This One-Off Rolls-Royce Ghost Brings Back White Wall Tyres, Sort Of

Remember white wall tyres? They’re one of those things that just seem like a relic of a different age of motoring, like quarterlights, carburettors, and, erm, zero regard for driver or pedestrian safety.

Rolls-Royce, it would seem, wants to bring them back. White walls – or rather, tyres with white pinstriping on them – have cropped up on a bespoke Ghost, one of three specially commissioned Rolls-Royces that are appearing at this week’s Beijing Auto Show, designed to show the work of Rolls’ Private Office Shanghai.

The company’s Private Offices are a series of locations in various global cities known for their wealth and luxury. They’re designed to provide a place for Rolls customers to specify bespoke cars without having to travel to the company’s HQ in Goodwood.

With one of Rolls’ youngest and fastest-growing customer bases in China, the three cars it’s showing off in Beijing, which it calls the ‘Spirit of Expression’ series, are designed to “perfectly embody the tastes of younger progressive Chinese clients.”

Each one is apparently inspired by a global destination that’s popular amongst wealthy young people from China and features one of Rolls’ signature starlight headliners that references the night sky above said destinations.

Firstly, the one that unexpectedly brings back white walls: the Ghost Extended ‘Expressionism’. It’s finished in a shade called Boracay Blue, which is a nod to the resort island of Boracay in the Philippines, and is – let’s not mess about – quite clearly pink. Lime Green pinstripes run along the car’s flanks and around the wheels’ centres. Inside, there's a combination of black and white leather and more Lime Green accents, as well as a wave pattern that repeats in the LED headlining and some of the leather inlays.

The bigger extended-wheelbase Phantom has also been given the treatment. Named ‘Magnetism’, it takes inspiration from a secluded Sicilian beach called Cala Luna. It’s that beach that gives its name to Cala Luna Sand, the bottom-most colour of the two-tone arrangement – the top is Kabira Blue. Meanwhile, the interior is trimmed in a combination of navy, white and what Rolls calls ‘Blue Grey’. It gets a ‘celestial motif’ that appears on both the ‘waterfall’ piece between the two rear seats and on the Phantom’s ‘gallery’ dashboard centrepiece.

The final ‘Spirit of Expression’ car is the Spectre, Rolls’ new all-electric coupe. This one’s called ‘Escapism’, and is inspired by South America, specifically the bright red bloom of the lantana flower. The Lantana Red lower section is set against a Tempest Grey upper body, and it gets an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy figure on the front. We’ll leave you to make your own minds up on that one. The Spectre’s interior is a combination of colours it calls Sunset, Purple Silk and Selby Grey. Quite why a nondescript North Yorkshire town is being namechecked among these other exotic locations isn’t clear.

The three cars will be on display this week at the Beijing Auto Show. We eagerly await the arrival of a bespoke Cullinan that follows up the white walls with curb-feelers and a quilted velour interior.