During Monterey Car Week, Rolls-Royce showed off their newest coach-built car, the Droptail. There will be four Droptails made that are very unique. The Black Baccara rose is said to have been the inspiration for the first Droptail, which was called “La Rose Noire.” Long-time Rolls-Royce buyers have gotten the unique design features they want, like a falcon embroidered in the headliner or baby footprints in the dash trim. The company’s business has grown recently, going from a “bespoke” level of uniqueness to a new group called “coachbuilder.” The Sweptail, a two-door fastback that looked like the Wraith but was built on the Phantom, was the first thing Crewe made to test these muscles. It was released in 2017. The following car was the Boat Tail, a tapered-body coupe with butterfly doors over the trunk and an extended sun canopy. The Droptail is the latest car in a line of customized “tails.” This one is an open coupe with only two seats. This project is more significant than the ones that came before it. The construction of the Droptail is called “monocoque” made of steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. The car is about 10 inches shorter than a Ghost and has a body made of steel (doors, front fenders) and carbon fiber (back quarter panels, trunk lid). The 6.7-liter V-12 engine in this car now makes 593 horsepower, 30 more horsepower than the regular Phantom, and 620 pound-feet more torque. The first of four Droptail prototypes is shown off during Car Week at the Quail. It is called “La Rose Noire” after a rose that the people who commissioned it love. The red and black colors on the outside, which look like they have dark red accents, are based on the colors of the Baccara Rose. A bold black finish is also on the brightwork. The upright parts of the Rolls grille are now angled for the first time, and the bottom air intake has 202 separate rectangular projects that make it look like mesh in three dimensions. Inside, 1603 pieces of black sycamore wood trim veneer were used to make a pattern resembling rose petals blown by the wind. A custom-made Audemars Piguet watch can also be taken off and worn independently. There is also a particular area for storing champagne from the client’s vineyard, which is kept at the right temperature. There will be three more orders for Droptail, each with its details. Not surprisingly, the Droptail’s window had no Monroney price sticker, and asking how much it cost felt rude. If you want Rolls to make one for you, remember that the last one, the Boat Tail, is said to have cost over $28 million, so we’d guess the Droptail is in the same ballpark.
