October 12, 2015: Celebrating the illustrious history of the game rugby, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has introduced Rolls-Royce ‘Wraith – History of Rugby’, a unique creation from the company’s Bespoke Design Studio in Goodwood, England.
Many of the car’s design features will be familiar to followers of English rugby, but have their foundation in the traditions of Rugby School. The exterior colour scheme of English White pays homage to the white rugby shirt worn at Rugby School, a tradition continued today by the England rugby team.
Another evocative feature of English rugby since 1871 is the red rose, originally hand-finished on the front of the white shirt. Folklore has it that the rose originates from Rugby School and Queen Elizabeth I, her red rose emblem placed with her permission on the school crest by its founder. And so, the Wraith’s signature shoulder-line is accentuated by a hand-applied coachline in deep green, featuring an English rose motif in red. 21” five twin-spoke alloy wheels complete the Wraith’s muscular exterior persona.
Each headrest also features an embroidered red rose, with Hotspur Red continuing the theme onto the dashboard accent panel, seat and door piping. Piano Black veneer has been selected for the dashboard, the centre panel of which is delicately inlaid with the English rose. The main interior colour is Seashell contrasted with Navy Blue.
Gilbert, the iconic manufacturer of rugby balls – and the maker of the very same football first picked up by William Webb Ellis in 1823 – has produced a limited number of rugby balls to match this unique Wraith. Created using the same Seashell and Hotspur Red leather, each ball has been embroidered by the craftspeople in Goodwood, with the red rose on one panel and the Rolls-Royce motif on the other.
