Think luxury cars and I guarantee Rolls Royce will not be far from the top of your list, if not at the top, and the British company has announced that it is releasing a nine car limited run of Wraith coupe models inspired by iconic British music artists.
While some of the music greats that RR have recruited to help with the project may not be exactly modern or cutting edge, they certainly come from the era when musicians of their stature would often be seen driving (or more likely being chauffeured in) such iconic luxury vehicles.
Rolls Royce revealed the ‘Inspired by Music’ theme a couple of years back, but now can we see the fruition of the company’s collaboration with the likes of Roger Daltrey of The Who and Ray Davies of The Kinks and Shirley Bassey.
Two cars have been commissioned by Mr Daltrey, with one vehicle a tribute to their classic 1969 album, Tommy and the other a tribute to the band itself.
The Tommy inspired Rolls features airbrushed artwork on the bonnet that mimics the album sleeve along with the birds from the cover positioned on the side of the car. The band’s original vinyl sleeve artist, Mike McInnerney, created this artwork. The most well known song on the album, Pinball Wizard, inspires the stitch work on the leather divider between the rear seats; along with more Tommy related design on the headrests.
Some of the car’s value will also go to the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity of which Daltrey has been a proud and active patron since 1990.
Along with The Kinks and The Who, a further vehicle is a tribute to the recently deceased legendary producer George Martin, the ‘fifth Beatle’, commissioned by his son Giles. The car will feature Martin’s signature on the headrests and the names of some classic Beatles number one singles stitched into the rear seats.
If sixties guitar pop doesn’t float your boat, then Rolls Royce also has collaboration with Shirley Bassey on the horizon, celebrating her 3 James Bond movie themes for Moonraker, Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.
Sticking with a bygone era of big selling artists and household names, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi are due to enjoy the Wraith treatment as well in the future.
Each musician featured will have spent some one-on-one time with Design Director Giles Taylor and Rolls’ bespoke department designer, Matthew Danton at the Goodwood centre, which serves as Rolls Royce’s HQ, design centre and manufacturing plant.
It’s certainly a visually interesting project, and one that has arguably been carried out with a fair amount of taste.
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