Rolls-Royce has revealed the Phantom Hummingbird, a one-off Phantom Extended commissioned as a personal tribute to its owner's wife. The commission introduces abalone shell marquetry to a Rolls-Royce for the first time, with artisans spending more than nine months developing the process before assembling the final interior design in 45 hours.

Created through Rolls-Royce's Private Office Dubai, the car was designed around one woman's memory. The hummingbird theme carries through the cabin and exterior, turning the commission into a unified piece of automotive craftsmanship rather than a collection of unrelated personalization options.

First Rolls-Royce with abalone marquetry

Abalone presented a more difficult material challenge than conventional wood veneer or mother-of-pearl. Rolls-Royce says the shell is brittle and changes color depending on the viewing angle, requiring its craftspeople to determine how each piece should be cut and positioned.

Every hummingbird motif on the picnic tables and Rear Waterfall panel contains 53 individual shell pieces. The pieces are arranged so the birds' wings reflect light differently depending on where occupants are seated. A complementary botanical design uses 84 shell pieces to create the flowers associated with the birds.

Rolls-Royce chose the hummingbird as a symbol of joy, resilience and the ability to find beauty in every moment. The motif is not limited to the cabin: a hand-painted hummingbird graphic appears on the exterior, echoing the marquetry inside.

Phantom Extended dimensions and exterior finish

The Phantom Hummingbird uses the extended-wheelbase Phantom body. It measures 235.5 inches long and rides on a 148.5-inch wheelbase, providing the long-format proportions associated with the Phantom Extended.

Its exterior combines Wildberry and White Sands paint in a two-tone finish. The hand-painted hummingbird artwork gives the exterior a direct visual connection to the bespoke interior, while the natural shell ensures that no two parts of the design produce exactly the same shimmer.

How much does the Phantom Hummingbird cost?

Rolls-Royce has not disclosed a price for the one-off commission. A standard Phantom Extended starts around $600,000 before bespoke personalization is added, so the final cost of this highly customized car is likely to sit substantially above that starting point. The company also has not announced broader availability for the abalone treatment.

The Phantom Hummingbird shows how Rolls-Royce uses individual commissions to develop techniques outside the normal requirements of series production. For buyers, it reinforces the scope of the brand's bespoke program: unusual materials can become part of a car when the design brief is personal enough and the artisans can make the process work.