Few cars invoke images of wealth as readily as Rolls-Royce. It’s fitting, then, that the world’s most expensive hood ornament should embellish such a car.
The Spirit of Ecstasy, known in the US as The Flying Lady, has a tangled history. Originally commissioned as a personal emblem for Lord John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, the sculptor, Charles Sykes, chose Lord Montagu’s secret love, Eleanor Velasco Thornton, as a model for the mascot. He dubbed the resulting ornament “The Whisper.”
When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, concerned that the fashionable personal emblems of the day were inappropriate for such a prestigious vehicle, set out to create their own mascot, they turned to Sykes to sculpt an emblem that embodied the grace and beauty of the Rolls-Royce. Once again he used Ms. Thornton as the model for his Spirit of Speed, which he later referred to as the Spirit of Ecstasy.
The rights to the Spirit of Ecstasy have changed hands over the years. At one point they were purchased, along with rights to the shape of the Rolls-Royce radiator grill and even some Bentley components, by Volkswagen. Having only wanted the Bentley rights in the first place, they eventually reached a deal with BMW, who owned the rights to build Rolls-Royce cars, which allowed the familiar hood ornament and grill to be reunited with the luxurious car.
This year, designer Jean Kemanjian created a special version of the Spirit of Ecstasy for Manhattan Motorcars to show off at the New York Auto Show. Made of platinum and other rare metals, the figurine is completely coated in 150 carats of high-quality (VVS1) diamonds. While it’s valued at $200,000, it’s not for sale. Even so, it can certainly be called the most expensive hood ornament in the world.
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I would love to have this on my Rolls-Royce.