Rolls-Royce has pushed bespoke craftsmanship to new heights with the unveiling of the Phantom ‘Arabesque’, a one-off creation for a client in the Middle East featuring the first-ever laser-engraved bonnet in the marque’s history.
The Phantom ‘Arabesque’ showcases a painstaking technique five years in the making, inspired by Italian laser engraving and refined to meet Rolls-Royce’s exacting standards for depth, clarity, and finish.
The intricate design draws on the Mashrabiya motif, a geometric pattern iconic in Middle Eastern architecture, renowned for blending light, privacy, and airflow.
On this Phantom, the bonnet was first layered with a darker base colour, sealed under multiple clear coats, then topped with a lighter shade before the laser engraving revealed the underlying tones.
Each engraved section was subsequently hand-sanded to achieve a sculptural, flawless finish.
Rolls-Royce explains that engraving directly into the paint provides unmatched durability and refinement compared with traditional surface layering techniques.
Outside, the Phantom wears a two-tone black and silver livery complemented by 22-inch polished alloy wheels, while the interior continues the bespoke theme with rich leather, Mashrabiya-inspired detailing, and a full-width ‘Gallery’ display.
Michelle Lusby, Bespoke Lead Designer at Rolls-Royce’s Dubai office, commented: “Mashrabiya is one of the Middle East’s best-known and enduring design languages.
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.”
The Phantom ‘Arabesque’ exemplifies Rolls-Royce’s dedication to bespoke innovation, merging cultural heritage with cutting-edge technology in a way that only the British luxury marque can achieve.
For UK enthusiasts and collectors, it’s a striking reminder of how far bespoke automotive artistry can go when craftsmanship meets modern engineering.
