personalisation Archives

Lotus Introduces Bespoke Service for Customised Vehicle Personalisation

Lotus has unveiled a new bespoke service called Lotus Chapman Bespoke, catering to the growing demand for personalised automotive experiences worldwide. This service offers customers the opportunity to customise their Lotus vehicles extensively, ranging from unique badges and trims to complete one-off personalisation of entire vehicles.

Initially launching in China on April 25, 2024, Lotus Chapman Bespoke will subsequently roll out globally over the following months. Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founders Colin and Hazel Chapman and Director of Classic Team Lotus, expressed enthusiasm for the service, stating that it allows drivers to create their own innovations while honouring his parents’ extraordinary legacy.

The name Lotus Chapman Bespoke pays tribute to Colin and Hazel Chapman, who founded Lotus in 1948 in London, UK. Renowned for his pioneering spirit and innovative designs, Colin Chapman’s legacy continues to inspire the brand’s commitment to pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo.

Qingfeng Feng, CEO of Lotus Group, emphasised Lotus’s heritage as a bespoke carmaker, highlighting Colin Chapman’s hands-on approach to crafting cars from scratch. Lotus Chapman Bespoke aims to uphold this tradition by empowering customers to personalise their vehicles according to their unique preferences.

The bespoke service offers three levels of personalisation:

Tailor-made: Customers can select their own combination of colours, designs, and exclusive details to create a truly unique vehicle.
Collection: Limited-edition designs developed in collaboration with partners, artists, and luxury brands provide customers with curated options for personalisation.
One-off: Customers have the opportunity to build a completely unique car tailored to their individual tastes and preferences.

Lotus invites enthusiasts to explore the possibilities of Lotus Chapman Bespoke through its online platform or by contacting their local Lotus Centre for more information. With three levels of excellence and endless combinations, Lotus Chapman Bespoke promises to elevate the ownership experience for Lotus enthusiasts worldwide.

Tailor Made Ferrari Roma For 30th Anniversary In China

China may be one of the important markets for supercar brands but as it only began to open to the world in the 1980s, the first official orders for such cars in modern times were actually made within the past few decades. For Ferrari, the first order the company received was from a customer in Beijing in 1992.

This year, the company celebrates the 30^th anniversary of receiving that first order with a one-of-a-kind Tailor Made Ferrari Roma. Drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese aesthetics and craftsmanship through the many personalisation options offered by the Ferrari Tailor Made programme, the Roma was designed in collaboration with the prominent Chinese designer Jiang Qiong’er.

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Bentley’s Azure range goes beyond superlative comfort to the wellbeing of each passenger

At the very top end of the car market, the luxury models have long been known for their comfort, usually described in superlative terms. For limousines that cost over a million ringgit, the comfort experienced by the occupants must be nothing less than the best and engineers as well as interior designers work very hard to ensure this.

Now, besides comfort, the wellbeing of the occupants is also given a greater deal of attention. Certainly, when one travels in a Bentley, the experience will also provide a heightened sense of wellbeing, but the company now wants to deliver driver and passengers to their destination more relaxed than when they set off.

With the new Azure range that will be available across the full Bentley model line-up, the occupants will have a curated selection of features designed to enhance wellbeing and comfort. The aim is that at journey’s end, they will step out feeling refreshed, alert and ready to resume their busy lives.

The science of wellbeing
But what actually promotes wellbeing? To analyse and develop Bentley’s new concept of ‘wellbeing behind the wheel’, the Azure development team engaged a creative neuroscientist to work with them. Considering everything from light, to the patterns we see around us, to the impact of in-car posture and the importance and thermal comfort, the neuroscientist’s research paired with Bentley’s own measurements to give science-based analysis to the relaxing experience of travelling in a Bentley, as a driver or a passenger.

The two most crucial influences over onboard relaxation are ride comfort and NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness). Research that tracked thousands of people over a 4-year period found that those exposed to traffic noise over 70 dB were 65% more at risk of depression.

Taking the new Bentayga EWB as an example, measurements showed it to be quieter inside than its competitors, by between 4% and 26%, depending on frequency and position inside the car. Secondary ride comfort is another key variable that affects onboard wellness – obviously, the smoother the ride, the more calming the journey. At typical road speeds and in the crucial frequency range of 5 Hz to 20 Hz, the Bentayga EWB has up to 27% lower secondary ride vibration than its competitors.

