Here’s an ultra-rare Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary, seen at a rather mundane parking lot in the east of the Chinese capital, Beijing. The enormous Rolls-Royce looked massively brilliant.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary Collection
Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary Collection was a special edition of the Phantom, launched in 2011, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Rolls-Royce’s famous Spirit of Ecstasy “flying lady” hood mascot. It was limited to 100 cars, based on the Phantom Series 1 EWB (extended wheelbase) model.
Rolls-Royce finished the RR emblem in black and white. The Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet mascot is cast in silver, which we cannot see here because the car’s not running. The mascot’s base has a gold-plated bezel with the inscription Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary – 2011.
Rolls-Royce put the same inscription in the center of the giant 21-inch wheels. Rolls-Royce offered only four exterior colors: Rhapsody Black, Maiden Blue, Ethereal White Pearl, and Wildflower.
The car in the photos is in Rhapsody Black, with hand-painted Spirit of Ecstasy coachlines, and with a Consort Red interior.
The parking lot
The rare Rolls-Royce stood between a Renault Koleos and a Mercedes-Benz CLS. It was a very casual parking lot for such an expensive car. Not a place where one would expect to see a Rolls-Royce. In the background is a centralized ventilation/exhaust station. It made a lot of noise, and it smelled unpleasant.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB is a majestic vehicle. It is so long that it needed an extra warning light in the middle, under the doors. The dimensions are: 6084/1990/1634, with an endless 3820 mm wheelbase. The Phantom was way too small for one parking space, so it took about 1.5.
The interior
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary Collection had a bespoke interior, with white dials and black-white pointers. It also had a commemorative plaque on the lid of the centre console, but the owner of this car covered that with a fuzzy burgundy armrest cover that is surely not a Rolls-Royce product.
The Console Red leather seats look very classy, a nice contrast to the black and cream-white dashboard and the white-leather door upholstery. The floor mats and lower center tunnel are also finished in Console Red. The owner added a cheap charging cable, and there’s a super cheap bottle of Nongfu Spring water in the cup holder. These bottles retail for 3 yuan (43 $ cents).
This is the four-seat version with two captain seats in the back, with another armrest cover in the middle. The owner ordered the rear doors in white with wood and fancy privacy curtains.
Specifications of the Rolls-Royce Phantom
Technically, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary Collection was unchanged compared to the ‘regular’ Phantom. Under the long hood was a 6.7-liter V12 engine with an output of 338 kW (460 hp) and 720 Nm. Rolls-Royce mated the motor to a 6-speed automatic, sending all horsepower to the rear wheels.
The Phantom had a 240 km/h top speed, and it did 0-100 in 5.8 seconds. The official fuel consumption in China was a little steep: 15.7L per 100 kilometers, but I guess folks who can afford such a machine don’t really care too much about that.
Price in China
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit Of Ecstasy Centenary Collection debuted in China at the 15th Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao International Auto Show in June 2011. The price is unknown, but in 2011, the base model of the Phantom sold for 7.60 million yuan, or $1.17 million in 2011 exchange rates. The special edition was likely a lot more expensive still. As far as I know, there are only two of these rare Rollers in China.