Rolls-Royce Droptail

Last updated

Rolls-Royce Droptail
Overview
Manufacturer Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Production2023 (Total of 4, 3 built and sold, 1 more planned) [1]
Assembly Goodwood Plant, West Sussex, England
Body and chassis
Class Full-size ultra-luxury coach build
Body style Cabriolet
Layout FR Layout
Powertrain
Engine 6.75 N74B68 twin-turbocharged V12 (petrol)

The Rolls-Royce Droptail is a full-sized luxury coach built grand tourer car produced by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It was introduced in August 2023 and is set to be produced with four variations.

Contents

The Droptail succeeds the Boat Tail as the most expensive new car in the world [2] with an estimated price of more than $32 million [3] - rivaling the costs of the most expensive cars sold at auction. Like the Boat Tail, some variants include clocks that can be removed and worn as watches. [4] [5]

History

The Droptail was presented on 18 August 2023, at Monterey Car Week during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. [6] The Droptail was presented in its "La Rose Noire" version, each of the four models receiving a different name, color and interior. [7] [8]

The car's first sketches were drawn four years prior to release. [5]

Specifications

The styling of the cars take cues from yachts, classic Rolls-Royce roadsters, and 1930s hot rods from the West Coast of the United States, [9] [10] [4] with additional styling and engineering cues taken from the world of horology. [5]

The first variation introduced is La Rose Noire, named for the French Black Baccara rose. The car includes black sycamore wood sourced from France, [9] and features a Audemars Piguet watch. [4]

The second variant is Amethyst. The name and styling draw inspiration from amethyst, the birthstone of the owner's son. [10] It features a Vacheron Constantin watch and actual amethyst stones. [5]

The third variant is Arcadia. The name refers to a location in Greek mythology that's supposed to represent heaven on earth. It features a Rolls-Royce branded clock that was designed over the course of two years. [11]

The Droptail uses a new monocoque chassis instead of the aluminium spaceframe chassis mainly used in the other vehicles. It is thus not based on the Architecture of Luxury platform. [12] It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre N74B68 V12 engine, which is a variant of BMW's N74. [13]

Related Research Articles

Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, and became widely known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. Bentley has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group since 1998 and consolidated under VW's premium brand arm Audi since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luxury car</span> Marketing term for a vehicle with increased comfort, amenities, quality, or status

A luxury car is a car that provides above-average to high-end levels of comfort, features, and equipment. Often, more expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect better build quality. The usually higher pricing and more upscale appearance are often associated with the users' higher social status compared to low- and mid-market segment cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Arnage</span> British luxury car

The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, from 1998 to 2010. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom VII</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its seventh generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998. It was the seventh Rolls-Royce design to use the Phantom nameplate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Corniche (2000)</span> High-end convertible car

The Rolls-Royce Corniche V is a high end, two-door, four-seater luxury convertible car, that was produced in the United Kingdom from 1999 until 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Rolls-Royce at their Crewe works between 1949 and 1955. It was the first Rolls-Royce car to be offered with a factory built body which it shared, along with its chassis, with the Bentley Mark VI until 1952 and then the Bentley R Type until production finished in 1955. The car was first introduced as an export only model. The left hand drive manual transmission models had a column gear change, while right hand drives had a floor change by the door. In the British home market the Silver Dawn only became available from October 1953, with the introduction of the model corresponding to the Bentley R Type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley S1</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley S1 was a luxury car produced by Bentley Motors Limited from 1955 until 1959. The S1 was derived from Rolls-Royce's complete redesign of its standard production car after World War II, the Silver Cloud. Each was its maker's last standard production car with an independent chassis. The S-series Bentley was given the Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine in late 1959 and named the S2. Twin headlamps and a facelift to the front arrived in late 1962, resulting in the S3. In late 1965, the S3 was replaced by the new unitary construction Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow-derived T series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audemars Piguet</span> Swiss luxury watchmaker

