Buzz
Rolls-Royce stands as one of the creators of the world's most expensive cars. While supercars often embody power and speed, Rolls-Royce represents the pinnacle of luxury, an artistic masterpiece that glides on the road, offering an unparalleled experience to those inside. But why do Rolls-Royce cars come with such unbelievably high price tags?Certainly, Rolls-Royce cars, like ordinary vehicles, have a starting price. However, Rolls-Royce buyers typically customize their cars based on their preferences, habits, and lifestyle. In reality, Rolls-Royce almost never discloses a starting price because those who can afford a Rolls-Royce will never settle for a default configuration. The customization factors make the car more expensive, luxurious, and opulent.One of the most frequently customized aspects is the color of the car. Rolls-Royce offers a color palette with over 44,000 different shades, often inspired by familiar objects found in homes or encountered daily. If someone wishes to use a color previously sold to another owner, Rolls-Royce must contact that owner to seek permission for using the color combination.For instance, there's a case where a Rolls-Royce owner requested the car's paint to match the beloved color of their pet dog. In this scenario, Rolls-Royce had to select various shades from the dog's fur and carefully choose to create a sense of familiarity for the owner.
When it comes to small paint details, such as pinstripes running along the body or accent color lines, only one person, Mark Court, takes on this responsibility for every Rolls-Royce leaving the factory. This hand-painted task by Court involves various brush types, akin to painting a masterpiece. At Rolls-Royce, he is the sole individual capable of executing this process.The brushes Court uses are also unique; they are made from squirrel hair, ensuring a paint finish without the streaks common in brushes made from synthetic fibers.
The dashboard of a Rolls-Royce serves as an artistic canvas where owners can craft almost anything. It might include a clock surrounded by bird feathers or a 3D-printed gold-plated dashboard mimicking the owner's DNA shape.A distinctive feature in a Rolls-Royce is the Starlight Headliner, an imitation of a starry sky on the car's ceiling. It involves a fiber-optic network, meticulously hand-drilled by Rolls-Royce artisans who thread each fiber through individual holes. This process can take up to 16 hours, and the number of holes can go up to 1340.
Even the stitching on the leather panel attached to the car's ceiling is done with precision according to the owner's preference. With no set procedure, Rolls-Royce staff tailor the stitching based on the design the customer desires. The meticulous craftsmanship is necessary as the way the stitching is done can influence the play of light in the interior.Once, there was a Rolls-Royce project that required a staggering one million stitches to create a painting on the ceiling, predominantly featuring roses. The car was named Rose Phantom. Rolls-Royce had to employ innovative techniques they had never used before, like stitching multiple layers to depict a butterfly with wing colors gradually darkening towards the body. Before embroidering onto the complete leather panel, Rolls-Royce had to test each detail of the artwork multiple times until achieving the desired result.
Despite being luxurious and expensive, Rolls-Royce car sales continue to soar. In 2019, the company sold 5,152 new cars. The average age of owners has also decreased from around 50 to approximately 40 years old, indicating a younger demographic acquiring Rolls-Royce vehicles. For instance, musician Drake's car, the 'Bushuka Phantom,' priced at a staggering $700,000, roughly 16 billion VND excluding taxes and additional fees. However, due to Drake's request for a diamond-studded OVO emblem placed on the Spirit of Ecstasy statue, the price could skyrocket to $1 million, approximately 23 billion VND.The most expensive Rolls-Royce ever produced is the Sweptail, crafted over four years with an estimated price of $13 million. There is only one of its kind in the world.Hence, it's no wonder that Rolls-Royce is hailed as the epitome of extravagance.Source: Business Insiders
