Watch: The House of Rolls-Royce’s ‘Goodwood’ with Kate Winslet

Narrated by Kate Winslet, 'Goodwood' is the second in a series of short films about the House of Rolls-Royce

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Ahead of the new Phantom release, set for early 2018, the House of Rolls-Royce has unveiled a series of short films about the history of the Great British Brand and how it has become one of the world’s leading luxury houses. The second instalment takes us to Goodwood in England, the home of Rolls-Royce…

The next in a series of short films created by the marque to introduce the world to the House of Rolls-Royce and to celebrate its rich heritage, ‘Goodwood’ was premiered on 7 April 2017 and takes us to Rolls-Royce’s global centre of luxury excellence.

Kate Winslet is once again the voice of the film, leading the audience on a journey to where colourists, designers, engineers and sculptors collaborate under the same roof, with the single objective of delivering perfection.

‘It may surprise you to know that there is in this world a place where beauty is made, where wonder grows freely, and where the extraordinary is considered just a good starting point. Our home: a foundry for ideas, built for those who seek perfection in everything they do. Conceived by dreamer and pioneer, their challenge prevails to fuse art with science and create the perfect machine for travel. A vision of the future, driven by our muse: The Spirit of Ecstasy. Fired by her passion, 60 pairs of masterful hands now shape, test & assemble. Engineers and craftsmen, dedicated to each bespoke vehicle. Colourists and sculptors, designers and technicians, collaborating under one roof with a single objective: to achieve the extraordinary.’

Goodwood in West Sussex was also the source of inspiration for another artistic project: an exciting collaboration between Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem and Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design collective.

Kazem is a pioneer of contemporary art in the UAE, and was commissioned for the Rolls-Royce Art Programme. Together with Goodwood’s residing Bespoke Design team, Kazem was moved to create a unique car incorporating his interest in latitude and longitude coordinates, and inspired by the master craftsmen he had met. And so, commissioned by Abu Dhabi Motors, a bespoke Rolls-Royce Wraith was created; incorporated into the design are the coordinates of Rolls-Royce artisans which are interpreted in a bespoke backlit clock, hand-painted feature line and starlight headliner.

The Bespoke Starlight Headliner alone is the product of nearly 90 hours of painstaking work, with 863 individually placed fibre-optic threads sewn by hand to complement 60,000 individually embroidered stitches.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars commented, ‘The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, is a source of inspiration for artists, patrons and craftspeople alike. It is a delight to see Mohammed Kazem’s artistic practice envelop Wraith, creating a motor car which truly embodies the spirit of the craftsmen and women from our global centre of luxury excellence.’

Mohammed Kazem’s new work for the Rolls-Royce Art Programme will be publicly exhibited in Abu Dhabi in May 2017.

These are the first short films of many, set to be released throughout the next year ahead of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom unveiling. This release will also herald the beginning of the second chapter of the remarkable story of Rolls-Royce since its renaissance began in 2003 at the marque’s centre of luxury excellence in Goodwood, West Sussex.