Rolls-Royce has created a one-off version of its Ghost luxury car for Manchester whose ambitious aim is to 'capture the city’s history'.
The bespoke model gets a range of unique touches that aims to celebrate Manchester, the city where Rolls-Royce’s founders Charles Rolls and Henry Royce first met in 1904, before deciding to join forces to create 'the best motor car in the world'.
This is the first time that the British luxury car firm has commissioned a car for Manchester, with the firm’s designers working on the model for two years.
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And to celebrate, they showed off the latest incarnation of the marque outside The Midland Hotel, where Rolls and Royce are reputed to have met.
Of course the 'Manchester bee' is an indelible symbol of the city. In the new 'Roller' this is reinterpreted as an emblem that appears on the C-pillar of the Ghost. The bee' is also embroidered on the front and rear seat inserts. The car comes painted in a silver exterior colour with turquoise being used on the pinstriping and on the wheel centres.
Inside, 10,000 laser dots have been etched into the car’s fascia, which aims to depict what Manchester looks like from above. The largest dot represents the Midland Hotel, the reputed meeting place of Rolls-Royce’s founders.
Various important locations around Manchester have also been etched into the middle rear seat, including Northern Quarter and Manchester Cathedral. The city’s abbreviation, ‘MCR’, is also etched into the treadplates.
Among those said to have contributed to the design is George Heaton, who co-founded fashion brand Represent along with brother Mike. The pair, now millionaires, started their careers in their home town Horwich with just £150 to make their own printed t-shirts.
Rolls-Royce was a 'huge inspiration' in his own career, tweeted George.
John Crossley, brand director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manchester, the dealership that helped come up with the commission, said: “As a born and bred Mancunian, this commission is truly special and will always be highly memorable for me.
“From the moment we set out to design a motor car to celebrate the city of Manchester, we wanted to create something that would celebrate the city’s history and the place today. It has been great to work with the team at Home of Rolls-Royce to turn our vision into a reality.”
There’s no word on what the Manchester Ghost costs, though given the ‘standard’ car costs from £250,000, you can expect a sharp increase on that.
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