Little over a week after the tragic death of CEO Andrea Pininfarina, a somber team presented a testament to the elegance of his work, the Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the most graceful display of its kind, where the world’s most genteel classic cars and some of the most inspiring concept cars are exhibited.
This redesign of the RR Phantom Drophead Coupe was commissioned by Roland Hall a collector and enthusiast. Lighting on a sailing motif, the coachbuilder added sweeping lines along the side panels, and enriched the interior with plentiful wood accents. Taking inspiration from the aristocracy of 1930s car design, Pininfarina lengthened the bonnet and added a swept windshield. The convertible now seats just two in classic Rolls-Royce interior comfort. The oddest addition is a gun rack in the front cabin per Hall’s request.
Fine Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux created a special timepiece for the one-off coupe. It is based on the Tourbillon Vintage 1945 and has a special housing on the dashboard for display. The white gold face meshes seamlessly with the interior design as passion, elegance, precision and heritage link watch making and car building.
This is not the first time Pininfarina has added its noble touch to a Rolls-Royce, and this edition has overtones of past projects like the Silver Dawn saloon of 1951 and the Camargue coupe of 1975. Though the Hyperion is named for a Titan praised by the Ancient Greeks for first speculating about the movement of the heavenly bodies, Roland Hall has dedicated his Hyperion to the memory of Andrea Pininfarina.
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August 19, 2008LuxuryIndex.com Boat of the Week: 2008 46 m Leopard
