The newest Bespoke series Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ was recently unveiled by Rolls-Royce during a private gala ceremony in Dubai, UAE.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi initiated the project with is composed of six Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Series II motor cars. Each one is completely unique with its own specially-commissioned artwork. Based in Dubai, London, and New York, British artist Sacha Jafri is one of the world’s most influential living painters, and he was commissioned to hand-paint the Phantom series.
The gorgeous works of art are displayed in the Gallery, the glass-enclosed space that runs across the Phantom’s fascia. Each work of art is inspired by one of the five traditional elements: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, and Air. The sixth ‘element’ is Humanity and it references ‘The Journey of Humanity’ which is considered to be Sacha Jafri’s best-known work. The art also holds the official Guinness World Record for the largest painting ever produced on canvas.
Talking about the project, Sacha Jafri shared, “Through my work I aim to combine the power of art with a stripped-back essence of expression, love, empathy, and intention, to inspire a more conscious and intention-filled humanity, striving for a reconnected world; reunited by the common goal of a more hopeful and sustainable future for our planet.”
Bespoke Collective located at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood designed, developed, and hand-crafted the Phantom ‘The Six Elements’, in close collaboration with the resident Bespoke designer in the Rolls-Royce Private Office in Dubai. The project started during the latter part of 2020 and it has taken two years to complete.
Aside from the individual Gallery artworks, the cars also have numerous additional Bespoke elements that showcases Rolls-Royce’s unmatched expertise. It features Jafri’s personalized Heart-motif that can be seen in the hand-painted Coachline, and a unique Six-Elements engraved base on the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot displayed on each car.
Bespoke Lead Designer in Rolls-Royce Private office in Dubai Michelle Lusby stated, “For us as Bespoke designers, it’s a wonderful privilege to work with a world-renowned artist like Sacha Jafri. We saw this project as a unique opportunity for an exchange of ideas between the art world and our own specialisms in design, materials and craftsmanship; that sense of discovery and shared inspiration really shines out from these amazing cars.”
The idea for the Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ came about after Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa Regional Director Cesar Habib and Sacha Jafri. The latter is known to frequently donate his works or the proceeds to charity. Their conversation sparked the idea of creating six individual motoring masterpieces which could also be used to donate funds for charities that focuses in the fields of health, sustainability, and education.
Each car will not only be featuring their own original Jafri artwork, it will also have its own unique NFT which the owner has an option to sell if they so desire. Every time the NFT is traded, royalty will be paid to the digital wallet helping raise funds for the future charitable donations. Using the bespoke Jafri Heart-motif QR code embedded in the glove compartment of their Bespoke Phantom, the owner can view the NFT.
Sachi Jafri stated, “It has been an absolute honour working with the Rolls-Royce team and their Bespoke Designers to create such a unique project. It’s a proud moment, to see my Heart-Logo along the coachline of each of the six cars in this stunning Rolls-Royce series, the first bespoke artist-created series for Rolls-Royce, with the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ uniquely featuring my depicted six elements around its base. However, I am most fulfilled by the immediate excitement and interest in this series, the elite group of owners and philanthropists now dedicated to our cause, and the creation of the ‘Rolls-Royce that keeps on giving’, forever raising money and awareness for the charitable concerns that are closest to my heart.”
When the project was unveiled, it was revealed that even at stage one of the project’s journey, they have not only reached their $1 million target, but also exceeded it. All six of the motor cars were acquired by clients in Dubai and the wider Middle East region.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa Regional Director Cesar Habib said, “I am delighted with the success of this project. We and our dealer partners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi embarked on an amazing journey with a specific goal, which I am delighted we have not only achieved, but have surpassed. It was all made possible by the unique collaboration between Sacha Jafri and our own Bespoke Collective. It has been a true meeting of minds, with a gifted multi-award-winning artist and some of the world’s most talented designers and craftspeople working together to explore art as a means of inspiring greatness and bringing about lasting change.”