Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has just unveiled a new model that they call "a seminal new concept in luxury." The newest and all-electric Rolls will also be the smallest Rolls. This is one Rolls-Royce that even the most wealthy can't buy. You see, it has been hand crafted by the Rolls Bespoke Manufacturing team for just one special client: St. Richard’s Hospital Pediatric Day Surgery Unit in Chichester, West Sussex, the home of the marque.
The Rolls-Royce SRH was crafted for the use of the children attending the unit. They will be able to drive themselves to the operating room, following hallways with painted lines and traffic signs. The hospital says that "self-drive to theatre" is meant to reduce stress on their youngest patients.
Rolls-Royce brought two children and their families to tour the production line and test the new car. To make sure that the patients get only the best from Rolls, it is said to have the same attention to detail as the real thing. There is a two-tone steering wheel, colour matched to the Andalusian White and Salamanca Blue exterior. The interior is St. James Red, and over 400 hours were spent building the car.
Some innovative techniques went into making the smallest Rolls. The Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament and the paddle controls were all 3D printed. Powering the SRH is a 24-volt battery and electric motor that can power it to a top speed of 16 km/h. Rolls says it is as quiet as their V12s, although we think the SRH is probably quieter.
This newest Rolls is designed to help give kids smiles, more than it is to cover miles. Sue Nicholls, Pediatric Matron at the hospital, said that "in the coming years it will help turn a daunting experience into a more fun and enjoyable one for hundreds and hundreds of children."