Science-Informed Design approach

Facts like these inspired Bentley’s team to adopt a Science-Informed Design approach, using a variety of interdisciplinary methods to create the most positive sensation of wellness and comfort for drivers and their passengers. And because a car is a multisensory environment, this approach involved designing not simply for the senses of vision, hearing, touch and smell but also for the position of our bodies (proprioception), gravity and acceleration (vestibular), temperature and even the body’s internal sensation (interoception).

Escaping the outside world into a personalised environment, with less outside noise, that could otherwise reduce attention, impact memory and increase stress response. Where once a vehicle acoustic engineer would have focused on the suppression of NVH as much as possible to create the quietest possible cabin environment, the focus is now is also on the quality of sound.

“We have to understand how we all detect and respond to sounds and then work out how to engineer those sounds into the components that make a Bentley,” explained Bentley Acoustics Engineer Andy Jackson. “We balance the sound from the vehicle and cocoon the occupants from outside world by minimizing sound penetration. We harmonise the acoustics with the other sensory inputs in the vehicle. The sound is literally in the vehicle’s DNA; it’s authentic and crafted.”

Most advanced seat design
Seating is one of the important elements too. It is important to keep the body in the right posture because when we slump, our bodies can take in as much as 30% less oxygen, affecting our ability to think and placing additional stress on the body.

This led to the most advanced seat ever fitted to the car – Bentley’s Airline Seat Specification. Available in the rear cabin, the seat has 22 ways of adjustment and world-firsts in a new auto climate sensing system and postural adjustment technology.

In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40 degrees, whilst the passenger seat is motored forward and a footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat. In Business Mode, the seat moves into its most upright position to make working on the move more comfortable.

The Postural Adjustment function uses new thigh and shoulder pockets, plus additional lumbar massage pockets, to subtly yet continuously change the shape of the seat to ease pressure points around the body, preventing ‘dead spots’ and fatigue build-up. The use of air pockets enables more continuous and complex movements to be made – which are virtually imperceptible to the passenger – rather than the linear movements resulting from the use of seat motors.

The system goes beyond the 2D motions typical of adjustable seats, able to employ a 3-dimensional twist to relieve pressure points. Six independent pressure zones can provide 177 adjustments every 3 hours to ensure consistent seat comfort, regardless of the length of the journey. Studies have shown that actively supporting body weight in a dynamic way relieves strain, which can bring on mental stress and cause lack of focus. Natural supported postures have been shown to alleviate stress from tensed muscles.

Besides the heating and ventilation function in the seats which help to maintain the body’s optimum temperature for comfort and alertness, there is also a massage function with 6 programmable settings. This massage function promotes the constant micro-adjustments in muscle and posture that are so vital in preventing fatigue.

Even scent is important
When we see pleasing forms, shapes and colours, our brains release chemicals such as dopamine that not only make us feel good but are good for our body and sense of wellbeing. This led the Azure team to consult with neuroscientists to understand the interrelationship of colour, texture, tactility and even scent to create an atmosphere of relaxed serenity.

“Sensory receptors convert physical stimuli in neural activity, creating changes in our brain and nervous system. Every fabric, sound, motion, colour and touch continuously impacts our nervous system and the Azure cabin has been finessed accordingly,” said Maria Mulder, Head of Colour & Trim at Bentley Motors.

To that end, the Azure interior design specification includes ‘wellness quilting’ which has fractal patterns of precisely crafted diamond quilted upholstery creating an eye-pleasing interplay of light and shade. And while Bentley customers will always have access to the full range of wood veneers, the Azure range includes 3 open pore veneers with a softer, satin, reflective quality that can bring on a calm mood.

A personalised climate within
For most passengers, just having an environment with a comfortable temperature would be pleasant enough on any journey. But in a Bentley, there is Seat Auto Climate where each passenger can select their desired temperature. The contact temperature and surface humidity are then directly measured (cushion and backrest independently) and the heating and ventilation are adjusted to achieve the required temperature.

This is continuously monitored to ensure it remains constant as optimised body temperature is vital when the focus is on individual wellbeing. In studies that have manipulated body temperature via external means, it has generally been reported that cognitive function is reduced by decreasing body temperature below normal. A comfortable thermal environment can also alleviate fatigue, reduce irritability, and improve driving safety.

