ROLLS-ROYCE UNVEILS
WRAITH EAGLE VIII COLLECTION
Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Brown braved
uncharted skies to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June, 1919.
Contemporaries of Sir Henry Royce, Alcock and Brown flew non-stop from St.
John’s, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland in a modified First World War Vickers
Vimy bomber aircraft.
The bi-plane was powered by twin 20.3 litre, 350 bhp,
Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. It is from this remarkable engine that this
Collection takes its name. Rolls-Royce marks the 100 year anniversary of this
feat with a highly contemporary Collection that speaks to today’s adventurers,
whilst honouring those who changed the course of history.
“I do not know what
we should most admire - their audacity, determination, skill, science, their
aeroplane, their Rolls-Royce engines - or their good fortune”, commented
Sir Winston Churchill, following the perilous journey that brought unfathomable
advancement to 20th century society.
Alcock and Brown established a legend and gained a
place alongside Sir Donald Campbell in the most select club in the world; those
who push beyond previous conceptions of human endeavour to achieve seemingly impossible
records on land, water and now, air. Their one binding characteristic?
Rolls-Royce power.
The duo suffered every conceivable challenge an
aviator could face. The Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines were the only components
that proved indestructible. The engines propelled the aerial voyage at
previously unimagined speeds, averaging 115 mph.
Their peril cannot be
underestimated. Their radio and navigation instruments failed almost
immediately, leaving the pilots flying unaided at night through dense cloud and
freezing fog for many hours, sometimes upside down. Eventually they emerged
from the cloud and using Brown’s extraordinary skill as a navigator, flew by
the stars to the coast of Ireland.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars, commented, “Wraith Eagle VIII
is at once an object of desire; an homage to heroes and a protagonist to
today’s visionaries. This Rolls-Royce Collection demonstrates the extraordinary
skill of our Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West
Sussex.
"Bespoke remains the jewel in the crown of the marque, creating luxury
items that defy the trend of mass luxury manufacturers using ‘tick-box’ options
to answer customer demand.”
The exterior of the Wraith Eagle VIII Collection Car
is evocative of Alcock and Brown’s compelling night time adventure. Swathed in
Gunmetal with a Selby Grey upper two-tone, the colours are separated by a brass
feature line, a hint at the detailing that lies within.
The black grille vanes
draw immediate reference to the Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engine cowling on the
Vickers Vimy aircraft, the wheels are part polished with a translucent shadow
finish.
Within, the finely executed interior mirrors the
exterior hue. Selby Grey and black leather are accented by brass, redolent of
the brass sextant so integral to the success of the transatlantic journey.
Executed in a contemporary fashion, the material populates key areas throughout
the cockpit of the Collection.
Brass speaker covers depict the estimated flight
distance of 1,880 miles and ‘RR’ monograms are embroidered in brass coloured
thread onto headrests. A flash of brass complements the navigator door paniers,
whilst the door of the driver includes a brass plaque with Churchill’s quote
commending the duo’s remarkable achievements.
Inspired by the night time flight of our intrepid
heroes, the fascia represents a modern-day abstract interpretation of the view
the pair would have enjoyed as finally, their craft cleared the thick fog and
cloud.
In a fusion of contemporary and traditional practises, Smoked Eucalyptus
wood is vacuum metalized in gold before being inlaid with silver and copper, to
depict the rich detail seen in night time images of the Earth from above.
The
scene extends to the centre console providing both an emotive and immersive
experience for today’s occupants – the cockpit is in perspective with the
headliner. Below, the brass-stitched quilted sides of the centre tunnel provide
a direct nod to the V12 engined Vickers Vimy.
The clock of a Rolls-Royce is frequently viewed as
jewellery, with many patrons choosing this canvas to tell the story of their
motor car in miniature. Wraith Eagle VIII is no exception.
Our intrepid
pioneers recounted that their instrument panel was frozen from the high
altitude and the poor conditions, referring to the only illumination coming
from the green glow of the control panel lighting and the burst of flame from
the starboard engine.
In homage to this, the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective has
masterfully fabricated a clock with an iced background effect which glows a
faint green in night time driving conditions. The red hour hand sits atop
compass inspired lines on the clock’s fascia, whilst the landing location
coordinates are engraved below.
Perhaps the most alluring feature of the Collection is
the extraordinary unique starlight headliner. 1,183 starlight fibres show the
celestial arrangement at the time of the flight in 1919, the flight path and
constellations are embroidered in brass thread, whilst the exact moment the
pair left the cloud to navigate by the stars is indicated by a red fibre optic
light.
Clouds are embroidered and a plaque reading, “The celestial arrangement at the halfway point 00:17am June 15th
1919, 50” 07’ Latitude North – 31” Longitude West” shows the half-way point
of the momentous journey.
Just 50 of these highly collectable motor cars will be
created for discerning collectors at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West
Sussex – a Centre of Global Luxury Manufacturing Excellence.
Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate
company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and
propulsion systems.
Over 2000 skilled men and women are employed at the
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ head office and manufacturing plant at Goodwood, West
Sussex, the only place in the world where the company’s super-luxury motor cars
are hand-built.
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