The Rolls-Royce Phantom Hummingbird is a one-off worth shelling out for

If you’re considerably richer than everyone else, it isn’t enough to simply buy a Rolls-Royce. For the ultimate statement of wealth, you need to commission a one-off like this Rolls-Royce Phantom Hummingbird.

“Curated” by Rolls’ Private Office Dubai, it was commissioned as a tribute to a client’s wife with an avian theme, but the materials used for the bespoke hummingbird decorations are of marine origin.

The Phantom Hummingbird is the first Rolls-Royce car to feature abalone shell marquetry. For the uninitiated, the abalone is a sea snail, which might not conjure up aesthetically pleasing images, but its shell is something rather special. In Rolls-Royce’s words, the shell is “prized for its extraordinary natural iridescence: the nacreous inner surface of the shell produces a hallmark blue-green lustre when it interacts with light.”