Rolls-Royce to present second Coachbuilt Boat Tail at Concorso d’Eleganza, Villa d’Este 2022 this weekend

The Bespoke department of Rolls-Royce already offers the ultimate in personalisation of the brand’s limousines and Cullinan SUV. Virtually every customer today uses the services of the Bespoke team in some way to add or create something special for their Rolls-Royce. But there is yet another level beyond Bespoke and that is Coachbuild. The department, re-established in 2021, brings back a lost art and science of making cars which goes back to the earliest years of the motorcar, before mass production began in factories.

“Our Coachbuild department is for those patrons who wish to go beyond the existing restraints, and explore the almost limitless possibilities this opens up for them. We are able to offer our customers the opportunity to create a motor car in which every single element is hand-built to their precise individual requirements, as befits our status as a true luxury house,” said Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The Sweptail, presented in 2017 as a demonstration of the coachbuilding expertise of Rolls-Royce attracted the attention of a number of customers. Within this group, it emerged that three potential customers shared a deep appreciation of contemporary nautical design. In consultation with the customers concerned, an agreement was reached whereby three cars – to be known as Boat Tail – would share a common body, but each would then be individually, highly personalised, reflecting the confluence between vision, capability and ambition of the marque and each of the individual commissioning patrons.

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail Coachbuilt No. 2 2022 — *The second (of only three) Boat Tail comes one year after the first one which was unveiled in May last year (below).*

The first Rolls-Royce Boat Tail was completed a year ago and the commissioning customers, who are a globally successful couple, were willing to let the world see their ultra-exclusive car. Their fascination of the Boat Tail form was furthered by a car in their private collection – a 1932 Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, lovingly restored by them, in time for their modern Boat Tail’s completion.

Now comes the next chapter of its Boat Tail coachbuilt commission and as will be the case with all three cars, each will have a story entirely unique and personal to its owner, reflecting their own history, tastes and sensibilities. With this in mind, the latest Boat Tail, to be revealed at Concorso d’Eleganza, Villa d’Este 2022 on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, is a masterwork of restraint, sophistication, elegance and attention to detail.

It was commissioned by a customer whose family business has grown from his father’s origins in the pearling industry. Widely travelled, internationally educated and cosmopolitan in his tastes and influences, the customer is an established patron of the arts, who additionally owns a sizeable collection of classic and modern cars, housed in a dedicated private museum.

A level of sophistication, garnered from the client’s extensive knowledge of luxury, is clearly. The overall design aesthetic is restrained; a study in carefully considered materials and precise details that together create a highly personal and emotionally resonant homage to the customer’s father.

At the onset of the commissioning process, the customer presented Rolls-Royce Coachbuild designers with a selection of 4 pearl shells, personally chosen from his private collection for their unique colour and complexity. The shells provided inspiration for the exterior colour, which is one of the most complex Bespoke finishes ever created by Rolls-Royce.

The foundation of the colour is a shimmering blend of oyster and soft rose, with large white and bronze mica flakes adding a unique pearlescent quality that changes subtly under different light conditions. The contrasting cognac-coloured bonnet, created specifically for this Boat Tail, contains fine bronze and gold coloured aluminium mica flakes complete with a layer of crystal and iced matt clear coat, adding significant warmth and depth to the car’s appearance. The technical fibre lower sills of Boat Tail incorporate a rose gold woven thread.

The rear deck, which houses Boat Tail’s unique ‘butterfly-design’ hosting suite, is swathed in Royal Walnut veneer, inlaid with rose gold-plated pinstripes with a satin-brushed finish to ensure a sensitive and sophisticated appearance. The Royal Walnut was specifically selected by the customer for its beautiful properties as it matures over time, a material that will gradually transition to the tonal properties of the cognac colour. From above, one observes a harmonious balance and satin effect of the iced bonnet and tactile wooden rear deck, in contrast with the high-gloss front and side perspectives.

The interior is a beautifully curated combination of perfectly matched cognac and oyster-coloured leathers and Royal Walnut veneer, with rose gold and mother-of-pearl accents throughout. The leathers, complete with a pearlescent finish, accentuate the surfaces and forms of Boat Tail’s seats and interior design. The transmission tunnel is formed from Royal Walnut veneer with rose gold pinstripes, drawing a direct visual reference to the rear deck and adding a glowing warmth to Boat Tail’s interior.

