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Bespoke Rolls-Royce auction is a chance to support the fight against AIDS

Rolls-Royce is showing off a new bespoke Phantom at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida, and its special red exterior highlights its bigger purpose: charity. In collaboration with artist Mickalene Thomas, Rolls-Royce will auction the car, a unique wrap, and a one-off art work as a fundraiser for the fight against AIDS. The red Phantom has a bespoke Magma Red paint job overlaid with a layer with tiny particles of crystal. Inside, the Phantom has Brilliant Arctic White bespoke leather with Mugello Red piping and accents. A Mugello Red headliner is a unique take on the Shooting Starlight headliner, which debuted in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge, and R-R has dubbed the dashboard design, 'Red Regatta Sails.' It features layered Mugello Red leather behind a piece of glass across the instrument panel. Final touches include a door scuff plate that denotes "115 Years of Rolls-Royce" and "Special Commission."   Interestingly, the Phantom is technically a starting point. R-R paired up with contemporary artist Thomas to add an even more exclusive and unique touch. Thomas will create 'an original work of art inspired by the Red Phantom for the collector' and a custom wrap for the exterior of the Phantom based on the artwork.  The car will be globally unveiled at a gala this week and will be open for bidding between December 4–13 at Sothebys.com. All proceeds, after auction fees and costs, will go to (RED), which was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to fund the fight against AIDS. The contributions go to a program in Africa that specifically focuses on countries where there is a high concentration of mother-to-child HIV transmission. This is not the first time a Rolls-Royce has helped support an AIDS charity. In 2007, a Phantom Drophead Coupe raised more than $1.6 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 

2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom spied on the inside

The Grey-Poupon set has a new digital reality in store for 2018. Or at least its drivers will. Today we've captured the next-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom during testing, and decadent sedan will feature a digital instrument panel. These photos show large screens in front of the driver and on top of the center stack – a marked change from the traditional dials. This digital cluster is among a slew of changes that will dramatically update the Phantom. It will also run on a new aluminum platform, which will underpin all Rollers from 2018. The coupe and Drophead coupe will also be killed off with the outgoing seventh generation, which has run for 13 years. Rolls-Royce said from the start the new ultra-luxury sedan would feature significant updates. In a statement, chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes called it "a contemporary and beautiful Phantom enhanced with cutting-edge technologies and design innovations." Still, the eighth Phantom will look like, well, a Phantom. Despite the "enhanced ... design innovations" Mueller-Oetvoes is pitching, the exterior styling looks largely evolutionary. We're expecting another Roller staple, the traditional V12, to provide the usual mustard-hauling power. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Rolls-Royce Technology Infotainment Luxury Sedan rolls-royce phantom

One-off Boat Tail is the tapered tip of Rolls-Royce's coachbuilding iceberg

Rolls-Royce is open to taking additional requests for one-off cars from its wealthiest clients in the coming years. It doesn't plan to make coachbuilt vehicles the norm in order to maintain their exclusivity, however. Rumored to cost nearly $30 million, the Boat Tail (pictured) introduced in May 2021 demonstrated what the BMW-owned British firm is capable of when money is truly no object. It's the product of a four-year development process that presumably cost several million dollars, and it was built at the request of three anonymous clients. It's the first car made since Coachbuild was promoted to a standalone division with the group, and it's very likely not the last. "Our idea is to maybe do one project every second year. Whether it's three cars or one car will hinge very much on the idea of the clients, and also on our appetite for doing it," explained company boss Torsten Muller-Otvos in an interview with British magazine Autocar. He added Rolls-Royce has the luxury to turn down requests it doesn't like. Precisely what will receive the firm's proverbial green light for production hasn't been specified. We're guessing future one-offs will need to adhere to the company's image, so transforming a humble Fiat 500 into a luxury car, Aston Martin Cygnet-style, is probably very low on the firm's list of priorities. Regardless, one-of-a-kind models won't roll out of the Rolls-Royce workshop on a weekly basis. Executives want to keep them "very rare," the CEO added, even if they receive numerous requests. Supply won't necessarily keep up with demand. What comes next depends on what customers request (and are willing to pay for). Rolls-Royce is open to experimenting with different body styles and different powertrain types, including a fully electric system. It's reportedly working on its first electric model, which could be called Silent Shadow when it enters production, and this foundation could be used to make a coachbuilt car if a customer commissions it. "There is no intention to boost any volume, because the intention clearly is to create projects that are significant for the brand's history in 70 or 100 years or so, and that are truly unique pieces. That also fits quite nicely into the heritage of Rolls-Royce with coachbuilding projects in the 1920s and the 1930s," Muller-Otvos concluded. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.