Rolls-Royce has released details of a new client commission from its Bespoke service, the first of its kind influenced by the buyer's "deep passion for early arcade culture”. It's called the Black Badge Ghost Gamer, and it has already been delivered to a mystery tech entrepreneur.
Space Invaders!
Well, yes, quite; though the founders of Atari got there seven years earlier with Computer Space. Anyway, that - the 1970s and early 1980s - is precisely the era the Black Badge Ghost Gamer harks back to, and the Bespoke department even created its own 'Cheeky Alien' motif to decorate the car with.
You'll see it on the hand-painted 'Coachline' along either side of the car. On one side the alien is green and paired with a pink 8-bit 'explosion' design, created using 89 individual 3mm square 'pixels', alluding to the bitmapped graphics of yesteryear.
On the other side, the colours are yellow and blue, reflecting the colour palettes favoured by early arcade games and their cabinets. The main paint scheme, meanwhile, uses 'Salamanca Blue' topped with a 'deep-shimmer Crystal over Diamond Black', referencing the metallic-effect applied to the earliest arcade game machines.
The Spirit of Ecstasy ornament is illuminated, as is the 'Pantheon' radiator grille.
Tell me there's a coin slot to start the engine...
Not that we know of, though Rolls-Royce hasn't released full details of the car, instead suggesting that finding all of the 'Easter eggs' hidden inside is a game in itself - to be played by the owner and their friends.
We have been shown that the rear picnic table has a metal Cheeky Alien inlay on the upper surface, and the 8-bit motif is also engraved on the hidden side of the front black chrome 'eyeball' air vent.
There are also 'Bespoke Illuminated Treadplates' for each of the four doors, engraved with 8-bit graphic lettering reading 'PRESS START', 'LOADING...', 'LEVEL UP' and yes, 'INSERT COIN'.
I assume Player One is in the driving seat?
Have you been peeking at the image gallery? Indeed, the driver's seat features Bespoke embroidery rendered in an 8-bit-style font that appears to flicker like old monitors might have done. Each of the other three seats gets a unique player number with the same embroidery treatment and another Cheeky Alien motif for good measure.
Between the rear seats, on the panel Rolls-Royce calls the 'Waterfall', is a stunning, hand-painted space scene - drawing inspiration and colours again from vintage arcade cabinets. The two flying saucers are actually inlaid stainless steel, and this creation alone took two weeks of the Bespoke department's time.
Joshua McCandless, Bespoke Designer, commented:
"The unique privilege of working within Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design is the extraordinary breadth of ideas we're asked to bring to life. This brief was particularly exciting. Over the course of a month, we immersed ourselves in the 8-bit aesthetic that defined late 70s and early 80s gaming - from the games themselves and archive imagery of arcade halls, to original promotional and cabinet artwork. As well as capturing the distinctive colour palette, mood and atmosphere of this rich source material, we wanted the client to feel that the motor car itself was an immersive experience - and that every time they stepped inside, it would recreate the same thrill they felt when they pressed 'start' on an arcade machine for the very first time.”
Is that everything?
Not by a long chalk. The Ghost's 'Illuminated Fascia' has been redesigned so that a 'gunship' composed of 85 stars appears to surge through the starfield, while above is the 'Pixel Blaster' Starlight Headliner featuring 80 bitmapped battlecruisers constructed using hand-placed fibre-optic lights.
While the standard Starlight Headliner incorporates a random shooting-star function, the Gamer Ghost has laser fire from the ships.
Only one thing left to say now...
Correct. Game Over.