A year ago, Rolls Royce announced that new technologies would allow every car to be designed "in their owners’ image, should they wish". Well, that was a statement sure to attract interest from oligarchs to vulgarians and a lot more besides
Announcing the completion of the 'Sweptail' for an anonymous (not for long, presumably) client, Rolls said the "mere idea of a modern coach-built Rolls-Royce was not enough for one connoisseur. This individual approached the company with his own idea of a two-seat car that he wanted to be created in the here and now. That motor car is here, now and is christened ‘Sweptail’.
"In a nod to the swept-tail of certain of our cars from the 1920s, admired by the client so much, he asked the company to re-imagine this feature on his one-off motor car".
So far, little is known about the client other than that he is a "connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft" or the price he paid for the car.
The view from above of this extraordinary two-seater. The rear resembles the stern of a racing yacht, which the owner also collects.
So what exactly is the collector getting for his presumably very punchy investment - thought to be about €11 million ? Well, a two-seater car with conventional front and a long sweeping tail that resembles the stern of a racing yacht.
The front is slightly more traditional. Except for the number plate, that is.
The panoramic glass roof "invites one into the magnificent interior, along with the natural light", says a Rolls spokesman, who then goes on to talk about the the highlight feature - "an uninterrupted glass roof, one of the largest and most complex ever seen on a motor car of any marque" that allows the cabin to be flooded with natural light and animates a host of beautifully handcrafted materials and componentry.
There are acres of hand-crafted wood and polished metals.
The view from the front towards the sweeping rear.
The "coup de gras" of the car is described as being as personal to the owner as every other feature of ‘Sweptail’.
"The entire centre console now houses 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".
Dear, oh dear. How tasteful.
Discover more here about the 'Sweptail'.
