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European Union Bans Rolls-Royce’s ₦1.8m Glow-in-the-dark ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ Bonnet Ornament
Light pollution, European Union bans Rolls-Royce’s ₦1.8m glow-in-the-dark Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament.
Current owners with this option will have to take their cars to dealers to have it replaced with standard version.
Thankfully, this ban is only limited to countries under the European Union.
It won’t affect Rolls-Royce cars owned by customers in Africa, and its biggest markets, America and Asia.
The Rolls-Royce ‘Spirit Of Ecstasy’, the most famous bonnet ornaments on cars, depicts a woman leaning into the wind. It is designed to retracts during collision (accident) or when touched — the latter, to prevent thieves from stealing it.
The shine-in-the-dark version of the ‘Flying Lady’ was launched four years ago as a £3,500 ‘option’. It was offered on all Rolls-Royce models, including the Phantom; the Ghost; the Wraith; the Dawn; and the Cullinan SUV.
The Rolls-Royce website notes :
“Finished with a modern frosted effect, the Illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy creates a striking impression, projecting a crown of light.”
But now the European Union has banned the Rolls-Royce’s light-up Spirit of Ecstasy. EU’s wider crackdown on ‘light pollution’ means the illuminated ornament are now illegal in Europe.
A Rolls-Royce spokesman told The Daily Mail that :
“In February 2019 we sent our dealers a bulletin saying we were removing the option of an unlit Spirit of Ecstasy. It was no longer to be sold to customers. It came off the options list,”
“Sadly, we are telling our customers that we will by law have to disconnect their Spirit of Ecstasy.”
Current owners with this option will have to take their cars to dealers to have it replaced with standard version.
The spokesman added :
“We are in the process of putting a package together. We shall write to make an offer of a full refund, a replacement silver-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, or another option from our list.”
‘We felt it our moral obligation. We sold this option in very good faith. We are forced to retract it now through no fault of our own.
Thankfully, this ban is only limited to countries under the European Union. It won’t affect Rolls-Royce cars owned by customers in Africa, and its biggest markets, America and Asia.
