2026 Rolls-Royce Phantom Hummingbird
By Lorenzo Bianchi September 16, 2026
Phantom Hummingbird is the first Rolls Royce to use abalone shell marquetry, combined with mother of pearl to recreate the bird's iridescent plumage.
Each Picnic Table hummingbird contains 53 individual shell pieces, while an 84 piece botanical composition fills the Rear Waterfall panel.
Wildberry lower paint meets a White Sands upper body, divided by a hand applied Coachline carrying a painted hummingbird.
The 2026 Rolls Royce Phantom Hummingbird is less a conventional special edition than a highly specific piece of commissioned craftsmanship. Based on Phantom Extended, the car was commissioned as a private tribute to its owner's wife and developed through Private Office Dubai.
Its defining feature is something Rolls Royce has never previously used in one of its cars: abalone shell marquetry. The material was selected for its blue green iridescence, which changes as light moves across its nacreous inner surface.
Two Tone Body Carries a Painted Hummingbird
Outside, the Phantom Extended retains its long formal proportions, but the color treatment is unique to this commission. Wildberry covers the lower body while White Sands is applied above it. A hand applied White Sands Coachline traces the division between the two finishes.
Look more closely and the theme becomes apparent. A hand painted hummingbird appears within the Coachline, carrying the subject of the interior craftsmanship onto the exterior.
Abalone Shell Changes With the Light
Most of the work is concentrated in the rear cabin. A hummingbird appears on each Picnic Table, assembled from 53 pieces of abalone shell and mother of pearl. Eighteen individual pieces are used just for each bird's wings. Between the rear seats, the Rear Waterfall carries an 84 piece botanical motif.
Working with the shell was not straightforward. Abalone is thin and brittle, and Rolls Royce says six iterations were needed before the craftspeople established a suitable process. The material was reduced in thickness, carefully fitted into the veneer and then lacquered.
Each fragment was laser cut 0.06 mm oversized to account for the laser burn margin, then filed by hand. Completing the two Picnic Tables and Rear Waterfall required 45 hours after cutting and fitting.
Natural Materials Shape the Rear Cabin
Ash Burr veneer provides the background for all three marquetry panels, while Silver Birch is incorporated into the Picnic Table compositions. The Silver Birch came from a single selected log to maintain the required grain pattern.
Creme Light leather covers the seats, joined by Moccasin and Tan detailing. Seashell carpeting sits below, while a Starlight Headliner completes the cabin treatment.
Mechanical Specifications Remain Largely Unchanged
The technical section lists combined WLTP fuel consumption of 16.0 to 16.4 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 362 to 373 g/km.
That keeps the announcement firmly focused on the commission itself: the unusual material, the painstaking marquetry and the way a hummingbird theme runs from the rear cabin to the exterior Coachline.