Rock ‘N’ Rolls-Royce: Music Superstars Design Cars
British rock legends design custom Wraiths for iconic luxury brand.
What could be better than British rock and British motors? Putting them together, that’s what. On March 29 in London, Rolls-Royce unveiled the first cars in a very special series of Rolls-Royce Wraiths that have been custom-designed by several members of British rock royalty.
The first three Brit luminaries to unveil their Wraiths are Roger Daltrey, frontman for The Who; Ray Davies of The Kinks; and Giles Martin, son of producer and songwriter Sir George Martin, the studio wizard who Paul McCartney called the “Fifth Beatle.” They worked with Martin’s music producer son Giles Taylor and Matthew Danton, Lead Designer at Rolls-Royce, to add unique, iconic details to each hand-built Wraith.
Daltrey designed two Wraiths. The first pays homage to The Who, with the band’s famous bullseye logo adorned on the dashboard clock and embroidered on the leather “waterfall” between the two back seats. The back of the driver’s seat headrest is embroidered with a picture of Keith Moon’s famous exploding drum set.
The Who frontman’s second car is a tribute to the band’s timeless rock opera Tommy. The hood of the Wraith features a stunning painting of the album’s geometric cover art. The exterior is finished with several birds in flight, which also come from the Tommy album art. Lyrics from the concept album are engraved on the door flights, and the waterfall is embroidered with a picture of Tommy’s pinball machine.
Davies had Kinks song lyrics engraved in his own handwriting on the door flights of his Wraith. His car also has the Kinks logo embroidered on the waterfall, and his signature is enmeshed in the headrests. The Wraith comes with two umbrellas tucked into its doors, for that drizzly British weather. The London-born rocker had them specially printed with lyrics from the Kinks’ song “Sunny Afternoon”: “When it’s raining on a sunny afternoon, in the summertime.”
Giles Martin’s tribute to his father has the names of Sir George’s 30 Number One singles embroidered on the rear leather waterfall, as well as Sir George’s signature stitched onto the headrests. The engravings on the door flights include the original handwritten arrangement for The Beatles’ song “Yesterday.”
Collectors can buy these one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royces through the brand’s European dealer network. Rolls-Royce will donate part of the vehicles’ proceeds to the Teenage Cancer Trust and other charities. Giles Martin is donating the money from his Wraith’s sale to the Fly Navy Heritage Trust, which restores historical Naval aircraft.
Several more British music legends will soon be customizing their own Wraiths. Next up are Shirley Bassey, Francis Rossi of the English rock band Status Quo, and Rolling Stones legendary axeman Ronnie Wood.
