Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, at the behest of its Dubai Brand Manager, Mohammed EL-Arishy, has created a one-off version of the Phantom Coupe called Chicane. It began with a spark of imagination while he was having dinner in the hotel next to the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood.
Speaking on the unveiling of the finished car, EL-Arishy says; "I wanted to create a motor car that captures the unique atmosphere and history of the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The Home of Rolls-Royce's connection to such an important centre of British motoring heritage is something that fascinates my customers," said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai Brand Manager, Mohammed EL-Arishy. "The experience of working with Rolls-Royce's world-class designers to create the beautifully executed Chicane Phantom Coupé was exhilarating. The creativity, vision, skill and attention-to-detail employed in the crafting of these one-off motor cars is unsurpassed in the super-luxury world."
Exterior
The standard Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe (if there is such a thing as standard) is an imposing car at the best of times, but the Chicane Phantom Coupe adds to this with gunmetal grey paintwork that is complimented by a bonnet and windscreen surround which are finished in a matte black and gives the car an air of menace. The ten-spoke alloy wheels are colour-coded to match the car's paintwork - the first time such a thing has been carried out by the factory.
Interior
Craftsmanship has always been one of the things that Rolls-Royce has prided itself on most, and when it comes to creating bespoke features there is probably no other company in the world with the level of experience or expertise. As the Chicane Phantom Coupe was partly inspired by the rich motorsport history around Goodwood, the traditional wood panels on the inside have been fabricated in this instance from carbon fibre. A chequered flag motif has been stitched into the seats while a metal plaque bearing the car's name and a map of the Goodwood circuit is located discreetly inside the glove compartment.
Mechanicals
Although Rolls-Royce can offer an almost endless amount of bespoke features to its cars, it refrains from carrying out any performance related works. So the Chicane Phantom Coupe is powered by the same 6.75-litre V12 engine that is found in all other Phantom Coupe models. Its 459hp enables the car to reach 100km/h from a standstill in just 5.8 seconds and carries it on to a top speed that is limited to 250km/h.
Anything else?
The Bespoke Design Team at Rolls-Royce are not adverse to carrying out unusual commissions, in the past it has created paint finishes to perfectly match a customer's particular eye shadow. To have a bespoke Rolls-Royce made can take anything up to a year depending on just how mush unique work is needed in order to create the finished item.