Inside the $3 Million Rolls-Royce Phantom Centenary — A 100-Year Masterpiece of Automotive Art

To celebrate a century of the iconic Rolls-Royce Phantom, the British marque has unveiled a creation so rare and exquisite that it transcends the definition of a car. The Phantom Centenary Private Collection — limited to just 25 identical examples worldwide — is a $3 million homage to 100 years of craftsmanship, innovation and quiet power.

Each model took more than three years and 40,000 hours to perfect, hand-built at the company’s Goodwood headquarters. Rolls-Royce describes it as “the most technically ambitious Phantom ever created” — and one look inside makes it clear why.

A Century of Craftsmanship in Motion

Based on the Phantom VIII Extended Wheelbase, the Centenary edition transforms the world’s most refined limousine into a rolling time capsule. The interior tells the story of the brand’s past century through fine art, embroidery and gold detailing.

A 24-karat gold map traces the favourite French driving routes of co-founder Sir Henry Royce, while a detailed tapestry depicts the brand’s first London showroom on Conduit Street, intricately woven with more than 160,000 stitches. Every detail whispers history — from embroidered references to past Phantom prototypes to a discreet bee motif celebrating the Rolls-Royce apiary at Goodwood.

A Tapestry of History

The rear-seat embroidery is the car’s defining feature — a breathtaking tapestry created from 77 hand-drawn sketches and 45 individual panels. Each panel captures a moment in Phantom’s legacy, researched over five months by the Bespoke design team and an in-house historian.

Elsewhere, the craftsmanship continues in the Blackwood veneer door panels, featuring three-dimensional marquetry and laser etching. The scenes depict key moments from the brand’s history — including the French Riviera retreat of Sir Henry Royce and a 4,500-mile journey across Australia made by one of the earliest Phantom owners — all outlined in inlaid strips of gold.

An Exterior That Glimmers with Legacy

Rolls-Royce chose a black-and-white palette to honour the golden age of Hollywood, when the Phantom became synonymous with cinematic glamour. The finish, called Super Champagne Crystal, uses a clear coat infused with crushed glass particles for a luminous shimmer under the light.

Crowning the bonnet is the Spirit of Ecstasy, cast from solid 18-karat gold and coated in 24-karat gold for durability — an icon reborn for the brand’s centenary.

Beneath the long bonnet, the legendary 6.75-litre V12 engine sits beneath a handcrafted Arctic White cover detailed in gold — a finishing touch that few will ever see, but one that epitomises the Rolls-Royce philosophy: beauty, even in the unseen.

The Phantom, Perfected

Inside, the Starlight Headliner pays tribute to the mulberry tree beneath which Sir Henry Royce once held his design meetings, recreated through 440,000 precision-stitched stars. Across the dashboard, the Anthology Gallery features 50 brushed-aluminium fins, each etched with quotes from a century of glowing Phantom reviews — a library of praise set in motion.

With its entire 25-car run already sold out, the Phantom Centenary Private Collection is destined to become a cornerstone of automotive history — a moving monument to elegance, artistry and endurance.

As Rolls-Royce marks 100 years of the Phantom, the message is unmistakable: true luxury is timeless.