Rolls-Royce debuts Phantom Coupe Aviator at The Quail

Rolls-Royce unveiled the Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection at The Quail Lodge during Pebble Beach weekend. It's inspired by the company's aviation history and features a cockpit-like layout with cues from the aerospace industry.

The Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection is finished in Aviator gray with a matte hood, and matte window and grille surrounds. Inside, wood and metal surround the driver while a Thommen aviation-grade clock sits in the upper fascia, sporting orange needle tips. The clock is complimented by Rolls-Royce's dials for power reserve, speedometer and fuel gauges—though in this car they are finished in matte black.

The lower part of the fascia gets mahogany accents, all handmade, like the propellers on Rolls-powered planes. Stainless-steel accents with bullet-shaped ends match the floor mats.

The Aviator cars celebrate the Schneider Trophy-winning Supermarine S6B, which was powered by a version of the Rolls-Royce R Type engine in the 1930s and '40s. The transmission tunnel of the Aviator is done in anodized aluminum, with exposed torx bolts meant to look like the S6B fuselage.

Inside the leather-lined glove compartment is a quote from Charles Rolls after his first flight with the Wright Brothers in 1908: “The power of flight is as a fresh gift from the Creator, the greatest treasure yet given to man.”

The center console features a chrome plaque reading Pioneer Aviator, as Charles Rolls was only the second person in Great Britain to hold a pilot's license.

The mechanicals are the same as the rest of the Phantom family, meaning a 6.75-liter V12 making 453 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed transmission moves all that power to the back wheels.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but Rolls did say that only 35 Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection cars will be built. We'll assume it will be slightly more expensive than the base Phantom Coupe's $408,000 price tag.

Monterey car week is packed with car shows, vintage racing and auctions. Autoweek will be there providing streaming photo galleries and live coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, historic racing at Laguna Seca, the Monterey car auctions and plenty more. Go to Autoweek's Pebble Beach home page for complete coverage and live updates.

By Jake Lingeman