Limited-edition automobiles rule the road as carmakers produce special vehicles to attract consumers
Special-edition cars are giving production-line models a run for their money. Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes have all come up with exotic models
here was a time when owning a Ferrari or a Bentley was enough in itself. Not any more. Blame the steady increase in the numbers of the super-wealthy,
perhaps, but the run-of-the-mill production car is losing its lustre to the special edition.
Take, for example, Rolls-Royce’s latest collection lines, the Wraith Luminary, Black Badge Adamas Collection and Silver Ghost Collection. Each of these consists of between 35 and 50 units. Editions have included models with woven metal interiors, dappled lighting and special effects such as 1,700 embedded fibre optic LED lights, with the occasional shooting star rocketing across the headliner.
“We’re designing more with the unique in mind. We want to create something the customer can show off to their peers,” explains Matthew Danton, the lead designer on Rolls-Royce’s Collection cars. “It’s about taking the cars beyond the standard offer. We feel that’s necessary now, even if our standard cars are hardly ‘standard’. We’re aware that our customer tends to live in a rarefied world in which everything is beyond the norm, and that’s what we have to cater to.”
Advances in technology are helping the company achieve this end, Danton stresses, noting the illumination effects, and materials like ceramics that offer sheen or texture. “The industry is moving beyond the idea that leather and wood veneer are the pinnacle of materials use,” he says.
There can be a practical aspect, too. Porsche’s special-edition 911 R has polycarbonate windows and a magnesium roof to help with weight reduction. Rolls-Royce isn’t alone in offering limited editions. It is becoming a common industry practice. Recent years have seen a flurry of special editions that have focused on the body and engine as well as the detailing.
There has been the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato, the Ferrari F12tdf, the McLaren 675LT Spider, and the latest limited-edition version of Audi’s R8, complete with spoiler and skirts. As if the Lamborghini Aventador wasn’t macho enough, there’s the Aventador SV, or the bank-breaking Centenario, of which only 40 have been made. Even MPVs are getting the treatment: last year Mercedes announced a run of 1,500 limited-edition V-class people carriers.
Limited editions invariably spark a useful hit of publicity for any brand. The announcement of Bentley’s Mulsanne W.O., a special edition of 100 cars launching next year to mark the company’s centenary, garnered 300,000 Instagram likes in a few days. As in the fashion
world, limited editions spark collaborations, and Bentley has created special editions with Breitling and Princess Yachts.