THOSE WHO PURCHASE ONE OF 25 Rolls-Royce Phantoms built to celebrate eight decades of the Phantom nameplate will discover their cars have special appointments, such as a small case of aluminum and leather within the glove box. Inside rest a pen-and-pencil set created by Conway Stewart, makers of top-quality writing instruments. The Rolls-Royce/Conway Stewart collaboration has produced an elegant Duro-style fountain pen, ballpoint pen, and propelling pencil, each with the Double R logo engraved on its cap. They may rank among today's most desirable examples of their breed, if not the most exclusive, for the only way to own them is to acquire the limited edition Phantom.
There is nothing new, or even unusual, about a pen bearing the hallmark of a great motoring name. At the bottom end of the scale, one may find, for example, an inexpensive ballpoint with the name of the Russian car manufacturer Lada printed on its barrel. At the peak, perhaps, are those pens created for a handful of Rolls-Royce owners by the same firm that
supplies crested pens to No. 10 Downing Street.
For those who wish to evoke the spirit of the machines they drive while writing, there are a number of finely crafted pens that will be suitable. Produced in many cases with the collaboration of the manufacturer, they are small treasures to use, appreciate, and collect.
Consider Ducati pens from Aquila. Bearing more than a hint of the flair that sets the Italian motorcycle apart, Ducati pens are available in a variety of forms, designs, and finishes. Whether fountain pens or ballpoints, they feature the Ducati logo on their caps; some have a serial number engraved on a band around the base of the cap. Like the pens themselves, the clips
are gracefully tapered to complement the overall shape. Ducati pens are priced from $195.
Jaguar pens, also by Aquila, are as graceful as the cars whose name they carry. Whether mechanical pencils, ball- points, or the line-leading fountain pens (the latter are either cartridge- or converter fed, with stainless steel nibs and iridium points), they feature sturdy metal cases in one of four lacquer finishes: ebony, British racing green, ivory, or lime green. Each is as pleasurable to use or simply look at as its four-wheel counterpart, and prices start at $160.
A bit more flamboyant-like the machines that inspired them are Alfa Romeo pens from Delta Italy. The rarest of these belongs to a limited series created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the immortal Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The bodies of all three pens-ballpoint, fountain pen, and fountain pen with 18-karat gold accents are hand-turned from blocks of resin. Thick, rounded, and comfort- able to the hand, each features a clip hand-shaped in the form of the classic Alfa grill shell. The fountain pens are of the piston-fill type and have 18-karat gold nibs. They are priced from $225.
Equally elegant are the pens that commemorate the historic Alfa 1750 Gran Sport. Each of these limited edition pens, starting at $225, is finished in traditional Alpha red and whether ballpoint or fountain pen-is crowned by a sterling silver capuchon formed to represent the 1750's tires and wire wheels. A ruby on the clip pays tribute to the original car's red headlamp lenses, and a band around the body replicates the grill shell and Alfa crest.
WES Journal edition #126, Winter 2023
Spotlight on Conway Stewart Originally published in WES Journal 126, pp 26-29, 2023
Leave a comment