Want a car paint that sparkles? Use crushed diamonds.
Rolls-Royce Ghost Elegance Actually Uses Crushed Diamonds in the Paint
The Rolls-Royce Ghost Elegance comes adorned with a car paint that has 1,000 crushed diamonds mixed in. The car recently made its debut at the Geneva Auto Show.
If you already have a car worth more than most people’s homes, perhaps the only thing left is to wantonly destroy precious stones. This move certainly created a stir. Surely that was the whole point of Rolls-Royce’s stunt.
Elegance
First of all, you won’t be able to go to a dealership and just order the Rolls-Royce Ghost Elegance, because you don’t have enough money.
Seriously though, if you have the cash, Rolls-Royce will crush a bunch of diamonds and mix them into your paint. They will also paint your car to match your favorite sweatshirt from college. You can even get upholstery that looks just like the stuff covering the couch in your living room.
With this vehicle and its over-the-top paint job, Rolls-Royce is showcasing the bespoke services it offers. If you aren’t aware, Rolls and other high-end automakers will let you go crazy and design a car with all kinds of customized finishes.
We’re not talking about how Mini will let you get Piano Black interior trim pieces and checkered side mirror caps. Basically, if you have the money and can think it up, Rolls-Royce can build it.
Cost Is No Factor
If you must ask how much diamond-encrusted paint will set you back, you can’t afford to buy a Rolls-Royce Ghost Elegance.
Seriously, you’re not the target market. Just go to the Rolls-Royce website and look around. There’s one thing missing that you see on pretty much every other automaker’s site: pricing. How much will a Ghost set you back, or even a Wraith or Phantom? If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
Owning a Rolls-Royce isn’t about being practical, frugal or even somewhat reasonable. It’s about flaunting opulent wealth, because why not? The Rolls-Royce Ghost Elegance is almost the most sumptuous of the lineup.
To say the Rolls-Royce bespoke program is all about money not being an object, it isn’t exaggeration or hypberbole.
Customer Car
According to Rolls-Royce, the Ghost Elegance is actually a customer’s personal vehicle. That person was gracious enough to let the company put the bespoke paint on display.
This car marks the first time crushed diamonds have been mixed in paint. Not just any diamonds were used. Each one had to be examined by the good folks in Goodwood Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant. The process took two months and likely a mind-blowing number of man hours.
One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to crush the diamonds and mix them into the paint. Further, the automaker wanted an even distribution of the precious stone bits. Also, the surface of the car still needed to be completely smooth. Consequently, the paint specialists resorted to making a diamond powder and mixing that in.
To get the paint on the car properly, Rolls developed a new process it won’t talk about too much. It does involve a layer of super-thin lacquer, plus hand polishing. Consequently, it’s expensive.
Rolls calls this paint Diamond Stardust. Will this start a new trend? Probably not a huge one, because most people struggle to afford a decent new car.
Man of Steel
Does having all those crushed diamonds on the outside make the Ghost like Superman? Diamonds do have a reputation for being durable. Probably not.
Still, it’d be cool if by adding diamonds to your paint, you could turn a car into a super-hardened tool of durability. Think of the lack of bodywork such a vehicle would need. What if it made the body panels bulletproof?
In the case of the Ghost Elegance, those superpowers wouldn’t be applied to the entire exterior. Rolls-Royce only used the crushed diamonds for the upper half of the body. As a result you might be able to tell there’s a difference in the sheen of the two different paints on the car.
Clearing the Conscience
Just because you’re a 1 percenter and want diamond-infused paint on your ultra luxury car doesn’t mean you also want blood on your hands. That’s why Rolls-Royce was careful to mention that all 1,000 diamonds crushed for the Ghost Elegance’s paint were ethically sourced.
So don’t look here for blood diamonds.
Straight from the official press release for the Ghost Elegance, Rolls-Royce said this: “The lifestyle of the Rolls-Royce customer is like no other. They are unapologetic in their lifestyle choices and are proud to showcase this to the world.”
So if you’re in the market for a Rolls-Royce, it’s totally worth it to go with a brand-new model. Sure, that pre-owned Ghost might come with an attractive discount, but you can’t get bespoke items like diamond-infused paint.
