The makers of the Starlight Headliner are finding new areas to light up inside their cars.
Attention one-percenters: Rolls-Royce has found a way to make a car interior even more glamorous. It’s pompously called the “Illuminated Fascia” and takes the shape of the Ghost’s nameplate surrounded by more than 850 stars. It took more than two years and in excess of 100,000 collective hours to develop, with the end result being a glitzy passenger-side dashboard no other car in the world has.
To light up the wordmark and the adjacent constellation, Rolls-Royce inserted no fewer than 152 LEDs. These remain completely invisible when the car is not running, and once it’s on, “Ghost” and the stars are lit evenly after using a two-millimeter thick guide with more than 90,000 laser-etched dots across the surface.
The Goodwood-based prestige marque says this technique was not only to disperse the light evenly, but also to create a twinkling effect while your eyes move across the dashboard fascia. It was done to replicate the similar effect of the Starlight Headliner where the leather in the headliner is perforated with 800 to 1,600 holes in which Rolls-Royce inserts fiber optic lights.
There are three layers of composite material used on the passenger-side dashboard, starting with a Piano Black that is laser-etched to get rid of the black coloring and therefore allow light to go through “Ghost” and star constellation. A dark-tinted layer of lacquer is then added to hide the lettering when the car is off. Rolls-Royce seals the fascia with a discreetly tinted layer of lacquer, which is hand-painted to obtain a 0.5-mm thickness with a glossy finish.
Aside from revealing the Ghost’s first of many “Bespoke” features, Rolls-Royce is announcing the world premiere is scheduled to take place in a week from today, on September 1.
A New Ghost Is Coming Soon:
ROLLS-ROYCE BESPOKE COLLECTIVE REVEAL ILLUMINATED FASCIA
The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, is a global centre of luxury manufacturing excellence. The Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople who operate from this world-renowned facility restlessly create innovative and sophisticated means for Rolls-Royce clients to bring their Bespoke visions to life.
Illuminated nameplate and star cluster revealed as first Bespoke feature for new Ghost
Developed over two years and more than 10,000 collective hours
Reflects minimalist Post Opulent philosophy that informed new Ghost design
Announced ahead of new Ghost digital reveal on September 1 at 13:00 BST
#rollsroyceghost
The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, is a global centre of luxury manufacturing excellence. The Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople who operate from this world-renowned facility restlessly create innovative and sophisticated means for Rolls-Royce clients to bring their Bespoke visions to life. Today, this highly creative group of specialists present Illuminated Fascia: a Bespoke innovation created exclusively for new Ghost ahead of its global reveal on September 1 at 13:00 BST via rolls-roycemotorcars.com.
Developed over the course of two years and more than 10,000 collective hours, Illuminated Fascia brings an ethereal glowing Ghost nameplate surrounded by more than 850 stars into the interior suite of new Ghost. Located on the passenger side of the dashboard, the constellation and wordmark are completely invisible when the car is not in operation. This world-first Bespoke innovation subtly echoes Starlight Headliner, which has become as much a part of Rolls-Royce iconography as the Spirit of Ecstasy, Pantheon Grille and ‘Double R’ monogram.
Illuminated Fascia was formed following the marque’s decision to pursue a Post Opulent design direction with new Ghost: itself, a direct response to feedback provided by Ghost clients prior to the motor car’s development. Busy, superficial detailing was rejected in favour of more refined means for customers to realise their Bespoke visions. In this spirit, the Bespoke Collective chose not to use simple screen technology to achieve the effect they desired. Instead, they embarked on creating a highly complex and authentic true luxury innovation.
The illumination itself is achieved by way of 152 LEDs mounted above and beneath the fascia, which are meticulously colour matched to the cabin’s clock and instrument dial lighting. To ensure that the Ghost graphic is lit evenly, a 2 millimetre-thick light guide is used, featuring more than 90,000 laser-etched dots across the surface. This not only disperses the light evenly but creates a twinkling effect as the eyes moves across the fascia, echoing the subtle twinkle of Starlight Headliner.
Extensive engineering work was undertaken to ensure that Illuminated Fascia was completely invisible while not operational. To achieve this, three layers of composite materials are used. The first is a Piano Black substrate, which is laser etched to remove the black colouring and allow light to shine through the Ghost wordmark and star cluster. This is then overlaid with a layer of dark tinted lacquer, hiding the lettering when not in use. Finally, the fascia is sealed with a layer of subtly tinted lacquer before being hand polished to achieve a perfectly uniform 0.5mm thick, high-gloss finish, matching other high gloss accents incorporated into the interior.
Lead Bespoke Designer, Michael Bryden, says, “Illuminated Fascia is perfectly in tune with the Post Opulent design direction we pursued with new Ghost. This elegant and minimal aesthetic is a specific response to the layer of clients who respond to Ghost: men and women who share a desire for a clean, pared-back expression of Rolls-Royce. Like the rest of the motor car’s progressive design, this hidden-until-lit feature hides the complexity required to create a sense of effortless luxury with a simple decorative statement.”