Rolls-Royce has never been shy about turning a motor car into a moving piece of culture, but the new Phantom Arabesque takes that idea in a fresh direction. Commissioned as a true one-off through Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Private Office Dubai, this Phantom Extended draws directly from the Middle East’s architectural heritage, translating traditional mashrabiya latticework into modern Bespoke craftsmanship.

For anyone who’s walked through historic homes, palaces, or courtyards across the region, mashrabiya patterns are instantly recognizable. Those intricately carved wooden screens are more than decoration, offering privacy while still allowing light, airflow, and a view outward. Rolls-Royce’s designers leaned into those same themes, building a visual story that feels rooted in place without losing the brand’s unmistakable sense of quiet drama.

The centerpiece is the bonnet, which becomes a first for the marque: a fully laser-engraved surface. Rolls-Royce says the method took five years to develop, and it’s now protected under a newly patented process. The approach nods to sgraffito, a technique where a top layer is carefully removed to reveal a contrasting tone beneath, but here it’s executed with modern precision and the patience you’d expect from a brand that obsesses over surface perfection.

The process itself is fascinating in the way only high-end coachbuilding can be. The bonnet is painted in a darker shade first, sealed under clear coats, then finished with a lighter top layer. A geometric mashrabiya pattern is engraved into that upper surface to a depth of roughly 145 to 190 microns, revealing the darker color below. After that, each engraved area is hand-sanded to ensure the finish looks sculptural and even, with subtle shifts in appearance as light moves across the contours.

Elsewhere, Phantom Arabesque keeps things tastefully formal. The two-tone exterior pairs Diamond Black with contrasting Silver, joined by a single hand-painted coachline that features a mashrabiya motif. Rolls-Royce also fits an illuminated Pantheon grille with a Dark Chrome surround, an uplit Spirit of Ecstasy, and 22-inch part-polished alloy wheels that keep the overall look stately rather than loud.

Inside, the theme continues in a more restrained, almost gallery-like way. The dashboard’s full-width Gallery houses an intricate marquetry artwork crafted from Blackwood and Black Bolivar wood, echoing the same geometric language seen outside. Selby Grey and Black leathers set a calm tone, while mashrabiya motifs show up as embroidery on the headrests, and the Starlight Doors add that signature Rolls-Royce sense of occasion when the cabin lights dim.

In the end, Phantom Arabesque reads like Rolls-Royce doing what it does best: taking a deeply specific client vision and pushing the craft forward to meet it. This car has already been delivered to its Middle Eastern commissioning client, but the bigger story is what it represents for the future. If this laser-engraving technique is the first chapter, it’s hard not to wonder what kinds of Bespoke surfaces and cultural tributes might be next.