- Laser engraved hood carved to 145 to 190 microns.
- Developed engraving technique refined over five years.
- Commissioned via Rolls-Royce Private Office Dubai.
In years gone by, owning a car as expensive and exclusive as a Rolls-Royce Phantom was a sign to everyone that you’d made it. That still applies, of course. But for a growing circle of buyers, simple wealth is no longer quite enough. Now it has to be bespoke, entirely unique, and preferably impossible to duplicate. Which is how we ended up with the one off Phantom Arabesque.
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Commissioned through the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Private Office Dubai, the Phantom Arabesque is the first Rolls ever built with a laser-engraved hood. The British carmaker has been perfecting this technique over the past five years, and the look is quite astonishing without feeling theatrical.
What Goes Into A Laser Engraved Hood?
Crafting a hood like this isn’t quite as simple as you may think. Rolls-Royce began by painting it in a darker shade, then applied multiple layers of clear coat before finishing with a lighter top layer. That careful buildup provides the thickness required for engraving.
A complex Mashrabiya pattern was then carved into the surface to a depth of just 145 to 190 microns, a figure that hints at the level of precision involved.
The special touches applied to this Phantom don’t end with the hood. The lower portion of the bodywork has been finished in Diamond Black, while the upper surfaces are bathed in Silver. It also includes a hand-painted coachline and an illuminated Dark Chrome front grille, as well as a Spirit of Ecstasy that can light up. A set of polished 22-inch wheels has also been installed.
Found in the cabin are also some special touches. Most notable is the center portion of the dashboard, crafted from Blackwood and Black Bolivar wood that mirrors the pattern of the engraved hood. There are also loads of Selby Grey and black leather, complete with black seat piping, carpets, and motifs embroidered on the headrests.
“Mashrabiya is one of the Middle East’s best-known and most enduring design languages,” the bespoke lead designer from Rolls-Royce’s Private Office in Dubai, Michelle Lusby said. “For Phantom Arabesque, we were inspired not only by its beauty but also by the privacy, light, and airflow it creates. Our aim was to interpret these qualities in ways that feel both culturally rooted and unmistakably Rolls-Royce.”