Alex Innes, head of the coachbuilding program at Rolls-Royce, sees more demand for bespoke services in the future.
“We very rarely have to say no to anything,” says Michael Bryden, lead designer in the bespoke division
“Matching the color of a ceramic to one of a paint is harder than it sounds, because the materials mean they look different to different people’s eyes. And so the number of samples we ended up sending out to Japan for the client to review were just endless,” recalls Michael Bryden. “But the client collected ancient Japanese ceramics and wanted his car to match, and then it all had to tie in with the Hermès scheme in his Bombardier jet.”
If catering to such exacting customer demands was an Olympic sport, Bryden would have stood atop the podium countless times. For the last 10 years he’s been the lead designer of the bespoke department at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the esteemed British car maker and, increasingly, fulfiller of wild automotive dreams.
Want your baby girl’s footprints depicted on the piano-white dashboard? No problem. How about having the stars over your home in Vero Beach, Florida, recreated in the headliner? Or your speakers veneered? Or the logo of your own racing team echoed in the color scheme? Or the interior trim done in koa wood, which is only found in Hawaii? Rolls-Royce may have raised eyebrows in describing its 21st century aesthetic as “post-opulent” — less flash, more content — but it’s certainly not yet post-very-particular-indeed. In fact, 2021 saw record demand for the company’s bespoke projects.
“We had one client request that we create an icy atmosphere in their Cullinan,” says Bryden, describing a bespoke version of the brand’s well-received SUV. “Our very skilled artists in the woodshop worked with amazing shades of white, blue-black and this vivid turquoise. Then we developed a special paint with glass particles to create a frost effect. I think the overall effect suited the nature of the car somehow.”
It perhaps goes without saying that the people who indulge in such flights of fancy have plenty of moolah. For some, Bryden says, these are fun projects they can enjoy sinking their teeth into, as they would with their super-yacht or private jet. Some take it more seriously than others. “When you’re on your 16th loop of a project your patience can be tested,” he laughs, “but, more seriously, they’re typically a lot of fun.” Others are car nuts, who can reel off the specs for every new supercar. And for another group of buyers, it’s about creating a piece of automotive history. “Clients want a personal statement, of course, but often see themselves as creating a future classic, as being brand ambassadors in a way,” says Bryden.
Are there client demands so outré that Rolls-Royce would decline to proceed? Bryden treads a diplomatic line. Some requests are rejected on safety grounds; one client wanted a light-colored dashboard top, but the reflectivity issues that arose made it unwise. “And we certainly offer direction — how one color may work better with another, for example. It’s all part of the client’s experience that they have access to that kind of expertise, after all.”