Rolls-Royce Unveils Its Most Elaborate Interior Yet—A Masterpiece Fit for a Museum

Rolls-Royce has never shied away from pushing the boundaries—whether it’s embedding a galaxy in the Starlight Headliner or selecting rare wood for bespoke creations like the La Rose Noire Droptail. But its latest achievement could become legendary, and surprisingly, it’s not even a complete car—it’s the wooden paneling destined for one.

Dubbed the most intricate woodwork in Rolls-Royce history, this masterpiece is a testament to the brand’s dedication to craftsmanship. Artisans underwent a full year of training to perfect the techniques required for this creation, which introduces several firsts in woodwork for the marque.

This extraordinary paneling will be available to a select few buyers as part of the Rolls-Royce Private Collection, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

A 3D Sculpture Crafted with Groundbreaking Techniques

The wood paneling will grace the doors of a very special centenary Phantom, featuring a design that celebrates the Phantom’s 100-year legacy. The artwork pays intricate tribute to the model’s history, incorporating geographical maps, landscapes, floral motifs, and even depictions of experimental prototypes.

While the design itself is remarkable, the craftsmanship truly sets it apart. Carved from Blackwood—a material Rolls-Royce describes as “chosen for its rare and distinctive grain, where textures, contrasts, and reflectivity enhance the natural beauty, creating a rich monochromatic effect”—each section was meticulously crafted individually before being assembled like a mosaic, resulting in a stunning three-dimensional composition.

Special attention was given to how light interacts with the wood grain, revealing new details from every viewing angle. One of the most striking features is the speaker grilles—they are no longer metal, but carefully milled directly into the wood, expanding the canvas for this extraordinary visual tribute. The panels themselves are a masterpiece, featuring laser-etched maps, landscapes, flowers, and trees rendered at three different depths, creating a dynamic shadow play that shifts as the light moves across the veneer.

A Final Touch in Pure Gold

Rolls-Royce employed a groundbreaking 3D ink layering technique—one of three firsts for this project—to add even greater visual depth, building up incredibly fine textures and patterns on the surface. This was paired with another innovation, 3D marquetry, in which engraved motifs are layered atop one another to create an artwork that rises off the panel, giving the piece a striking, three-dimensional presence.

The final flourish is literal gold. Remarkably, in over a century, Rolls-Royce has never paired gold leaf with woodwork inside a car—until now. Five artisans trained for an entire year at West Dean College in England to master the delicate art of gilding, required to apply the ultra-thin, 100-nanometer-thick 24-carat gold leaf onto the wood veneer. These golden threads trace the roadways in the map sections of the design, meticulously laid by hand and then sealed under a high-gloss finish to preserve their radiant brilliance.

This extraordinary interior will debut in an as-yet-unveiled Rolls-Royce Private Collection, limited to just 25 examples. Each will rank among the most exclusive Phantoms ever created, standing as a unique work of art and a coveted collector’s item.

“Our Bespoke Collective of designers, craftspeople, and engineers are, quite simply, the best in the world at what they do. To celebrate Phantom’s centenary, they pioneered woodworking techniques that combine 3D ink layering, 3D marquetry, and gilding on a single surface. These intricate processes push the materials to the very limits of their natural tolerance, transforming each panel into a breathtaking, tactile sculpture.”

– Phil Fabre de la Grange, General Manager Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars