Sunday Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Money no object
Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, the most expensive car in the world, revealed. Adn the car, which took four years to design, engineer and build, is a sculpture on wheels
Rolls-Royces are very expensive. We all know that. But how expensive is very expensive? There’s no limit to what expensive is for the legendary British marque, which has just unveiled a new, uber-exclusive and bespoke Rolls-Royce Boat Tail with zeroes on the price tag that outstretch its exquisitely hand-crafted 5.9-metre long body. Any guesses? Try a stupid ~206 crore (£20million) for starters. And I say starters because if you were rich enough (and mad enough) to import one, you would be slapped with near 200 per cent import duties and taxes. It feels criminal to even calculate what the on-road price of this extraordinary Rolls would be! The fantastic irony is that even if you had that insane amount of money, you wouldn’t be able to buy one because only three Boat Tails will be made and all have customer’s names on them. The Boat Tail is completely bespoke and painstakingly hand-crafted, and as the name suggests, is inspired by a yacht with nautical design themes. This first of three Boat Tails revealed, showcases the customer’s (an unnamed couple) preferences and the level of customisation done to suit their tastes. For the company, the Boat Tail is a showcase of Rolls-Royces coachbuilding division, which the company has revived.
Rolls-Royce has had a long history of coach-built cars and in fact, the last Boat Tails were built in the 1920s-30s. Like its predecessor almost a century ago, the current Boat Tail has a distinctive tail which imitates the hull of a J-class yacht. Exquisitely finished in a dark veneer, the wooden rear deck gets exquisite stainless steel pinstripe inlays that look like a work of art. In fact, the whole car, which took four years to design, engineer and build, is a sculpture on wheels with mind-boggling detailing, all of which was carefully curated by the car’s owners.
The rear deck’s butterfly doors hinged on the centre line are theatric in the way they operate. They open to a precise 67 degrees and reveal what Rolls-Royce calls the ‘hosting suite’, which rise out of the deck and tilts to an optimum 15-degree ‘serving angle’! Such is the attention to detail. The cases in the hosting suite hold the finest crockery and cutlery (custom-made by Christofle), personalised serviettes and two fridges, one of which is designed to hold and chill (to an ideal serving temperature of 6 degrees) the owner’s favourite champagne. The deck also sprouts fold-out picnic tables and chairs, and a parasol for an impromptu al fresco dining experience.
The interiors are similar to other Rolls-Royce models, but this Boat Tail has plenty of unique elements that makes it a one-off. The bespoke colour scheme is what stands out with the front seats fashioned in the same dark blue exterior colour whilst the rear seats have a lighter shade. The instrument dials are again unique-crafted with a Guilloché decorative technique (used by jewellers and watchmakers) and look more like museum pieces. The glove box houses a hand-made aluminium and leather Montblanc pen case specially commissioned by the owners who are serious pen collectors. Also custom-made are the BOVET 1822 timepieces that are designed to be detachable so that they can double up as wrist watches for the couple. How cool is that?
Move to the front of the car and you just can’t miss Rolls-Royce’s signature Pantheon grille, which is flanked with slim and sleek daytime running lights with traditional round fog lamps below. Another maritime feature is the wraparound windscreen, which mimics the visor of a yacht and the unique fixed canopy roof gives it an unmissable silhouette.
As big a small yacht and powered by Rolls-Royce familiar 6.75-litre V12, the Boat Tail has humongous proportions. That shouldn’t be a problem for the owners, who probably own the road (or the country) and don’t have to worry about traffic or anything for that matter.
The views expressed by the columnist are personal
From HT Brunch, June 13, 2021
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