Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé Aviator edition
![Rolls-Royce Aviator limited edition](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4AGr7XX7UKaXUEfyGgmZm-415-80.jpg)
We can't resist this piece of extravagant engineering. The Aviator is a new niche model from Rolls-Royce's Bespoke Vehicle department. Designed to simultaneously honour the plane-spotting passions of company founder Charles Stewart Rolls while also giving its contemporary designers, seamstresses, woodworkers, and craftspeople something of a work out, the Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection is a strict limited edition.
Just 35 examples of this finely honed automobile will be built, each featuring a host of unique details designed to hark back to the glory days of flight.
Before Rolls-Royce's aviation concerns were hived off to form a separate company, the name was associated with attempts at the world airspeed record through the Schneider Trophy of the early 1930s. The Rolls-Royce-powered Supermarine S6B, one of the most evocative aeroplanes of all time, is referenced in the interior of the new car, with its aluminium, leather and wood interior.
Rolls himself was a pioneering early balloonist and aviator - indeed, he was Britain's very first aviation casualty when he was killed in his Wright Flyer in 1910. The interior of the Aviator is unashamedly retro, but the functionalist feel of exposed fixings, rich mahogany and plenty of spinning dials makes for a truly evocative space.
The Rolls-Royce-powered Supermarine S6B, one of the most evocative aeroplanes of all time, is referenced in the interior of the new car, with its aluminium, leather and wood interior
Just 35 examples of this finely honed automobile will be built, each featuring a host of unique details designed to hark back to the glory days of flight
The interior of Aviator is unashamedly retro
But the functionalist feel of exposed fixings, rich mahogany and plenty of spinning dials makes for a truly evocative space
Rolls himself was a pioneering early balloonist and aviator - indeed, he was Britain's very first aviation casualty when he was killed in his Wright Flyer in 1910
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
The subtly revised Rolls-Royce Cullinan offers clients an instantly commanding presence
A Rolls-Royce is no longer the ‘best car in the world,’ but the best way to make your mark on automotive culture. Cullinan Series II goes even further into the world of branded storytelling and subtle oneupmanship
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: top 10 transport design stories of 2023, selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
Jonathan Bell’s top 10 transport design stories of 2023 span from electric campers and microcars to flying yachts and classic car recreations
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2023, as selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
What were the best four-wheeled offerings of 2023? Transport editor Jonathan Bell takes us through the year’s most intriguing automobiles
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zoute Grand Prix is a car fest like no other at a pristine Belgian beachside town
Amy Serafin takes to the well-heeled streets of Knokke-Heist to experience the Zoute Grand Prix, its annual cavalcade of classic car-related events, from a rally to an auction
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Electrogenic breathes new life into this 1929 Rolls-Royce with a bespoke EV conversion
This Roll-Royce Phantom II is perhaps the most complex EV conversion ever undertaken, transforming the 1929 classic into a strong, silent EV that’ll fit right in with modern traffic
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is a titanic two-seater many years in the making
Behind the scenes at Rolls-Royce’s Coachbuild division, we explore the extraordinary details of this bespoke commission, an open-topped speedster imbued with the spirit of a rose
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
All-new electric Rolls-Royce Spectre gives Wallpaper* the silent treatment
Bold, big and entirely electric, the Rolls-Royce Spectre makes its debut, a car that could very well be considered the best EV in the world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Iris van Herpen infuses a bespoke Rolls-Royce Phantom with her signature style
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia is a one-off project from the company’s Bespoke department, stitching the work of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen into its elegant interior
By Nargess Banks Published