There are limited-edition cars, then there are limited-edition Rolls-Royces, but the all-new Rolls-Royce Droptail may just take the cake. As a part of its showcase during the Monterey Car Week, the British marque unveiled the incredible “La Rose Noire.”
Drawing inspiration from a French rose known as the Black Baccara, the carmaker’s Coachbuild division was tasked with crafting the limousine, incorporating the shades of the Black Baccara rose — a favourite flower of the family’s mother, who commissioned the project. And what a job they did, with a unique paint finish that’s been designed to appear black in shade, but also give a pearlescent red glow under the sun. The company claims it was able to do this by combining two shades of red – “True Love” and “Mystery”
What’s interesting here though is the droptail isn’t based on the platform of the usual suspects like the Cullinan, Ghost, and Phantom. Instead, Rolls-Royce used a new monocoque chassis made from steel, aluminium, and carbon fibre to lay the foundation. On top of it, sits the company’s trusty 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 that pumps out 601PS of power and 840Nm of torque, helping it cover the 0-100kmph sprint leisurely in 5 seconds, with a top speed of 250kmph.
But Rolls-Royce cars have never been about straight-line speeds, as showcased by the La Rose Noire’s exteriors. The front still sports the same conventional large grille with slim LED headlamps and DRLs running on top of it. But as you gawk at it, you’ll notice a smooth, flowing design along the sides, tapering into the end, with a rather unique set of taillights. Look closer and you’ll also notice a spoiler along with a removable roof panel made out of carbon fibre that also houses the electrochromic panels.
Rolls-Royce describes the interiors of the droptail as the “most remarkable element” of the car, taking nearly two years to perfect. Decked up with soft-touch panels, the La Rose Noire’s insides also feature artwork representing an expression of falling rose petals, each crafted individually from 1,603 pieces of black wood veneer. The seats themselves follow the theme of the exterior, with a combination of True Love red and Mystery painted red leather.
Sitting in the centre of the dash is a 43mm custom timepiece by Audemars Piguet, that accompanies the whole red and black theme as well. And yes, it can be detached and worn with a strap. If this wasn’t enough, the family also ordered a one-off Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest, to go with the theme of the car.
As expected, no details on the pricing have been announced yet, considering its bespoke availability. However, reports suggest that only four models will be ever made, each costing around $25 million.
Image Credits – Rolls-Royce
