What's all this about?
This little beauty is the Rolls-Royce St Richard's Hospital, or SRH. And it has been built by the luxury marque's Bespoke Manufacturing team - with more than 400 man-hours of their own time going into the project - for a very important purpose.
And what purpose would that be?
Well, it is named after the institution where it will be used, St Richard's being the hospital in Rolls-Royce's home town of Chichester, West Sussex. And the SRH will allow poorly young children, facing a daunting operation, to drive themselves to theatre through the hospital's Paediatric Day Surgery Unit (PDSU). The aim is that, by driving themselves to surgery, it will reduce stress for the kids ahead of the operation.
That's brilliant! What powers the SRH?
It has a 24-volt gel battery and electric motor that can propel the electric SRH to a top speed of 10mph, although a 4mph limiter can be imposed for gentler journeys through the PDSU; which, incidentally, has been lined with traffic signs that the young drivers can follow. The SRH sports an Andalusian White/Salamanca Blue body with a hand-applied St James Red coachline. Inside is a two-tone steering wheel and seats, and yes, the R-R-branded wheel centres remain upright when the car is in motion.
So who are the kids enjoying the SRH in the pictures?
They will be Molly Matthews and Hari Rajyaguru, two patients at the PDSU at St Richard's, who - along with their families - were invited to Rolls-Royce's Goodwood HQ for a VIP tour of the facility... and a very rare privilege. They got to drive the SRH up and down the Rolls-Royce production line, a treat usually only reserved for the marque's chief executive during the validation process for new model families. After the day had concluded, Molly, Hari and the families were all chauffeured home in Rolls-Royce Ghosts.
Why did Rolls-Royce build the SRH?
Let's hand over to that aforementioned CEO of Rolls-Royce, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, who said: "We are a proud member of the community here in West Sussex. The Paediatric Unit at St Richard's Hospital does such vital work in providing essential care to young people and their families. We hope that the Rolls Royce SRH will serve to make the experience for young people during treatment a little less stressful."
And presumably the hospital is delighted?
Oh yes. Marianne Griffiths, chief executive of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Just like the joy it will bring to our young patients, the Rolls-Royce SRH is simply priceless. It is a very special gift and one of the most wonderful donations ever received by Love Your Hospital, our trust's dedicated charity. On behalf of everyone at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Rolls-Royce and especially the small team who volunteered so much of their own time in support of St Richard's Hospital in Chichester and the children we care for."
Anything else?
Yes, not only did the Bespoke team build this entirely on their own time, out of the goodness of their hearts, but the Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet figure and the paddle controls within the SRH were made using advanced 3D printing techniques. Fancy, eh?
Matt Robinson - 1 Mar 2017
