Roger Daltrey of The Who is the first British music legend to team up with Rolls-Royce to create a series of highly exclusive cars, celebrating the marque’s long-standing relationship with the world of Rock & Roll.
In total, nine Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ cars will be commissioned by icons of the British music scene – creating the ultimate collectors’ items for Rolls-Royce customers, with a proportion of the value of each car being donated to charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The unique designs will fall within the Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’ collection of Bespoke cars, and further illustrious collaborators from the pantheon of British music royalty are set to be announced in the coming months.
The project was conceived by acclaimed portrait photographer Alistair Morrison who, on first viewing Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’, came up with the idea, inspired by his work shooting some of British music’s most celebrated icons.
“I am currently working on a series of photographs commissioned by The Who’s, Roger Daltrey, entitled ‘Rock Stars Legacy’ – in essence it brings together the crème of the British music scene in one truly iconic image,” said Alistair Morrison. “On seeing Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’ and in learning about the way Rolls-Royce patrons collaborate with the marque’s Bespoke Designers, I saw an opportunity to express the spirit of this project, in revealing the personalities and musical legacies of these music icons through the medium of these extraordinary motor cars.”
Daltrey was so inspired by the project, he committed to commissioning two cars. The first is inspired by his own personal music legacy, featuring iconography from The Who’s history, including the band’s famous ‘bullseye’ logo and a laser-etched depiction of Daltrey’s famous microphone swing to the car’s door-flights.
For his second car Daltrey worked with artist Mike McInnerney, creator of the famous album artwork for The Who’s seminal album, ‘Tommy’. For this tribute to one of the 1960s’ most highly regarded LPs, McInnerney will work in close collaboration with the artisans in the RR surface finish centre to create an expression of the album’s iconic sleeve design – a piece that promises to stand alone as a notable collectors’ item. This, the last of the nine cars to be built, will be auctioned for the Teenage Cancer Trust in April 2017.
“I am enormously excited at the prospect of raising vital funds and awareness for the Teenage Cancer Trust in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, a true British icon,” said Daltrey.
Each of these special collaborations will represent a one-of-a-kind commission and collectors will be invited to acquire them through the marque’s European dealer network. A proportion of the value of each car will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust and other charities.