Rolls-Royce unveiled the Wraith Eagle VIII Collection during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event at the Lake Como. The vehicle celebrates two brave pilots who concluded the first non-stop transatlantic flight 100 years ago. The luxury carmaker will only produce 50 examples of this bespoke car.
The story of this flight is very inspiring: Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Brown started their journey from St John’s in Newfoundland to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland, in a WWI Vickers Vimy bomber. The airplane flew taking help from two 20.3-liter Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. Unfortunately, lots of things failed during the flight except these engines by Rolls-Royce. The pilots took help from stars to reach Ireland after avoiding the clouds.
To commemorate that flight, the design of Wraith Eagle VIII Collection takes inspiration from the clouds and stars. The headliner encompasses 1,183 fibers that brighten up to create the heavenly composition during the flight in 1919, with the precise moment when the Vickers aircraft appeared from the clouds. The two-tone Gunmetal and Selby Grey paint finish also relates to the famous Vickers plane, as well as, the black grille vanes that imitate the aircraft’s engine cowling.
“Wraith Eagle VIII is at once an object of desire; an homage to heroes and a protagonist to today’s visionaries,” stated Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “This Rolls-Royce Collection demonstrates the extraordinary skill of our Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex.”
It was a brave attempt by the two aviators who took 15 hours and 57 minutes to finish their journey. They received the honor of Knights Commanders of the British Empire by King George V.
The pricing details are not announced yet, however, they will definitely be a lot higher than the standard Wraith.