Audemars Piguet Holding SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881. The company has been family-owned since its founding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Camargue</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Camargue is a 2-door luxury saloon manufactured and marketed by Rolls-Royce Motors from 1975–1986. Designed by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina, the Camargue was the first post-war production Rolls-Royce not designed in-house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Mark VI</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley Mark VI is an automobile from Bentley which was produced from 1946 until 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley S3</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley S3 is a four-door luxury car produced by Bentley from late 1962 until 1965, as the successor of the Bentley S2.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a British luxury automobile maker that has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG since 2003 – as the exclusive manufacturer of Rolls-Royce-branded motor cars. The company's administrative and production headquarters are located on the 42-acre (17 ha) Goodwood Estate in Goodwood, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Motors</span> Former British car company (1973–1998)

Rolls-Royce Motors was a British luxury car manufacturer, created in 1973 during the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce automotive business from the nationalised Rolls-Royce Limited. It produced luxury cars under the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands. Vickers acquired the company in 1980 and sold it to Volkswagen in 1998. Bentley Motors is the company's direct successor; however, BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce trademark for use on automobiles and launched a new Rolls-Royce company shortly afterwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooper (coachbuilder)</span> British coachbuilding business

Hooper & Co. was a British coachbuilding business for many years based in Westminster London. From 1805 to 1959 it was a notably successful maker, to special order, of luxury carriages, both horse-drawn and motor-powered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Ghost</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a full-sized luxury car manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show. The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Ghost Extended Wheelbase was introduced in 2011. During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04". It was designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Phantom, aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weymann Fabric Bodies</span> Franco-British patented lightweight structural system for car and aircraft bodies

Weymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used a patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric. It was popular on cars from the 1920s until the early 1930s as it reduced the usual squeaks and rattles of coachbuilt bodies by its use of flexible joints between body timbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Cullinan</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a full-sized luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars as the brand's first all-wheel drive vehicle. It is named after the Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its eighth generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a full-sized luxury saloon manufactured by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It is the eighth and current generation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, debuting in 2017, and the second launched by Rolls-Royce under BMW ownership. It is offered in two wheelbase lengths. This is the current flagship model made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Sweptail</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Sweptail is a one-off large luxury car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Boat Tail</span> 2021 car model

The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is a mid-sized luxury coach built grand tourer car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It is the world's most expensive street legal new car, with a speculated price of US$28 million.

References

  1. https://www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub/article/detail/T0439958EN/rolls-royce-unveils-arcadia-droptail-a-coachbuilt-haven-of-tranquillity
  2. Cédric Pinatel (21 August 2023). "Rolls-Royce Droptail (2023) : la nouvelle voiture la plus chère du monde". Caradisiac.
  3. Rodríguez Jr., José (21 August 2023). "The Rolls-Royce Droptail Is A $30 Million Convertible With A Manual Top". Jalopnik.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rolls-Royce's One-of-a-Kind La Rose Noire Droptail Comes With an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Built Right Into the Dash". Robb Report. 21 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mr JWW, Alex Innes (Head of Coach-build Design, Rolls Royce Motor Cars). The Most Expensive NEW Car In The World! $28 MILLION Rolls Royce Drop Tail. Mr JWW.
  6. "Rolls-Royce Droptail : parfum d'ultra luxe". www.automobile-sportive.com. 21 August 2023.
  7. Sepulchre Pierre-Benoit (21 August 2023). "Rolls-Royce Droptail : un cabriolet exclusif qui ne sera produit qu'à 4 exemplaires". Vroom.
  8. Demattia, Nico (21 August 2023). "Meet the Rolls-Royce Droptail, Probably the World's Most Expensive New Car". The Drive.
  9. 1 2 "LA ROSE NOIRE DROPTAIL". Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
  10. 1 2 "AMETHYST DROPTAIL". Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
  11. "ROLLS-ROYCE ARCADIA DROPTAIL". Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
  12. Anderson, Brad (20 August 2023). "Coachbuilt Rolls-Royce Droptail Unveiled In Monterey, Capped At Four Units". Carscoops.
  13. "RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog". www.realoem.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.