The centrepiece of the dashboard is a timepiece made from mother-of-pearl, chosen and supplied by the client from his own collection. The fascia is pure and minimal in its appearance so as not to detract from the precious material. The same prised substance graces the control switches and instrument dials, creating a strong visual and material connection between the car, the owner, and his family heritage.

The Boat Tail is entirely hand-built, with the body panels fashioned from vast, single sheets of aluminium to create the distinctive outline inspired by the racing yachts of the early 20th century. From the front, the Pantheon Grille, milled from a single, solid billet of aluminium, is graced with a Spirit of Ecstasy fashioned in rose gold.

With the Architecture of Luxury – which includes a proprietary all-aluminium spaceframe chassis – the marque has ushered in a new coachbuilding movement that encompasses both highly sophisticated 21st Century technology and materials, and a tradition extending back more than 100 years.

Tailor Made Ferrari Roma brings together Italian with Japanese-inspired detailing

A Ferrari is already an exclusive machine when it leaves the factory but virtually none are ‘stock standard’ as every owner will want to personalise their car in some way. After all, when you have paid that much, what’s a little bit more to add something to make it unique? That’s what Ferrari’s bespoke Tailor Made department offers – an exclusive programme for those who wish to customise any element of their car.

Many of the cars that the Tailor Made department works on are not publicised as the owners may prefer the privacy, but there are also some cars that do become public and this one-of-a-kind Roma model is one of them. Crafted with exquisite traditional Japanese-inspired detailing while retaining the clean, sophisticated elegance of the original car.

This particular car’s story began when Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin, the founders of the American publication COOL HUNTING, were offered, and accepted, the opportunity of customising a Ferrari Roma. The idea was to explore how far Ferrari’s bespoke personalisation programme could go and really push the boundaries.

The project started off two years ago with the first of several research trips to Japan where they immersed themselves in the country’s traditional crafts and artisanal methods. Then they proposed bringing some of those ideas and unique materials into the Tailor Made journey as envisioned by COOL HUNTING, and conveyed this to Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, at the Ferrari Tailor Made showroom in New York.

Manzoni and his team were inspired by the parallels between Italian and Japanese culture and design philosophy: a single-minded devotion to quality, an emotional involvement with the client, and exquisite skills in craftsmanship that have been passed down from generation to generation.

An idea formed – to create a Ferrari featuring some of the unique materials developed from traditional Japanese techniques while employing Ferrari’s customary innovation to modify them to accommodate the requirements of durability and functionality that a modern high-performance car demands.

Traditional Japanese indigo dyes inspired the Roma’s colour scheme, particularly the vivid blue exterior paint which was specially developed for this car and named Indigo Metal. This vivid colour perfectly enhances the purity of the Roma’s shape – light appears to flow over its bodywork, accentuating its lines through highlights and shade.

Indigo features prominently in Japanese design culture, and the traditional dye is produced naturally. COOL HUNTING had visited Toyama, one of only 5 remaining indigo farms in Tokushima, Japan’s traditional indigo-growing region. They learned that the dye comes from a green plant which, when harvested and fermented, becomes sukumo, traditional dried Japanese indigo that is mixed with lye, sake and limestone powder to create authentic Hon-Ai indigo dye. Because of its anti-microbial properties, it was traditionally used for linens, bedding and clothing.

The same colour palette is used to tie together the vehicle’s exterior and interior into one subtle, holistic statement. The indigo shade is also found in the sakiori fabric used for the seat trim inserts and the carpets.

Sakiori is one of the world’s oldest examples of upcycling, dating from the 1700s when cotton and silk were available only to Japan’s nobility and the very wealthy. Worn-out kimonos were disassembled, their fabric cut into strands and rewoven with new fibres, creating a material that was both warm, comfortable and durable. The word comes from the Japanese saku (to rip up) and oru (to weave).

An innovative solution was identified in making sakiori a viable material. Two vintage kimonos originally made in Amami Oshima, an island in Japan’s southern archipelago were used — an indigo-dyed kimono approximately 75 years old and one approximately 45 years old, dyed in both indigo and the island’s celebrated Amami Oshima Tsumugi mud-based dye.

