New Car: 2012 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe might already feel like a private jet, but in the interest of paying homage to its aviation history, Rolls unveiled a tarted-up Phantom Coupe special edition called the Aviator Collection.

Based on the Phantom Coupe, the Aviator Collection adds a smattering of design tweaks to the already sumptuous car. The coupe is painted a shade of aviator gray, and contrasted with a matte gray hood. On the inside, designers took a cabin already filled with leather and filled it with more: the glove compartment is lined with leather, embossed with a quote from company co-founder Charles Rolls after his first ever flight. If that’s not fancy enough, the floor mats are also made from leather.

The transmission tunnel is made of aluminum, with horizontal metal fittings mounted on the sides. That motif–which Rolls-Royce says apes the oil cooling veins on the Supermarine S6B, a British racing seaplane, is continued on the lower dash, which is finished in mahogany and has similar horizontal fittings.

No aviator would be complete without his/her watch, so Rolls-Royce fitted a Thommen clock into the dash, with a white-on-black gauge face and “blood orange needle tips.” That clock matches the gauges, which are also matte black.

The Aviator Collection package is finished with what Rolls-Royce calls “the Rolls-Royce of cupholders.” The cupholders — of which there are two — are made of polished aluminum, which should make them stand out from lesser, plastic receptacles for Big Gulps and Trenta Soy Lattes.

How much does all of this cost? It’s probably best you don’t ask, but the truth is that Rolls-Royce hasn’t yet released pricing for the car. But the company did say it will only make 35 examples of the Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection, and the first of those 35 is on display today at the Quail Lodge as part of the run up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks to: Motor Trend