Rolls-Royce Is Trying to Bring Back White-Wall Tires

This made-to-order Ghost has 104,268 stitches in the doors, and it’s one of three special vehicles unveiled for customers in China.

In a world of luxury cars painted endless shades of silver, Rolls-Royce stands above the rest. The posh brand just unveiled the Spirit of Expression—a series of three special builds for china, one of which is rocking whitewall tires.

That would be the lavender Ghost Extended sedan, nicknamed “Expressionism.” Rolls-Royce labels the color Boraclay Blue, so named for Boraclay Island in the Philippines. The company says it’s inspired by the “unique hues witnessed during the transition from sunset to twilight, when the sky appears to become one with the Sulu Sea.” Frankly, we’re just happy it’s not silver.

The bespoke build rides on 21-inch wheels, and for a touch of old-school style, there are narrow white strips on the tire sidewalls. It’s not quite the whitewall heyday of the 1950s, but for a modern ultra-low profile tire, it stands out. If the lime green and black interior color scheme bores you, spend a few hours and count the stitches in the lavish greenhouse. Rolls-Royce tells us there are 104,268 just in the Ghost’s four doors. Our condolences to the person who actually had to count them.

There’s more color to be found with Escapism, a two-tone orange/gray Spectre. It’s actually a shade of red called Lantana, named for the Lantana Flower found in South America. It doesn’t have white wall tires, but the sweeping two-door does ride on huge 23-inch seven-spoke wheels. Like the Ghost, curious colors abound inside with purple and gray being the primary shades. Orange stitching provides some contrast, and while we don’t know how many are in the door, Rolls-Royce says there are 960 fiber-optic lights in the Starlight Headliner.

The final car in this trio is called Magnetism. It’s a Phantom Extended, combining a blue-tinged shade of gray called Cala Luna Sand with Kabira Blue for the roof. Dare we say, it’s the more sedate vehicle in this group, but that still means over 1,000 lights for the headliner and over 43,000 stitches for a waterfall-themed motif inside the car.

Rolls-Royce says these are the first bespoke cars ordered through the company’s special office in Shanghai. Each is destined for a customer in China, but before that happens, they’ll be on display at this year’s Auto China show in Beijing, slated to begin later this week.

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