The indigo theme is carried through to the Roma’s headlining – a beautifully detailed piece of craftsmanship and design which is exclusively experienced by those sitting in the car. It is made up of two indigo-dyed hides made – one with a unique solid colour crafted to match the car’s colour scheme, and a hand-painted hide using a method which can be traced back to the 8th century.

The hides were then sent to Italy, where they were cut into strips and hand-woven by Italian artisans in a process called intreccio, forming an elegant one-of-a-kind work of art.

The Roma’s interior door handles also take their inspiration from Japan – they are enclosed in tightly hand-woven strips of black leather in an homage to tsukami, the ancient art of wrapping the grips of Katana swords.

The COOL HUNTING team were further inspired by a visit to Kaikado, a Kyoto-based family business known for its iconic copper tea canisters. Now made by the fifth and sixth generations of the family, the canisters are so skilfully crafted that they form a vacuum seal as the lid gently falls onto the body. The copper also adopts a unique natural patina with use.

Inspired by this, copper plating is found in details on the Roma’s gearshift gate surround and levers, which were plated in Japan. The outline of the dual cockpits, the wheel rims and the kamon are also made in this colour.

The unique crest on the car’s dedication plate on the central armrest and door sills is a custom-made ‘kamon’, a symbol passed down from generation to generation in Japan. Designed by Kyogen, it represents a wheel from an ox-drawn carriage (popular transportation among aristocrats during the Heian period between 794 and 1185) combined with the 8 pistons of the Roma’s V8 engine forming its spokes. The numeric theme is continued in the eight wave crests that encircle the wheel – symbols of good luck, power and resilience.

Ferrari reveals SP48 Unica designed specially for just one customer

Ferrari’s Special Projects programme creates unique models which have a design so exclusive that each one can be considered a ‘One-Off’. Each project originates from an idea put forward by the customer and is then developed with a team of designers from Ferrari’s Styling Centre. The entire process can last for more than a year on average, during which time the customers closely assesses the design and verification phases.

Customers are, of course, entitled to privacy and their creation may never be shown to the public but some may be agreeable and we get to see a unique one-off Ferrari. The latest is the SP48 Unica revealed today and designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre. The 2-seater sports berlinetta sits on the F8 Tributo platform, with its taut lines and aggressive stance making it instantly recognisable with respect to the original model.

Also unmistakable is the arrow-shaped front profile; central to achieving this effect was the redesign of the headlights and the subsequent relocation of the brake air intakes.

A pivotal aspect of the design of this unique new car is the extensive use of procedural-parametric modelling techniques and 3D prototyping (additive manufacturing) which enabled the designers and engineers to completely redesign the front grille and engine air intakes. This advanced production process, ideal for low-volume items, resulted in perfect 3D grilles that seem carved from a solid volume creating a sense of seamless continuity and dynamic fluidity.

The procedural graphic solutions adopted on the bodywork dialogue directly with the grilles and influence the SP48 Unica’s overall design. Here, the transition from black – which includes the windows, roof and engine cover – to the body colour is especially clear.

The striking visor effect of the front is further heightened by the reduction in the size of the side windows and the elimination of the rear screen. This highlights the powerful muscularity of the SP48 Unica, giving the impression of being sculpted from a single block of metal.

Looking down on the car, the central section of the roof is emphasised. A graphic representation of the air intakes is set into the rear part of the carbonfibre engine cover before the rear wing. This angle allows the viewer to appreciate the styling research that went into the car and reveals the sophisticated interplay of symmetries and intersecting lines created by its forms.

The SP48 Unica’s thermal-fluid-dynamic design has been honed and perfected to guarantee it satisfies all cooling requirements in addition to delivering a different aerodynamic balance. The biggest changes compared to the F8 Tributo’s styling include the air intakes for cooling flows for the engine on the front bumper and beneath the rear spoiler. Each has a deep procedural grille, every section of which is optimally angled to maximise the amount of air passing through.

The car’s configuration also allowed the engineers to locate an intercooler intake immediately behind the side windows, which in turn enabled them to reduce the dimension of the intakes on the flanks. The longer rear overhang reduces suction from the roof area, boosting rear downforce.

The cabin retains the F8 Tributo’s technical identity – excluding the rear screen – and to reflect the car’s personality, specially developed black laser-perforated Alcantara is used on the seats and most of the cabin trim. Beneath are glimpses of iridescent reddish-orange fabric that match the exterior colour.

