Creation
Brushed Steel Bonnet
We love the purity of using materials in their natural state, but sometimes achieving such simplicity is extremely complicated
Adopting the striking ‘bare metal’ theme pioneered in our 100EX experimental car, we wanted to make the Phantom Drophead Coupé’s bonnet from brushed steel, to accentuate its rakish, flowing lines.
To be certain the bonnet (the largest component made from anti-corrosion steel in the car industry) could satisfy our uncompromising quality standards we had a number of critical obstacles to overcome.
The first was to find a means of applying a perfect brushed finish to the numerous steel components, including the surround to the radiator grille, the bonnet, windscreen surround and A-pillar trim, waistline and surround to the teak rear deck. The second was to make the unpainted steel durable enough to withstand prolonged exposure to harsh driving environments, yet retain the beautiful, simple look of natural, untreated metal. Finally we had to conquer the age-old problem of the steel reacting with the aluminium front wings and causing corrosion. It took us 6-months of tireless experimentation to perfect the art of preserving exposed steel, and to create a totally reliable barrier where the steel and aluminium panels meet. The results, we think you’ll agree, are well worth the effort.
