Man, what’s with Rolls-Royce these days? They either have way too much time, infinite resources, or both, because they’re really pulling all the stops in some truly creative onboarding feats.
Not so long ago, they came out with the most expensive car toy; a very detailed miniature of the Cullinan, and now they’re taking it one step further by doing a Rolls and Scooby Doo crossover.
You read that right. The British luxury car maker just announced a new Wraith model that’s built to test whether or not you have the IQ to own a Rolls in the first place (finally!), dubbed the Wraith Kryptos Collection.
They’ve taken a leaf out of Dan Brown’s novels, to present “an encrypted cipher that evolves throughout the car for the client’s pleasure and amusement.”
So put away the champagne and get your Dan Brown cap on, because the next time you decide to ride in one of these, you’ll have a series of encoded messages that, once solved, will reveal an answer known only to the CEO and the car’s designer…
Some call this a sublime marketing stunt, I say it’s pure genius and will strongly appeal to anyone working in the tech industry.
What the cipher?
So unlike Dan Brown’s cipher, this one’s present throughout the car, and you’re going to have to dig deep to realise where they’re hidden. You’re basically solving the puzzle before solving the puzzle, if that makes sense (if it doesn’t, don’t get this Rolls please).
They obviously don’t want to give away too much, so don’t try and spot these in the released pictures. There are no shortcuts when it comes to Rolls, my friend! You want one, you need to werk for it.
Okay fine, they’ve given you a couple of hints to get you started (they still want you to buy the damn car, you know). Your quest will begin with a dot-and-dash code incorporated into the base of the Spirit of Ecstasy badge up front, with other appearances of the cipher on the external coach striping, headrests and illuminated headliner, which has replaced the Wraith’s usual ‘starry night’ with “an in-motion data-stream-inspired motif.” That’s some Matrix shit right there.
There’ll only be 50 of these Wraith variants available, and you’ll be able to submit your answers via an owner-exclusive app.
Now if you’re thinking you’ll be rewarded with a gold-plated Rolls or something, you might want to think again. The company have indicated that the reward is none other than the sense of achievement itself. Sigh.
Who’s idea?
If you’re wondering which Dan Brown fan came up with the idea, it was Rolls-Royce designer, Katrin Lehmann, who turned her personal interest in hidden messages into an encrypted car concept. Now that’s what I call playing to your strengths, no wonder Rolls-Royce is one of the best companies to work for in terms of employee satisfaction…
So call up Robert Langdon and fly him to your house in your private jet to help solve this epic riddle for the grand prize of absolutely nothing. Other than the “sense of achievement” itself. SMH.
You can check out the ride at all angles here.
