Rolls-Royce has started delivering the highly limited Wraith Kryptos Collection to their owners around the world. Unlike any other Rolls-Royce car in history, each of the 50 cars arrive with mysterious messages encrypted within the bespoke elements of its interior and exterior. Earlier this month, the marque’s CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, revealed the first clue to decoding the message.
“The Spirit of Ecstasy, the figurine that graces the bonnet of every Rolls-Royce motor car,” he said, “holds the key to uncovering this code. The word Kryptos is engraved in Rolls-Royce cypher around the base of the figurine, and with this information, clients will be able to embark on their cryptographic journey.”
The cypher was created by Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer, Katrin Lehmann. He had previously commented that finding the ‘key’ is the first step in uncovering the mysterious code. Not surprisingly, by the time the first code was revealed by Torsten, no successful decryptions had been reported.
Once the seven characters that spell out ‘Kryptos’ on the Spirit of Ecstasy are identified, the car owners will then be able to identify these letters on Wraith Kryptos’ complex fascia and other locations. The marque has also revealed that the embroidery on the headrests translates as the double-R monogram, rendered in the cypher.
Clients will be invited to submit their efforts at cracking the code via the marque’s exclusive Whispers app, from February 2021. “The first client to decrypt this code will receive a unique gift from Rolls-Royce in recognition of their extraordinary talent,” added Torsten.
Only two people at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, know the full resolution of the sequence – the designer and the Chief Executive Officer. The answer remains in a sealed envelope in the CEO’s safe.