The motif picks up the hexagonal motif of the grilles and the procedural livery on the roof, creating an appealing continuity between the car’s interior and exterior. In the cockpit, the eye is immediately drawn to the polished sill covers with the same laser-embossed hexagonal motif. Matte carbonfibre creates a sense of technicality and exclusivity, complemented by the Grigio Canna di Fucile accents.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai commissions the Carbon Veil for The Gallery in the Phantom

Unique to the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom is an area of the dashboard called The Gallery. It is a glass enclosure running almost the entire width of fascia and it has been incorporated to house bespoke artistic creations inside the limousine. The owners of the Phantom can insert whatever they wish as part of the personalization of their limousine and Rolls-Royce dealerships also come up with some creative ideas for their customers.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai is one of them and it has commissioned the Carbon Veil for the Phantom Gallery. The work of art was designed by the Rolls‑Royce Bespoke Collective in England and realized by artist and sculptor Alastair Gibson, who combined knowledge and expertise gained in Formula 1 to create his carbonfibre masterpieces.

The Carbon Veil took 2 years to create and unlike most automotive applications where just 3 or 4 layers of carbonfibre are used, no fewer than 150 sheets were permeated with resin and compressed to form a single, solid billet for the Carbon Veil. The construction technique is genuinely ground-breaking, with the result being ultra-stylish, contemporary and beautiful.

“It required a huge amount of experimentation to produce the Carbon Veil Gallery. The main challenge in creating the shape was ensuring that the weave of the carbonfibre remained horizontal and parallel throughout. It had to be perfect – because this is a Rolls‑Royce,” said Gibson.

As an original work of art, the Carbon Veil introduces a highly contemporary note to the Phantom’s interior. Its sharp, angular surfaces and the distinctive woven surface are synonymous with innovation, technology and performance. Depending on the customer’s preference, the carbonfibre is finished in either clear or matte lacquer which brings out the weave pattern and protects it from harmful ultraviolet rays. The whole piece is sealed under a single pane of glass.

The Gallery is a space protected behind glass. This space affords the opportunity to introduce sharp and aggressive forms, which are unprecedented for the interior of a motor vehicle. The design of the faceted milled carbonfibre sculpture was originally inspired by the angular, aggressive, stealthy shapes of the 118 WallyPower (a luxury yacht said to cost £14 million).

Each Phantom Gallery is individually assembled in the Clean Room at the factory. Completed in 2020, this medical-grade facility provides a 100% sterile environment where Bespoke items and other delicate components can be produced entirely free of dust and particles.

The gunmetal exterior of the car is bolstered with an iced finish with gunmetal contrast bonnet, while the coachline and waftline are accented in a vivid mandarin orange. At the helm of the bonnet proudly stands the retracting Spirit of Ecstasy crafted from carbonfibre.

Within the interior, the anthracite brightwork provides moments of contrast, along with the colour-keyed rotary controls and leather detailing. The dark tones and light leather flourishes beautifully accent the Veil Gallery upon the Phantom’s fascia. The flawless Black Pack elements on the exterior include an alluring black trim on the windows, the grille and the exhausts.

The very attitude and nature of The Gallery has been extended to the other Bespoke details on both the exterior and interior of the Phantom it resides within. With a highly contemporaneous edge, the limousine exemplifies the spectrum of Bespoke potential, with the Phantom itself as a canvas quite like no other.

Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, now available with turbocharging too

The Porsche 911 which was launched in 1964 remains one of the classic sportscars of all time, with its original concepts maintained (apart from air-cooling) to this day. It is obviously a collector’s item and much sought after and for those who want find one, there’s now an option from California-based Singer Group – the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer – Turbo Study.

First restoration with turbocharging
While Singer has been offering reimagined 911s for the past 13 years, this is the first road-going one with turbocharging. The Turbo Study is a response to requests from owners for restoration services that incorporate turbocharging. More than 70 owners have reserved bespoke restorations enabled by the study.

As with all Singer’s restoration services in collaboration with owners of the 911, the Turbo Study takes the Type 964 generation (produced between 1989 – 1993) of air-cooled cars as its starting point. The study features a new evolution of the ‘Mezger’ air-cooled flat-six. Now in 3.8-litre form, the engine has twin turbochargers with electric wastegates. Bespoke air-to-water intercoolers are mounted inside the intake plenums.

