Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
ROLLS-ROYCE BLACK BADGE GHOST ÉKLEIPSIS PRIVATE COLLECTION: AN EXPRESSION OF SPELLBINDING BEAUTY
12.10.2023 Press Release
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to present the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis Private Collection, inspired by the seldom-seen wonder of a solar eclipse. Harnessing the incredible forces of this celestial phenomenon, these exquisite commissions explore the captivating interplay of light and darkness, recreating the awe-inspiring moment when the Moon completely obscures the Sun.
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Author.
Malika Abdullaeva
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents the Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis Private Collection
- Limited to just 25 examples, it is inspired by the drama, spectacle and mystery of a solar eclipse
- The animated Starlight Headliner adds a true sense of theatre and wonder for the occupants as they take their seats in the cabin
- Bespoke fascia depicts stages of a total solar eclipse and includes a Bespoke timepiece inset with a dazzling 0.5-carat diamond
- ‘Panoramic Sunset’ bi-coloured and perforated leather seats capture the haunting 360-degree twilight effect seen at the moment of totality
“With Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis, we draw
inspiration from a total solar eclipse: a seldom-seen and
spellbinding phenomenon that reflects the rarity and beauty of
Rolls-Royce Private Collections. In capturing the magic of this
celestial alignment, our Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers
and craftspeople have once again elevated contemporary
craftsmanship, with a landmark series of exquisite details that
project the marque’s culture of ambition and excellence. We are
exceptionally proud to present these motor cars to 25 of our most
significant clients around the world – it is these individuals who
inspire greatness within our brand, and who drive us to create ever
more bold and richly detailed expressions of modern luxury.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to present the
Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis Private Collection, inspired
by the seldom-seen wonder of a solar eclipse. Harnessing the
incredible forces of this celestial phenomenon, these exquisite
commissions explore the captivating interplay of light and darkness,
recreating the awe-inspiring moment when the Moon completely obscures
the Sun.
The purity of Rolls-Royce Ghost, infused with the subversive
Black Badge spirit, presents the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective with
the perfect canvas and limitless possibility to express the beauty of
this wonder of the universe.
The launch of these highly Bespoke motor cars, limited to just
25 examples, coincides with the annular solar eclipse visible in parts
of the Western Hemisphere on 14 October.
EXTERIOR: GOLDEN DARKNESS
The mysterious, ethereal light cast by a total solar
eclipse is captured in the Lyrical Copper exterior colour of the motor
car. This stunning Bespoke finish incorporates powdered copper
pigment, which appears darker until it catches the light when it
produces a rich and dramatic iridescence. Mandarin adorns the inserts
below the Pantheon Grille and brake callipers, recalling the intense
pulses of sunlight witnessed as the eclipse progresses. The same
Mandarin hue is used for the hand-painted coachline, which includes a
delicate abstract representation of the transition from sunlight to
darkness as the Moon approaches to cover the Sun.
ANIMATED STARLIGHT HEADLINER
The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis features
a fully Bespoke Starlight Headliner with a special animation that,
like the eclipse that inspires it, gives those inside a true sense of
awe and wonder. As the coach doors close and the engine is started,
the ‘stars’ in the Starlight Headliner darken and a mesmerising
sequence begins, replicating the totality of the solar eclipse, when
the dark silhouette of the Moon completely obscures the bright light
of the Sun. A circle of 940 ‘stars’ is formed, representing the bright
corona of light around the lunar silhouette. This is surrounded by a
further 192 illuminating ‘stars’, recreating the otherworldly
spectacle of stars visible in the sky during daylight, which occurs
only during a total solar eclipse.
The animation remains visible for precisely seven minutes and 31
seconds – the longest possible duration of a total solar eclipse. Once
this time has elapsed, the full constellation of stars in the night
sky is restored. This highly technical feature required a year of
painstaking development, in which the Bespoke Collective produced
three complete prototypes to perfect the design and sequencing of the ‘stars’.
ILLUMINATED FASCIA AND ‘DIAMOND RING’ TIMEPIECE
The illuminated fascia of Rolls-Royce Black Badge
Ghost Ékleipsis is adorned with 1,846 laser-etched ‘stars’ in a
symbolic timeline of a total eclipse. A single Bespoke designer had
sole responsibility for adjusting the individual size and position of
each ‘star’ to create the mesmeric effect; a delicate and exacting
process that took over 100 hours to complete.
The composition culminates in a Bespoke timepiece, which
incorporates a brilliant-cut 0.5-carat diamond, recalling the ‘Diamond
Ring’ effect, when a single, dazzling point of light can be seen on
the Moon’s outline in the split seconds just before and immediately
after it obscures the Sun. The bezel geometry has been modified to
accommodate the precious gem, as 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, which included
climatic cell cycling from -30°C to +90°C, to ensure the diamond is
robustly secured. The timepiece is finished with an etching on its
dark aluminium surround, revealing the bright metal underneath. This
beautiful piece of contemporary craftsmanship is the result of over 14
design iterations.
PANORAMIC SUNSET INTERIOR
At totality of a solar eclipse, there is a moment
when a golden twilight surrounds those viewing the eclipse, giving the
illusion of a 360-degree sunset. In Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost
Ékleipsis, the beauty of this rarely observed phenomenon is captured
in bi-coloured seats with a unique perforated artwork, made of over
200,000 individual perforations.
The bold Mandarin leather is tinted in a black shade that is
then perforated to reveal the brighter contrasting colour beneath,
creating a visual effect with extraordinary depth and subtlety. Using
computational design tools, the Bespoke Collective developed a unique
pattern, which was then manually refined over seven trials and iterations.
Bespoke finishing touches include illuminated treadplates,
umbrellas with Mandarin piping concealed 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 allocated to clients around the world.
CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.
NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 15.8 mpg / 18.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.9 mpg / 15.8 l/100km. Further information: https://bit.ly/3XtQW7q