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Special edition Ghost pays tribute to the first man to make scientific attempts at flying

By Shahzad Sheikh

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Firnas Motif is a Bespoke edition that honours Arab inventor Abbas Ibn Firnas.

The 9th Century Muslim Andalusian polymath was an engineer, physician, poet, musician who’s known for designing a water clock, manufacturing colourless glass, was reported to have built a room in his house that demonstrated stars, clouds, thunder and lightning and is possibly most regarded for an early scientific attempt at flight.

The Firnas Ghost is a the brainchild of Kadhim Al Helli, Rolls-Royce brand manager at Abu Dhabi Motors and will be exclusively available through that UAE dealers serving Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

The Ghost features an external hand-painted twin coachline featuring a specially devised Firnas logo and a Firnas flight emblem is featured on control panel set against the elm cluster veneer and in the embroidery on the front and rear headrests. The sill panel also features the logos and makes the number of the five special edition cars.

Although the only evidence of Firnas’ attempt at flight was documented by a Moroccan historian seven centuries later, it claims that the inventor covered himself with feathers, attached wings to his body and threw himself off a high point. Apparently he flew a considerable distance and the only problem he had was in the landing.

The story of his attempted glider flight using man-made wings and feathers is taught in textbooks in many Arab and Muslim countries, and given him legendary status in the Middle East, where he has postage stamps, streets and even airports named after him.

“Abbas Ibn Firnas was a great man who made significant contributions to the field of science and dared to dream that man could fly a millennium before the Wright Brothers did. It is hard to ignore the synergies between him and the Rolls-Royce brand, which is rooted in the pioneering heritage of its founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. This unique collection honours his achievements and encapsulates his bravery and innovation in the world’s most luxurious vehicle,” said Arno Husselmann, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Motors.

“Very few international brands as respected and revered as Rolls-Royce have created special edition models that commemorate a symbol of Arab and Islamic culture in such a unique way, and as a result we have seen strong interest in the collection from customers here in the United Arab Emirates and overseas to own one,” he added.

The Bespoke Programme is a service offered to Rolls-Royce clients whereby the client may specify features of the car, in order to create their own unique model. The Bespoke team at Goodwood, home of Rolls-Royce Motor cars, is dedicated to finding new paints, materials and engineering solutions that meet each client’s demands.