Rolls-Royce unveils rugby-themed Wraith
Individualization and rarity are the name of the game in the bespoke motorcar world. It's one thing to have a Rolls-Royce but it's another thing altogether if that Roller has its own distinctive theme or flare. Enter Bespoke Rolls-Royce program, which will take the brand's elite motorcars and make them even more special.
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The most recent example of the exclusive motif is the "Wraith — History of Rugby." Bespoke Rolls-Royce started with a 'standard' Wraith, the brand's V12-powered sports coupe, and blessed it with a few choice characteristics that represent the storied history of Rugby.
The first such change is the exterior "English White" paint color, which represents the Rugby jerseys worn by the English rugby team. Another nod to the sport's past is the English rose, which is worn on the jersey. This is said to date back to Queen Elizabeth I, when she allowed the Rugby School of Warwickshire to use the symbol on its crest.
Like the white exterior, the color broadly used in the cabin is called Seashell and has been accented with Navy Blue. Bringing a touch of color to the car, the craftspeople at Rolls have hand-applied a deep green accent line to the coupe's shoulder line. Ensuring the car sits with a powerful stance, it has been fitted with 21-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels.
On the interior, the Rugby theme continues with the English Rose embroidered in the headrests of the seats. Carrying that spark of color into the rest of the cabin, Hotspur red has been added to the dash, access panel and door piping. And the panel in the center has, too, been laid with an English Rose.
If simply having a rugby-themed Rolls weren't enough, the bespoke British brand asked Gilbert — the original Rugby ball manufacturer — to produce a limited number of rugby balls crafted from the same Seashell and Hotspur leathers that adorn the interior. Each ball has been embroidered with an English Rose on one side and the Rolls-Royce emblem on the other — again, by the Rolls-Royce craftspeople.
It's unclear whether Rolls created the car simply out of boredom or rather for an adoring fan of one of England's most historic sports. Regardless, it's perhaps the most understated and dignified sports-themed car of all time.
