Saturday 27th May 2017
One-off Rolls-Royce 'Sweptail' announced
What happens when 44,000 paint choices, 'Starlight' headliners and personalised marquetry simply aren't enough?
Inspired by the swept-tail Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 30s, hence the name, one of mankind's most "discerning patrons of luxury" has partnered with the British marque on "a wonderfully intellectual journey" to create a bespoke, coachbuilt car of his very own. So unique is it in fact that you may, as Rolls-Royce does, say it's "the automotive equivalent of Haute Couture" or that the car has "cut the cloth for the suit of clothes that he will be judged by." Or not, it's up to you.
Rolls-Royce at the front...
Press release mumbo jumbo aside though, there's no denying that 'Sweptail' is a remarkable piece of design. The unnamed client, identified only as "a connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft", requested a "coachbuilt two seater coupe featuring a large panoramic glass roof." Inspiration has been drawn from cars such as the 1925 Phantom I Round Door, the 1934 Phantom II Streamline Saloon and the 1934 Park Ward 20/25 Limousine Coupe. There also seem to be strong overtones of Lady Penelope's 1965 FAB 1...
The front end, now framed in brushed aluminium, remains discernibly Rolls-Royce, however further back things change quickly and drastically. The full length glass roof, one of the largest ever fitted to a car, and rear end, taper into a swept-tail influenced 'bullet-tip'. From above and behind the effect is striking, however it does give the car rather awkward proportions in profile. Inside, switchgear has been kept to an absolute minimum so as not to interfere with the aesthetic. The most noticeable alteration though, is the replacement of the rear seats with a swathe of wooden decking replete with aluminium luggage rails, continuing the design's overtly nautical theme.
Party at the back!
Of course, no coachbuilt coupe would be complete without a trick or two up its sleeve. The leather wrapped, carbon fibre panniers, which are designed to hold the owner's laptop and deploy from behind the coach doors would do it for most cars. The coup de grace for 'Sweptail' however, is even more Bond-esque yet. Housed within the centre console is a one-off hand-built mechanism that, "at the touch of a button, will deploy a bottle of the client's favourite vintage champagne - the year of his birth - and two crystal champagne flutes. As the lid of the chiller opens, the mechanical action articulates the bottle to the perfect position for the owner to pick up." Billionaires, eh?
Unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este on Saturday, the car apparently "exudes the romance of travel for its own sake, and immediately places 'Sweptail' in the pantheon of the world's great intercontinental tourers." Blimey. Should you want a closer look, you'd better hope we see it wafting its way up the hill at Goodwood this year.
The plonk dispenser is utterly crass though. 
ts. 