ROLLS-ROYCE PRESENTS PHANTOM SCINTILLA PRIVATE COLLECTION: A TRIBUTE TO THE SPIRIT OF ECSTASY

For more than a century, the Spirit of Ecstasy has symbolised elegance and human achievement, inspiring countless works of art, from music to photography and moving image.

In 2024, the year the marque celebrates its 120th anniversary, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pays homage to its timeless muse in a unique Private Collection, named Phantom Scintilla. Based on Phantom Extended – the ultimate canvas for personalisation – this magnificent collection celebrates the ethereal beauty, grace and legacy of the Spirit of Ecstasy.

Limited to just ten examples worldwide, Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla’s design evokes the wonder of the Spirit of Ecstasy’s fleeting presence: its exquisite interior features were inspired by the apparent movement of her robes, as the motor car glides by.

Graceful Bespoke embroidery flowing throughout the interior captures the Spirit of Ecstasy’s elegant dynamism, culminating in a complex Gallery artwork. Carefully curated design features allude to the figurine’s origins with their references to Parian Marble: it was in this famed material that, more than 2,000 years ago, an unknown genius of Classical Greece sculpted The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the statue that inspired Claude Johnson’s original idea for a Rolls‑Royce mascot.

Phantom Scintilla derives its name from the Latin word for ‘spark’ – a bright flash, witnessed only for an instant. This refers to Claude Johnson’s first flash of inspiration for a mascot, the aforementioned Greek statue, and captures the Spirit of Ecstasy’s ethereal grace – something glimpsed only for a moment as the motor car passes by, but which leaves a lasting impression.

A NEW CHAPTER TO AN OLD STORY

In 1910, Rolls-Royce Managing Director Claude Johnson commissioned sculptor and illustrator Charles Sykes to create a Rolls-Royce mascot. Johnson already had an inspiration in mind: on a trip to Paris, he had visited the Louvre and been greatly impressed by the Greek marble statue of a deity descending from the heavens – The Winged Victory of Samothrace, which dates from 190 BCE.

Sykes, however, felt the statue was too domineering to be a suitable subject. Having often travelled in Silver Ghosts, he believed a more delicate, ethereal figure would better express the marque’s grace, silence and subtle power. It is now generally accepted that he took his inspiration for what would become the Spirit of Ecstasy from Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montagu’s secretary and paramour. In creating Phantom Scintilla, the Bespoke Collective has reclaimed some of Johnson’s original inspiration, by introducing new materials and subtle references to the captivating vision of The Winged Victory of Samothrace.