For the last 115 years, Rolls-Royce has been making the impossible a reality. With exceptional motor cars, come exceptional words; new phrases for concepts and ideas never before seen. Words which describe and embody the essence of these bold innovations. We’ve created words which are one-of-a-kind, unique and necessary when inventing new, bespoke features or celebrating icons of the Rolls-Royce brand. This chapter explains just some of them.
Chapter 4
The Lexicon of Rolls‑Royce
Spirit of Ecstasy
The Spirit of Ecstasy. An inspirational muse, an artist’s sculpture and an embodiment of speed and grace. Inspired by a rumoured love affair, she was once known as ‘the whisper’, posed with her finger against her lips to signify the secrecy of the love she had to hide. Since 1911, she has led the way with her famous silhouette and has been sculpted in materials such as gold, silver, diamond, carbon fibre and beyond.
Our Spirit of Ecstasy incorporates a mechanism which retracts her figure to guard against misfortune. We go the extra mile to keep our crowning icon free from harm and shining proudly; much further than other manufacturers who have reverted to simpler, less elegant ways. Poised to embrace every journey, the Spirit of Ecstasy majestically crowns the prow of every Rolls-Royce.
Pantheon Grille
Inspired by Rome’s imposing Pantheon temple, the Rolls-Royce grille is iconic. The Pantheon’s majestic columns were purposefully built with wider middle sections so that the human eye perceives each long pillar to be completely straight. It’s a perfect optical illusion and a genius stroke of design.
Taking inspiration from this, the Rolls-Royce grille is tactfully arranged using wider columns at the edge and thinner columns towards the middle to create an aesthetic illusion of symmetry when admired from the front. It’s a design that appears more perfect than nature intended.
Three Lines
We’ve always respected the idea that simple designs are the greatest. The fundamental design of every Rolls-Royce can be captured in just three strokes.
From the iconic Phantom to the revolutionary Cullinan, this three-line principle creates forms which are unique, unmistakable and enduring in style.
Coachline
At the home of Rolls-Royce, there's only one dedicated craftsman entrusted for the final aesthetic task: Rolls-Royce Coachline. He uses special custom-made brushes to ensure the line is precisely level and a uniform 4mm in width.
A single fluid line can stretch up to six metres, painted by hand with unrivalled precision and taking our expert over three hours to complete. He’ll then add any requested details, emblems or imagery according to each individual order. The coachline is the very last finishing touch added to a motor car before it finally leaves Goodwood.
Starlight Headliner
Ride under the stars with a shimmering celestial atlas woven into the ceiling overhead. This panoramic constellation is personalised to each owner and can be customised accordingly. Clients can request a precise constellation relating to a specific time, such as a birthday, wedding or anniversary. We’re able to map the stars of a particular date down to the minute, all verified by a local observatory.
The Starlight Headliner is one the marque’s most popular Bespoke features and is comprised of over 1,340 individually hand-woven fibre-optics. Mapped by hand with profound intricacy, thousands of tiny stars twinkle above the head of the driver and every passenger. In total, over 2km of cabling is painstakingly hand-woven to achieve this calm, otherworldly interior space.
Magic Carpet Ride
When enjoying our cars, one does not simply drive, but glides as though floating above the surface of the road. Our legendary ride has become so revered that customers have affectionally named it the ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.
The experience of driving in a Rolls-Royce is a sensation like no other. A Rolls-Royce rides on a 16-litre air cushion married to dampers and springs that dynamically adjust themselves every 5 milliseconds to deliver a flawlessly smooth ride. Satellite Aided Transmission and Navigation knows exactly where you are, reading and anticipating the road ahead. It adjusts your drive to the approaching topography, gently pre-selecting and changing gears when needed. Intelligent sensors help prevent accidents by constantly scanning the road, stopping when oncoming danger is detected.
As relentless innovators, our Lexicon is ever expanding. It grows as technology progresses and we discover new ways to innovate and create. And with these advancements, we’ll continue to create brand new words to describe and embody our extraordinary offerings.
Continue your journey
Delve further into stories of Inspiring Greatness.
Bespoke - Craft
Rolls-Royce artisans and craftspeople will help you fashion something truly unique to you, and bring your vision to life.
