ROLLS-ROCYE AWARDS

CLIENT: Rolls-Royce
SERVICE: Concept Design and Manufacturing

This project transforms speed into permanence: where electric innovation, precision engineering, and sculptural form converge into an object designed to preserve a record beyond the moment it is set.

A STATEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE

When Rolls-Royce set out to develop an electric powertrain for the Nemesis NXT, aiming to break the world speed record for electric aircraft, the ambition went far beyond engineering. It was a statement about the future of propulsion.

I was invited to design the aircraft livery. But it quickly became clear that such a milestone deserved more than a surface treatment. If the aircraft was meant to set a record, there had to be an object capable of preserving its meaning.

Together, we defined the message: energy, precision, industrial mastery translated into sculptural expression.

THE TROPHY

The foundation is a solid cylinder of laser-engraved slate, encircled by an aluminum ring milled from a single block. No joints. No compromises.

Rising from this base is a lightning-shaped pedestal, a structural and symbolic reference to electric power. At the top stands a mechanical sculpture: a Nemesis NXT milled from a single piece of metal, intentionally left as it emerged from the 5-axis machining process. Here, CNC technology becomes a sculptor’s tool.

ENGINEERING AS CRAFT

The machining program was developed to eliminate visible tool marks, transforming industrial precision into visual purity. The craftsmanship of the ASPA workshop, long-standing collaborators, was decisive. Without their expertise, it would have remained metal. With them, it became form.

DESIGN BEYOND THE OBJECT

Even the case housing the sculpture was conceived as an extension of the design: never a transport box, but part of the narrative.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Each piece was accompanied by a dedicated certificate of authenticity, formally documenting its origin and guaranteeing its uniqueness. More than a procedural document, it serves as an extension of the work itself, preserving its provenance, context, and narrative.

In projects where precision and meaning converge, authenticity is not implied. It is declared.

THE EDITIONS

Two primary trophies were created: one presented to the outgoing CEO of Rolls-Royce as a tribute to his career, and one placed on display at the British Museum.

Two additional pieces were also produced: a NXT Sliced Planes mounted on carbon fiber, and another version resting on sculpted walnut, where wood and aluminum establish a dialogue between nature and technology.

SPIRIT OF INNOVATION

NUMBER OF PIECES: 1

This artwork is one-of-a-kind, authentic, original work.
Designed for Rolls-Royce by Mirco Pecorari.
In honor of the World Records set by the Rolls-Royce’s Nemesis NXT and its pilots.

NEMESIS NXT

NUMBER OF PIECES: 1

Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation is a speed record aircraft based on a Nemesis NXT designed by Jon Sharp.
This artwork is one-of-a-kind, authentic, desktop model, milled from a single block of aluminum. Designed by Mirco Pecorari.

SLICED PLANES

NUMBER OF PIECES: 10

Ten Sliced Planes were produced depicting the Nemesis NXT, featuring a carbon fiber base and aluminum ribs.

A PERSONAL MILESTONE

For me, this project marked a transition. Not only designing aircraft liveries. Not only shaping aerodynamic surfaces.

But entering a territory where visual art, precision mechanics, and luxury objects converge, where CNC machines become instruments of expression and speed becomes sculpture.

The aircraft moves through the air. The trophy remains. And it tells the story.