Rolls-Royce has unveiled its unique Bespoke series Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ at a private gala ceremony in Dubai, UAE.
This unprecedented project, initiated by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi, comprises six Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Series II motor cars, each one entirely individual and featuring its own specially-commissioned artwork, hand-painted by one of the world’s most influential living painters, British artist Sacha Jafri, who is based between Dubai, London, and New York.
These stunning works of art are displayed in the Gallery, the unique glass-enclosed space running the length of Phantom’s fascia. Each is inspired by one of the five traditional elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air. The sixth, Humanity, references Sacha Jafri’s best-known work, ‘The Journey of Humanity’, which holds the official Guinness World Record for the largest painting ever produced on canvas.
“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,” said Sacha Jafri, talking about the project.
Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ was designed, developed and hand-crafted by the Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, in collaboration with the resident Bespoke designer in the Rolls-Royce Private Office in Dubai. The project began in late 2020 and has taken two years to complete.
As well as their individual Gallery artworks, the cars feature a number of additional Bespoke elements reflecting Rolls-Royce’s unrivalled capabilities. These include Jafri’s personalised Heart-motif in the hand-painted Coachline, and a unique Six-Elements engraved base for each car’s Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.
Michelle Lusby, Bespoke Lead Designer based at the Rolls-Royce Private office in Dubai, says, “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.”
Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ was born out of a conversation between Sacha Jafri, who frequently donates his works or the proceeds from them to charity, and César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa. Together, they developed the idea of creating six individual motoring masterpieces, which could become a means to donate funds for charities operating in the fields of health, sustainability and education.
• Rolls-Royce reveals Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ at a gala event in Dubai, UAE • A series of six one-of-one Phantom Extended Series II motor cars, representing an unprecedented convergence of fine art, design, technology and craftsmanship • Created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, resident Bespoke designer in the Private Office Dubai and dealer partners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with world-renowned British artist Sacha Jafri • Each car includes a unique Gallery artwork, hand-painted by Jafri, inspired by one of the five traditional elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air – plus a sixth, Humanity • At stage one of its journey, the Series has raised in excess of $1 million for charity; with a unique fundraising NFT in each motor car creating ‘the Rolls-Royce that keeps on giving’
Accordingly, each car features not only its own original Jafri artwork, but also its own unique NFT, which the owner may sell independently if they choose to do so. With every trade of the NFT, a royalty will be paid into a digital wallet, raising funds for the future charitable donations. The owner can view the NFT using a bespoke Jafri Heart-motif QR code embedded within their motor car’s glove compartment.
Sacha Jafri commented, “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.”
At the unveiling, it was announced that the project, at stage one of its journey, has already substantially exceeded its initial $1 million target, with all six motor cars have been allocated to customers in Dubai and the wider Middle East region.
César Habib, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Middle East & Africa, says, “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.”
PHANTOM ‘THE SIX ELEMENTS’
Inspiration/Element: Fire
- Exterior: Orange Metallic
- Coachline: Arctic White
- Interior: Grace White, Mandarin & Black
Inspiration/Element: Water
- Exterior: Arabian Blue
- Coachline: Arctic White
- Interior: Cobalto Blue, Grace White & Navy Blue
Inspiration/Element: Air
- Exterior: Mindoro Green
- Coachline: Arctic White
- Interior: Grace White, Cashmere Grey Dark, Emerald Green
Inspiration/Element: Wind
- Exterior: Witterings Blue
- Coachline: Arctic White
- Interior: Navy Blue, Selby Grey & Grace White
Inspiration/Element: Earth
- Exterior: Gunmetal
- Coachline: Arctic White
- Interior: Seashell, Havana & Forge Yellow
Inspiration/Element: Humanity
- Exterior: Andalusian White
- Coachline: Peony Pink
- Interior: Selby Grey, Black & Peony Pink
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Phantom Extended Series II: NEDC combined: CO2 emissions: 345 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.7 mpg / 15.1 l/100km. WLTP combined: CO2 emissions: 365-353 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.4-18.1 mpg / 16.2-15.6 l/100km.
About Sacha Jafri
Sacha Jafri is a contemporary British artist known for creating The Guinness World Record for ‘The world's largest painting on canvas’ - ‘The Journey of Humanity’ over eleven months during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dubai. Described as a modern-day Sistine Chapel, became one of the most talked about Paintings of the decade. With his work having been shown in the most prominent Art Institutions across the globe, winning several awards for his work as both an Artist and an Humanitarian, at 42 Jafri became the youngest artist in history to have an 18year Retrospective World-Tour. Having won ‘World Artist of the Year’ for both 2021 & 2022 and beating Damian Hirst’s record for the most amount of open-edition NFT’s sold in under a minute, the Dubai-based artist is described as ‘The Pioneer of Magical Realism’ and this century’s true zeitgeist, as one of the artworld’s most influential living painters, bringing painting with raw emotion back to the forefront of the art world. Sacha’s work acts as an electric shock to the senses, reminding us of the power of art and intention, and the magic in the mundane & overfamiliar, as it awakens the purity and beauty of the Child within us all. His recent paintings celebrate the life achievements of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President Barack Obama, HE Nelson Mandela, David Beckham, Muhammad Ali, Jonah Lomu, Sir David Bowie, Sir Elton John, Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer, Sir Andrew Strauss, Lewis Hamilton, and Sir Alex Ferguson. With recent projects including landing ‘The First Official Artwork on the Moon’ with NASA, a commission from HH King Charles III to paint the ‘100 Most Influential Living Muslims’, a commission from HRH Prince Albert of Monaco to create a live painting at the home of the great Pablo Picasso in Cannes, a UN commission with his ‘Sagarmatha National Park’ piece becoming the first ever painting to be unveiled on Mount Everest, a commission from The Global Gift Foundation & Aldar to create the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Painting, a commission from HRH Prince William (the Prince of Wales) to create a collection unveiled at The Saatchi Gallery London in aid of the Prince’s Mental Health Campaign ‘Heads Together’ with The Royal Foundation, a commission from UNESCO to celebrate their 50th Anniversary with Jafri’s fifty paintings depicting the fifty most beloved UNESCO World Heritage Sites unveiled at their headquarters in Paris, a commission from the ECB to create the England World Cup Winning Cricket Painting, as well as the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup Football Painting, and the first ever live painting (100 square meters) created on the Burj Al Arab helipad. Sacha Jafri is widely regarded as one of the world’s most celebrated living artists and has raised more than $140 million for charities across the world from the sale of his art. @sachajafri
About Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and propulsion systems. Over 2,000 skilled men and women are employed at the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ head office and manufacturing plant at Goodwood, West Sussex, the only place in the world where the company’s super-luxury motor cars are hand-built.
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