Thursday, August 09, 2012

1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud Is Bedecked With 1 Million Swarovski Crystals

Working with tweezers in a mind-numbing labor of love, seven artists toiled more than three years gluing one million Swarovski crystals to the body of a 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II to create one of the blingiest and most expensive automobiles on the planet.

Edgar M GmbH, a Munich-based luxury jeweler, took on this effort in the name of the German "Help in Motion" charity foundation, which is dedicated to providing free medical care for the needy in developing countries. The Silver Cloud is expected to fetch more than a million euros when it's auctioned this month. (One euro is equivalent to $1.23.) The proceeds will assist the charity, which will see its first convoy heading to Ghana in 2013.

Potential bidders and curious onlookers got their first peek at the flashy auto when it was unveiled a few weeks ago at the Four Seasons Hotel in Munich, Germany.

Edgar M had to develop a special glue for the project, which also included the use of 4,200 4mm topazes in the design of the Rolls Royce logo.

A hugely popular choice of luxury car enthusiasts, the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II had been the primary car in the Rolls Royce family from 1955 through to 1966. The car weighs 2.11 tons, has a top speed of 114 mph, gets 11 miles on the gallon and had a 1962 price tag of about $17,000.

No comments: