Rolls-Royce marks 110th year of the Spirit of Ecstasy

MANILA: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks the 110th anniversary of its official emblem, the Spirit of Ecstasy. 

The story behind the Spirit Ecstasy began in 1909, when Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, one of the motoring pioneers of Britain, asked Charles Sykes, an illustrator and sculptor, to design a mascot for his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. He created the “Whisper” — a bronze statue of a young woman wearing a fluttering robe.

Since other owners have been producing their own ornaments, Johnson told Sykes to make an “official” mascot for the purpose of protecting the products of the company. Sykes redesigned “The Whisper” and produced the "Spirit of Ecstasy."

The registration for the intellectual property of the emblem was done on February 6, 1911 and since then, it became an iconic element of the Rolls-Royce brand. It is also considered one of the most coveted, legendary, and popular symbols of luxury worldwide.

The Spirit of Ecstasy appeared to be unchangeable for a long time. It graces the bonnet of each Rolls-Royce vehicle constructed at Goodwood, the Home of Rolls-Royce.

The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine remains safely hidden within an exquisite housing in the bonnet until the engine is started.

As part of its preparation for the debut of the Rolls Royce Phantom in 2003, the BMW Group restyled the Spirit of Ecstasy through a contemporary investment casting procedure with a specialist firm in Southampton, England.

The first part of the process was to electronically “map” the initial Spirit of Ecstasy, improving and manipulating the details to produce an ideal three-dimensional computerized form.

To guarantee that the delicate details were accurately reproduced, professional craftsmen created the injection mold through the use of cutters that are 0.22 mm in size. This specific cast tool was used to create a precise figurine wax model, which was covered in ceramic.

After drying the coating, the wax was allowed to melt off, producing an ideal mold from which the new cast will be extracted.

Every figurine is produced through the filling of the mold with molten stainless steel at a high temperature of 1600°C. Upon cooling of the steel, the mold is opened to unveil the Spirit of Ecstasy.

The process is completed in the finishing department through a procedure described as peening. Through this process, stainless steel balls that are 0.04 mm in diameter blast the casting to aid in finishing the surface without any abrasions.

Some of the final touches after machining include strict quality assurance assessments and a final mirror finish. Once the entire process has been completed, the well-polished  figurine is placed above the signature Rolls-Royce grille.

In January 2011, the company unveiled The Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The collection, exclusive to only 100 custom-made Phantom models, showcased interior details, wood veneers, leather combinations, and exceptional body colors.

All models included a commissioned Spirit of Ecstasy in solid silver. It featured six hallmarks, which include two distinctly styled ones for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, placed on a black-gold plated illuminated base.

Rolls-Royce appointed the leading British fashion and portrait photographer Rankin to manufacture a series of 100 photos inspired by the iconic figurine.

In 2016, the professional Belgian designer Charles Kaisin made an installation that included 2,500 small origami pieces, which are all made from silver paper and have been folded to form the Spirit of Ecstasy. The origami pieces were combined to recall the signature figurine.

To date, the foundational relationship of the brand between the art and automotive industries persists with Muse, The Rolls-Royce Art Program, a pioneering figure in the field of moving image art.

As part of the Muse initiative, the biennial Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge invites new and existing artistic practitioners to reimagine the unique form of the figurine according to their preferred manner of expression and content.

Last year, the Spirit of Ecstasy acquired a new look as part of a broader upgrade of the marque’s identity. Now named as The Expression, the figurine appears to be elegant and ethereal, but with a highly modern and innovative edge that represents the vision of Rolls-Royce as a contemporary House of Luxury.

Photos from Rolls-Royce

Also read: Artwork from actual feathers featured in Rolls-Royce Phantom 'gallery'