The ‘shark fin’ on the rear fender is reimagined as an intake and supplies cold air to the engine bay to optimize combustion and cooling performance. The use of forced induction enables power outputs starting at 450 bhp. The availability of turbocharged torque allows for effortless speed-matching on hilly terrain to flat autobahn, together with deep reserves of overtaking ability. A higher power output may also be specified by the owner, with a more overtly sporting focus provided by a sports exhaust system and appropriate damping characteristics.

AWD or RWD
The study draws on all-wheel-drive experience that has been developed in-house since the first AWD Classic Study restoration, undertaken in 2014. In recent years, this experience has been brought together with research into turbocharging and high-performance ride and damping expertise. Customers can specify rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive for the Turbo Study.

An owner may decide to specify the AWD configuration to enhance sure-footed deployment of power and torque in all seasons and surface conditions. The RWD configuration allows owners to pursue an alternative sporting focus, if preferred. In both cases, an optimized 6-speed manual transmission underlines the driver engagement that Singer is renowned for.

Advanced materials for bodywork
A bespoke carbonfibre body maintains the careful balancing of iconic DNA with cutting-edge engineering and material science. While inspired by the turbo cars of the mid-1970s, the bodywork is reimagined to optimize aesthetic and functional performance. As always, the use of carbonfibre allows reduced mass and enhanced stiffness, further sharpening dynamic responses.

The car in Wolf Blue shown in the pictures is actually a customer’s car, customized using the results of the Turbo Study to reflect a personal vision. This owner has pursued a focus on high-performance, luxury grand touring capabilities. The interior has a Malibu Sand theme with Black Forest wood accents.

Aeronautical innovations used for exclusive rear wing for Lexus LC

Car designers have long turned to the aeronautical industry for ideas that have led to innovations. In particular, the shapes of car bodies have been heavily influenced by aircraft because of the pursuit of airflow efficiency. Features today like spoilers and rear wings have their origins in aircraft design although with ‘reversed’ effects where instead of lift, the objective is to gain downforce.

For high-performance sportscars, downforce is important to keep the car as stable as possible at high speeds. This has seen all types of rear wings being installed, some very ‘distinctive’ though with questionable benefits. However, for a new rear carbonfibre wing that was developed for the Lexus LC Coupe, the company formed a long-term collaboration with world champion air race pilot Yoshihide ‘Yoshi’ Muroya to gain advances in aerodynamics that would enable them to design the rear wing.

Long and unique collaboration
Since 2016, Lexus has been reaching for the skies in a unique collaboration with Muroya, winner in 2017 of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship series. In this rare cross-industry partnership, the carmaker benefits from aeronautic technology while the air race pilot leverages Lexus’ automotive breakthroughs.

With the principal aim of winning air races, Lexus and Muroya worked together to develop championship-winning aircraft using the technology, craftsmanship and experience from Lexus. The Lexus design and engineering team has helped develop flight technologies in areas such as aerodynamics, cooling and ergonomics.

The collaboration has produced notable innovations, including a control column grip for Muroya’s cockpit that incorporates Lexus’ sensitivity technologies and a new turning manoeuvre for the aircraft based on aerodynamic data from Lexus.

The new rear wing
For 2022, the Lexus LC will sport a new carbonfibre reinforced plastic rear wing developed together with Muroya. This lightweight, highly rigid and sleek wing maximises aerodynamic performance and makes for more agile driving.

The design draws its inspiration from the wing-tip vortices that influence the design of winglets on jet aircraft. During demanding test flights with Yoshihide Muroya, Lexus engineers analysed his plane’s drag-reducing winglets and the associated vortices that are normally problematic. In the Lexus wind tunnel, engineers found that vehicle dynamics on the ground could be improved by turning the wing upside down and adding winglets.

*The upside-down wing was thoroughly tested and analysed in computer simulations as well as wind tunnel studies (below).*

Once computer and wind tunnel tests were completed, Lexus’ elite team of designers, engineers and Takumi artisans set to work milling an aluminium prototype. Like Muroya’s race plane wings, it was later produced in carbonfibre reinforced plastic (CFRC). Laminated in carbonfibre and epoxy resin with a hollow core, after baking in an autoclave, the woven texture is visible through the lacquered finish.

