Rolls-Royce Motor Cars introduces Phantom Cherry Blossom as Sakura season brings pink petals to streets and parks across Japan. This one-off Phantom Extended takes shape from the memories of a Japanese client who grew up surrounded by the annual bloom and wished to translate those experiences into a motor car designed to last within the family. The result reflects years of dialogue between the client and the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective, leading to a project that ties emotional history with precise craftsmanship.
CARS
Cherry blossoms hold deep cultural weight in Japan. These short-lived blooms arrive in early spring and vanish after only a few days. Their presence carries meaning about the passage of time and the importance of savoring each moment. For centuries, people across Japan have gathered under blooming trees during Hanami, a tradition that brings together families and friends to picnic and reflect during the height of the bloom. The client’s childhood and adulthood were shaped by this annual ritual. With Phantom Cherry Blossom, they chose to memorialize those personal moments in physical form.
Three years ago, the idea began to take shape when the client met with Rolls-Royce designers in Japan. They envisioned a vehicle that could hold memories, echo family traditions, and showcase their connection to Hanami. The result is a vehicle that features extensive embroidery, handcrafted detailing, and precise interior architecture that evokes the sensation of sitting under a blooming cherry tree. This Phantom serves not only as a luxurious motor car but as an heirloom that captures sentiment and design in balance.
The most commanding design element resides in the interior: over 250,000 embroidered stitches stretch across the Starlight Headliner, rear door panels, and the partition separating the front and rear seating. Artisans built this effect over six months, using techniques rooted in traditional Japanese craftsmanship. The embroidery stretches across 11 aligned panels, forming a continuous cherry bough across the headliner. Light reveals different textures as it hits the offset tatami stitch, a nod to ancient Japanese textile work. Satin-stitch petals scatter across the ceiling and fall along the rear cabin, introducing a sense of movement and seasonality into the stillness of the car’s structure.
Rolls-Royce also introduced three-dimensional embroidery for the first time with this model. Unlike the flat technique seen across most designs, these sculpted cherry blossom petals rise from the surface. Artisans built each petal using layered thread, shaped them by hand, and placed them in relation to the car’s lighting to create soft shadow effects. This careful approach allows the interior to take on a depth rarely found in embroidery, while also reflecting the changing qualities of natural light during Hanami.
Even the smallest details reinforce the theme. The umbrellas stored in the doors carry a falling petal motif on the inner lining. Outside, the Crystal over Arctic White exterior includes a hand-painted coachline that tapers near the rear door, where a delicate cherry blossom symbol sits.
Phantom Cherry Blossom shows how Rolls-Royce continues to prioritize one-to-one collaboration through its Bespoke division. While this vehicle belongs to a single client, the techniques used, both traditional and newly developed, push the limits of what personal design can achieve. More than just referencing springtime or flowers, this Phantom draws from a single point of memory and builds an experience around it through embroidery, finish, and light.
wow this is beyond tacky. you guys really like this?owning a rolls royce is quite a status but seriously