This one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom gets a bonnet etched by frickin’ lasers

Rolls-Royce prides itself on details, which makes this one-off Phantom built for a client in the Middle East peak Rolls-Royce; the latest example of the British carmaker’s, ahem, laser focus.

It’s called the Phantom ‘Arabesque’, and it’s the first ever Rolls-Royce motor car to get a fully laser-engraved bonnet. That’s right, frickin’ lasers.

Rolls-Royce apparently spent five years developing the technique it used on this one-off Phantom – a technique inspired by Italy, no less – before it achieved “the depth, clarity and consistency demanded by Rolls-Royce artisans”.

The pattern itself takes its form from the intricate Mashrabiya design language unique to Middle Eastern culture. For its transfer onto the nose of this Phantom, the bonnet was painted in a darker colour, then sealed under multiple layers of clear coat, before a lighter top layer was applied.

Then, lasers happened. The super intricate Mashrabiya pattern was engraved to a depth of 145-190 microns – a human hair is apparently somewhere between 50-70 microns, as if you needed any context – that then revealed the darker tones underneath.

The engraved areas were then hand-sanded for “an even, sculptural finish”. Why not just layer the pattern over the top of the Phantom’s bonnet? Because lasering it into the very paint itself “achieves an exceptional level of refinement and durability”.

The rest of the body is finished in a two-tone black and silver paintjob, 22in polished alloy wheels, while inside it’s fully bespoke: lots of leather, Mashrabiya motifs, and a full-width ‘Gallery’.

“Mashrabiya is one of the Middle East’s best-known and most enduring design languages,” said RR’s Michelle Lusby, bespoke lead designer for its private office in Dubai. “For Phantom Arabesque, we were inspired not only by its beauty but also by the privacy, light and airflow it creates. Our aim was to interpret these qualities in ways that feel both culturally rooted and unmistakably Rolls-Royce.”