You could say that Jack Boyd Smith Jr. took a risk by putting his new extended wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom into operation. Residing in Elkhart, Indiana, the classic car collector and industrialist asked Rolls-Royce Motor Cars for the refined interior of his vehicle to feature one of the rarest types of wood on the planet; Hawaiian Koa.
It seems that Smith, whose Gaska Tape company makes duct tape and foam for the automotive industry, loves Hawaii and anything made of Koa wood. His favorite piece of furniture is a Koa rocking chair that he and his wife Laura bought years ago in Maui.
Jack Boyd Smith Jr. (photo) waited nearly three years for Koa wood in the interior to become available through environmentally friendly measures.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
Usually, getting rare wood for a Phantom veneer is not a challenge for Rolls-Royce Bespoke woodworkers in the UK. But with Koa trees protected in Hawaii, only dead or fallen trees can be harvested. And then, it can only be private land.
The striking feature and Koa detailing.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
According to Rolls-Royce, the process of tracking and negotiating to purchase a suitable specimen from the valuable Koa took nearly three years. The end result, however, is spectacular. The rich and warm honey-colored Koa varnish flows through the Phantom panel, center console, rear picnic tables and doors. It is even used in a picnic basket that alone took more than 500 hours to create.
Jack Boyd Smith Jr. waited nearly three years for Koa wood in the interior to become available through ecological measures.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
It is no wonder, then, that the most complex and expensive custom example of the model to be delivered to a US buyer is known as “The Phantom Koa”.
“Now, every time I get in the car, I remember Hawaii,” says Smith, who is adding the eighth generation Phantom EWB to his growing collection. Totaling more than 60 cars now, its assembly includes four other Rolls-Royce automobiles; a rare Silver Ghost 1923, a 2001 Convertible Corniche, a 2011 Phantom Drophead and a 2015 Phantom.
The Starlight Headliner presents the constellations in the night sky in Cleveland, Ohio, on the night of Mr. Smith’s birth.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
But it was another award from his collection – a 1934 Pebble Beach-winning Packard Twelve – that inspired the stunning dark blue exterior color of his latest Phantom. And here was another challenge.
Matching the exact tone of “Packard Blue” took over 40 attempts. To help with the process, Smith even had a fender from his Packard removed and sent to Rolls-Royce headquarters in Goodwood, England.
As Koa is protected, the wood had to be acquired after the tree fell alone.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
Complementing the impressive paintwork, the Phantom features contrasting Dove Gray hand-painted stripes along each side, with personalized initials “JBS Jr” on the driver’s door and Mrs. Smith’s “LAS” initials on the passenger side.
The car’s corresponding picnic basket took over 500 hours to create.
Photo by Grant Beachy, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited.
Other customizations include a solid sterling silver Spirit of Ecstasy ornament on that iconic grid, Dove Gray leather on the inside that also matches the Packard cabin and a sparkling Starlight Headliner with 1,420 navy blue leather fiber optic lights. The pattern represents the constellations of the night sky above Cleveland, Ohio, on the day of Mr. Smith’s birth.
For Smith, who started collecting cars in 2013 and admits buying eight classics in one day, his new Phantom was certainly worth the wait, and he refers to it as “a true work of art”. To see the entire JBS collection, visit thejbscollection.com.