Downforce without performance loss
Long and lean, the LC’s new wing is nearly 2 metres wide, yet very durable and warp resistant. According to Lexus Takumi master driver, Yoshiaki Ito, the winglets sharpened the LC’s handling, but without using drag-creating downforce, resulting in better performance without sacrifices. The Lexus team called the car the LC Special Edition Aviation, to highlight the background to the development of the rear wing.

The carbonfibre rear wing spoiler is available (in limited numbers) exclusively with the new Lexus Bespoke Build programme. This is a special personalisation programme for customers buying a LC or LC Convertible. The vehicle will be built by an elite team of ‘Takumi’ master craftspeople at the and such units will be distinguished with a personalised interior badge installed on the centre console.

Rolls-Royce customer in Singapore personalises Phantom with country’s national flower

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective – an elite team of engineers, designers and craftspeople based at the Home of Rolls-Royce in England – provides Rolls-Royce customers with the ultimate in personalisation of their cars. Almost every Rolls-Royce sold nowadays has some involvement from the Bespoke Collective – after all, when you pay over a million ringgit, why not spend a bit more to make your car truly unique.

Most of the cars created by the Bespoke Collective are not publicised as their owners may prefer not to do so but some allow Rolls-Royce to show them to the world. The latest one is for a customer in Singapore, and appropriately, this customer wanted the orchid as the theme. The beautiful flower is especially close to the hearts of Singaporean as it is their country’s national flower.

Pioneering Bespoke work
Designers, craftspeople and artisans collaborated with artist Helen Murray over a period of 2 years to create this ‘one of one’ Rolls-Royce known as the Phantom Orchid. Helen and her team have undertaken pioneering bespoke work with Phantom’s Gallery – a wholly contemporary and luxury reinterpretation of a motor car’s fascia and instrument panel area.

She was inspired by several kinds of orchids, including the Singapore Orchid, spending over 200 hours relentlessly refining her design and artwork with her team. “I started by focusing on the actual orchids, which promptly led me to realise that colour was key to capturing the essence of the species. I have created artworks featuring orchids in the past, but my idea for the Gallery was to create something in realistic full colour, which pushed us to refine our digital printing skills,” explained the UK-based artist and textile designer.

Murray started by illustrating the design by hand before creating a digital version that she could print directly onto the silk crepe satin. The final part of the process involved a meticulous hand-sculpting of the flowers, releasing layers of fabric to create a 3D effect.

Orchid Sanctuary
Within the interior, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer Yohan Benchetrit applied his talent to the Bespoke orchid-inspired Picnic Table inlays in the rear of the suite which, when opened, gracefully reveal a beautiful layer of orchids set into Piano Black veneer. He added Bespoke treadplates emanating a similar theme sans text to welcome the owner and passengers into the motor car. The interior suite meanwhile was furnished with elegant, natural colours which provide a soothing ambience akin to an Orchid Sanctuary.

To complete this special Phantom, a unique paint was specially created using the latest paint technology. Arctic White was chosen as the base colour, while a tint of violet was added, inspired by orchids. Combined with fine glass particles through a special process, the result is a stunning pearlescent appearance. Under bright light, the paint technology creates a shimmering effect like no other, changing as an observer views the motor car from different angles. An eye-catching single coachline on either side of Phantom incorporates a Bespoke motif, inspired by an orchid, completing the theme.

Parallels with the Garden City
“It draws parallels with the Singapore I know; a thoroughly modern garden city merging nature and technology effortlessly in its make-up,” said Michael Bryden, Lead Designer, Rolls-Royce Bespoke, who has not only spent time in Singapore but designed the now famous, ‘one of one’ ‘SG50 Bespoke Ghost’, created to celebrate the country’s 50th Anniversary.

“It was the first time we had produced a motorcar to celebrate such an occasion, so I am again delighted to have participated with Yohan and the Bespoke Collective to create another masterpiece for Singapore,” he said.

He explained that the concept envisaged a balanced yet progressive design which echoes the values of the Singapore region. “The orchid is seen in many facets of Asian life, a reminder that the resilient adapt and thrive regardless of the evolving environment. Phantom is the only motorcar in the world to feature the Gallery, a space that enables one to exhibit art, sculptures, or objects of self-expression in the sanctuary of Phantom’s interior,” said Bryden.

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