The Rolls-Royce name is practically synonymous with opulence and lavishness. With its latest feature, set to appear in the upcoming Ghost to be released next month, the luxury British marque takes the phrase ‘over-the-top’ to stratospheric heights.
The new feature, dubbed the Illuminated Fascia—made up of a glowing Ghost badge surrounded by a constellation of 850 twinkling stars—is said to have taken two years spanning 10,000 collective hours to develop.
The lit-up dashboard is part of the carmaker’s new ‘Post-opulent’ philosophy, which embraces a minimalist aesthetic without losing focus of the luxury aspect that the brand is known for.
Speaking of Rolls-Royce’s new minimalist design approach, the brand claims that it—along with the new Ghost itself—was informed by the feedback provided by Ghost clients while the model’s next generation was under development. The busy, superficial detail of the outgoing model was replaced by classier and more refined design touches “for customers to realize their Bespoke visions.”
The new feature looks to be a more evolved version of the Starlight Headliner that has become a frequent request by Rolls-Royce purchasers. The constellation and emblem are completely hidden when the car is not in operation.
The 850 stars that comprise the Illuminated Fascia’s constellation-like appearance is achieved with the use of 152 LEDs mounted above and beneath the fascia, each one meticulously color-matched to the cabin’s clock and instrument dial lighting to achieve a truly uniform appearance.
A 2.0mm-thick light guide is used to ensure that the Ghost graphic is evenly lit, boasting of more than 90,000 laser-etched dots across the surface. This not only diffuses the light evenly but creates a twinkling effect as one’s head moves across the fascia, similar to the one seen in the LED-powered headliner.
The Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople responsible for the Illuminate Fascia undertook extensive engineering and design work to create the new feature, using three layers of composite materials, beginning with a Piano Black substrate, laser-etched to remove the black coloring and permit light to seep through the Ghost emblem and star cluster.
This is then blanketed with a layer of dark tinted lacquer to hide the lettering when not in use. Finally, the fascia is sealed with a layer of subtly tinted lacquer before being hand polished to achieve a perfectly uniform 0.5mm thick, high-gloss finish, matching other high gloss accents used in the interior.
“Illuminated Fascia is perfectly in tune with the Post Opulent design direction we pursued with new Ghost,” said Lead Bespoke Designer Michael Bryden. “This elegant and minimal aesthetic is a specific response to the layer of clients who respond to Ghost: men and women who share a desire for a clean, pared-back expression of Rolls-Royce. Like the rest of the motor car’s progressive design, this hidden-until-lit feature hides the complexity required to create a sense of effortless luxury with a simple decorative statement.”
The next-gen Rolls-Royce Ghost is slated for a September 1 launch. Deep-pocketed Noypis who want the new Ghost for themselves can get in touch with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manila to make their reservations. Price is made available upon request.
Photo/s from Rolls-Royce
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