Rolls-Royce adds some light with the Wraith Luminary Collection

the limited edition cars feature shooting stars and LED-embedded panelling

Whether a prewar grand tourer or an early postwar sports car, the most desirable collector vehicles often feature unique body styles and personalised, one-off details. Although the art of custom coachbuilding rarely permeates modern luxury car production, Rolls-Royce is an exception. The leading luxury marque employs a bespoke design division, and its latest limited-edition fastback coupe, the Wraith Luminary Collection, proves that custom coachbuilding may be endangered but is by no means extinct.

The specialised Wraith is clad in sunburst gray with copper tones and accents, such as a hand-painted sunburst motif along the coach line and channel lines on the hood. But while the exterior reflects the coupe’s extraordinary character, the Wraith’s interior is what truly showcases the bespoke nature of the car.

The starlight headliner, a decorative accent that the British automaker has offered for several years, comprises 1,340 fibre-optic lights and — new to the Wraith Luminary Collection — features eight shooting stars that fire randomly when the headliner is activated.

The centre control column and door panniers are wrapped in a hand-woven stainless-steel fabric, which contrasts the vehicle’s saddlery leather and the Tudor Oak veneers — wood accents that are the vehicle’s defining feature. And for the first time, the Tudor Oak paneling of a Rolls-Royce has been illuminated with more than 175 LED lights, which are activated by the headliner’s controls and cloak the interior in an ambient glow.

Like other Wraiths that have come before, the Wraith Luminary Collection is powered by a capable V-12 that produces 624 hp. The engine propels the coupe to a top speed of 250kph (limited). The striking grand tourer can also sprint from zero to 100 kph in less than 4.5 seconds.

With each priced at US$402,000 (RM1.6 million), only 55 examples of the Wraith Luminary Collection will be built. “Indeed, this collection is for the world’s luminaries,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “It speaks directly of our contemporary Rolls-Royce brand — progressive and trailblazing, the pinnacle in hand-crafted luxury.”