The smallest Rolls-Royce EV gets needed TLC

British luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce prides itself in its bespoke creations. One vehicle, a wee EV in particular, returned to the brand’s Goodwood Global Center of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence for some much-needed servicing.

The Rolls-Royce SRH is a customized coach commissioned by the automaker in 2017. Owned by the St. Richard's Hospital in Chichester, the SRH is the smallest (and probably least expensive) EV Rolls-Royce has ever built.

And while most of the brand’s bespoke commissions are used by rich businessmen and wealthy celebrities, the Rolls-Royce SRH serves a rather noble purpose. According to Rolls-Royce, the tiny EV is used by children in the hospital as a means of transportation for patients in the pediatric section making their way to their operation.

Four years after it entered service, the SRH was due for some TLC.

The car has been recalled to the Home of Rolls-Royce where it was lovingly serviced by the carmaker’s skilled specialists.

A small team was tasked to work on the SRH. The team fashioned a bespoke bodyshell out of fiberglass reinforced with carbon fiber and finished it with the marque's iconic Pantheon grille.

Like a full-sized commission, the bonnet strips were “real” ones cut to length. The car’s two-tone finish was color-matched with the wheel covers, seats, and coachlines.

The seat was handmade from wood. Medical-grade vinyl was used for the upholstered padding which was hot‑welded to eliminate seams. A custom aluminum footwell was also designed to go with the SRH.

Since it was a bespoke project, the team individually created a number of components including handcrafted treadplates, 3D-printed dash, wheel caps and spacers, and trim pieces. To finish the car’s interior the folks at Goodwood fitted it with a laser-etched RR badge and its own Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

A motor propels the Rolls-Royce SRH to 6.4kph. Not as fast, but still as classy as its larger RR counterparts.

“Building the Rolls-Royce SRH for St Richard's Hospital was tremendously satisfying for all concerned. That it has been used so extensively and made such a positive contribution to so many children's experiences, makes it all the more rewarding. It was wonderful to see it back at the Home of Rolls-Royce and to have the opportunity to return it to its original, magnificent state," said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Head of Corporate Relations Andrew Ball.

Photo from Rolls-Royce

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