extraordinary depth and subtlety. The unique pattern was developed using computational design tools and then manually refined through seven trials and iterations.
Bespoke finishing touches include illuminated treadplates, umbrellas with Mandarin piping hidden in the coach doors, and a unique indoor motor car cover bearing the Private Collection’s wordmark.
All 25 examples of the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis Private Collection have been exclusively allocated to clients around the world.