Rolls-Royce has often said yes to its clients who want unique design features. These can be things like a falcon sewn into the ceiling or baby footprints on the dashboard. But now, they’re going even further. They’re moving from just being “special” to something new: “coachbuild.”
The first special car from Goodwood was the Sweptail in 2017. It was a fastback with two doors. It looked like the Wraith but was based on the Phantom. After that, they made the Boat Tail. It’s a coupe with almost no roof. It has butterfly doors covered in wood over the luggage area. You can even put up a sun parasol from there. Now, they’re introducing Droptail. It’s another coupe, but this time it only has room for two people.
This project was much more extensive than before. The Droptail is built using a monocoque made from steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. It’s about 10 inches shorter than a Ghost. The body is a mix of steel for the doors and front fenders, and carbon fiber for the rear quarter-panels and trunklid. The V-12 engine is 6.7 liters and has a power boost of 30 horsepower compared to the standard Phantom. It now has 593 horsepower, and torque is up to 620 pound-feet.
The first Droptail, named Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, showed up at The Quail during Car Week on August 18, 2023. It’s inspired by a rose called Baccara Rose that the owners love. The Black Baccara rose is a key part of the theme. It’s found throughout the 17.3-foot-long roadster, which is a little over 6.5 feet wide.
The two-tone color scheme, like the rose, shifts from pomegranate to black, depending on the light. It took 150 tries to get it just right. Another standout feature is the woodwork. Rolls-Royce claims it’s the most complex wood project they’ve ever done. The woodwork covers the entire area behind the seats and continues onto the doors.
In case you’re wondering how many Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail are there? Only four expressions of the motor car will ever be made, each the result of remarkable collaborations between Coachbuild artisans and ambitious, visionary clients.
According to Alex Innes, Head of Coachbuild Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, “The client wanted the interior to feel like rose petals floating around, but in a unique way. So, they used 1,603 pieces of black sycamore wood, each cut and stenciled individually. The wood was brought from France as per the client’s wish. It took nearly two years just for this process.”
Another unique feature is the custom Audemars Piguet 43 mm Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date. This wasn’t just about getting an unique timepiece; it involved creating a mechanism. This mechanism lets you take the timepiece off your wrist and then hide it deep down into the fascia of the car itself.
The Rolls-Royce’s exterior design has a few new things, too. The biggest change is in the Pantheon Grille. Usually, the vanes are straight, but now they bend a bit at the top. It’s something Rolls-Royce hasn’t done before. They also gave all the metal a new treatment. Rolls-Royce created a special finish that not only makes the metal darker but also makes it very shiny. This means Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail will reflect the world around it wherever it goes.
While this Droptail and other Rolls-Royce coachbuilds are made to fit a family’s style for years, they’re also quite collectible. They’re like art pieces commissioned by the Medici family, which are now displayed in museums.
Curious about how much is the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail? Well, with a staggering price tag it exceeds $30 million (which is approximately ₹211 crore).
