Rolls-Royce unveils car crafted for hospital paediatric unit

Rolls-Royce has pulled the covers off a special model for poorly children.

The one-off Rolls-Royce SRH has been crafted for the paediatric day surgery unit at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, near the luxury manufacturer’s base in West Sussex, and will give young patients the novel experience of ‘driving’ themselves around the place.

Lining the corridors of the hospital unit are traffic signs to direct them.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös believes that the experience will help to reduce stress in child patients.

“The paediatric unit at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester, does such vital work in providing essential care to young people and their families,” he said.

“We hope that the Rolls‑Royce SRH will serve to make the experience for young people during treatment a little less stressful.”

The SRH was created over 400 hours by the carmaker’s dedicated Bespoke Manufacturing team. It is finished in a two-tone paint-scheme of Andalusian White and Salamanca Blue, with a hand-applied St James Red coachline, and has self-righting wheel centres. Meanwhile, the interior continues the luxury feel, with a two-tone steering wheel and seats.

A 24-volt gel battery powers the model, offering a top speed of 10mph, which can be limited to four miles per hour.

To launch the new vehicle, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars welcomed two patients from the hospital’s paediatric unit – Molly Matthews and Hari Rajyaguru – to the Goodwood manufacturing base, where they saw the car unveiled before test-driving it on the production line.

By Laura Thomson