The most unique Rolls-Royce Phantom

You wouldn’t have imagined a Rolls-Royce look this way; even the English manufacturer reveals that the Phantom Hummingbird is a first in their history. And despite the massive experiment, it doesn’t disappoint. Featuring intricate work done with an abalone shell - the shell of a sea snail which has a rainbow-like inner surface - the microscopic structures shine in the light, giving it a unique look. This makes this Phantom more unique than any other.

The marquetry in the interior has been created with mother-of-pearl and abalone shell. Each hummingbird motif placed within the Picnic Table motifs is made up of 53 such pieces. The inner structure of the abalone shell, when interacting with light, produces a blue-green lustre, making it seem like the interior is made up of a completely different colour, depending on where one looks at it from. Each piece of the abalone shell is 0.06mm larger than its final size, which has then been intricately placed by hand, giving it an extremely detailed finish.

The Rear Waterfall, between the seats, also features a botanical motif, which is made with 84 such pieces of abalone shell and mother-of-pearl. To finish off, the Phantom features a hand-painted hummingbird on the exterior Coachline.

Immense work went into creating this unique Phantom. As claimed by Rolls-Royce, it took them six iterations before finding a suitable technique to work with the abalone shell and mother-of-pearl because of its extremely brittle nature. It took over nine months in total to create this craftsmanship and bring the Phantom Hummingbird to life. This was a privately commissioned work, requested by a client who was paying tribute to his wife, and was made possible by Rolls-Royce’s Private Office in Dubai.