since 1976
since 1976
From Rolls-Royce Press Release
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection made its China debut in Shanghai on 16th April 2021. This Bespoke masterpiece, which is inspired by time and the infinite reaches of the universe, is limited to only 20 examples worldwide.
The debut of the Phantom Tempus Collection in China also includes a unique experience, the ‘Journey of Time’, enabling clients to appreciate the Collection from the marque’s official WeChat account, as well as commit to commissioning one of these highly exclusive products.
For the Phantom Tempus Collection debut in China, Rolls-Royce created an experiential exhibition, offering a unique tour through a ‘Space Capsule’. This immersive installation provides a vivid illusion of time standing still where guests will experience a sensory feast with customised audio and visual interactions. This includes the provision for guests to create personalised ‘Tempus’ music with highly contemporary touch controls.
This unique installation is situated at the bustling Plaza 66 in the fashion district of Shanghai’s city centre.
PHANTOM TEMPUS COLLECTION
Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, resides at the apex of luxury world. Producing a Collection Car is always a seminal moment for the marque. With the Phantom Tempus Collection, the sources of inspiration are on an appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way to see the universe.
The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.
In the Phantom Tempus Collection, this remarkable force of nature is rendered as a centrepiece in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner consisting of fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery, creating the unique and beautiful Pulsar Headliner.
Another aspect of time – the illusion of its standing still – is captured in the ‘Frozen Flow of Time’ Gallery. This unique artwork is housed in the fascia from which the clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations. A single billet of aluminium is milled to form 100 individually contoured columns, representing the 100 million year period of a rotational spin of a pulsar star. Each column is black-anodised and hand-polished to reflect the light. As the eye travels along it, the whole structure, though entirely solid, appears to ripple and flex.
A description of the Gallery can be found on an engraved plaque in the glove compartment, together with a quotation from Albert Einstein, "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion".
A swirling, twisting pattern of stars is presented on the interior of the doors. Created by hundreds of illuminated perforations, additional perforations in contrasting leather add a greater depth and detail to the effect, providing an atmospheric aura even when not illuminated.
The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is presented in a new Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, created to embody the darkness and mystery of space. The paint incorporates jewel-like blue mica flakes, which glitter and glint as they catch the light, representing the stars. This effect is highlighted by black exterior detailing.
Gracing the bonnet of the Phantom Tempus Collection is the Spirit of Ecstasy, now in her 110th year, personalised with a unique date and location of particular significance to the client. A marriage, the birth of a child or even a major business success, can be engraved as a timeless reminder on the base of the iconic figurine.
The unique online presentation of the Phantom Tempus Collection, via Rolls-Royce’s WeChat account, showcases the marque’s Bespoke capabilities and reflects Chinese patrons’ preferences for increasingly digital experiences.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Phantom: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km; WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km
Phantom Extended: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 330-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5 mpg / 14.5 l/100km; WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 361-344 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.8-18.6 mpg / 15.9-15.2 l/100km
