From 3,000 feathers to pet portraits, Rolls-Royce rides high on custom craze
Source: The Guardian ·
In our second in a series on high-end UK manufacturing, we visit the artisans producing rich clients’ bespoke luxury cars‘Our town is making jeans again’: meet the firm reviving jobs and skills in WalesThey are the plaything of kings, presidents and A-listers, with Rolls-Royce enthusiasts ranging from the Sultan of Brunei to Rowan Atkinson, from King Charles III to Kermit the frog.And at the…
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They are the plaything of kings, presidents and A-listers, with Rolls-Royce enthusiasts ranging from the Sultan of Brunei to Rowan Atkinson, from King Charles III to Kermit the frog. And at the carmaker’s factory in Goodwood, West Sussex, special requests from customers get more indulgent every year. An interior lined with 3,000 iridescent feathers, or a built-in champagne cooler, or a car built in homage to its owners’ dog, have all become part of the job. Even with a fast-growing team of artisans and engineers, the company is stretched, and soon it will nearly double the size of its factory as part of a £300m investment by its owner, BMW, which it said at the time of the announcement was part of “securing our future here in the UK”. Behind much of the demand is a new kind of client, who is younger than ever and with a fortune built in technology, says Julian Jenkins, Rolls-Royce’s director of sales and brand. The average buyer is now just 43 – down from 56 in 2010. “Never has there…