For the latest installment in its Coachbuild series, Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first-ever two-seat vehicle. The first release comes in the form of the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, inspired by Black Baccara, a tea rose that was the favorite of the woman who commissioned the car.
Designers replaced the standard roof of the car with a glass panel, which can be transformed to be completely translucent with the touch of a button. Compared to other models, the roof is especially low-slung for a sleeker look.
The cockpit of the car contains 1,603 wood triangles that were built and hand-painted over a two-year period. The pieces were then laid over the interior to emulate the scattering of rose petals. As for the exterior, a deep burgundy hue, the body of the car was painted with five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a different shade of red.
Perhaps the most defining aspect of the Droptail, however, isn’t the new two-seat design or the impressive painting techniques but rather the inclusion of an Audemars Piguet. The Swiss watchmaker created a custom 43-millimeter Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date that’s mounted in the interior. Rolls-Royce designed a special portable setting so that the owner can take the timepiece out of the car and wear it on their wrist.
“Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail stands as one of the most progressive expressions of Rolls-Royce Coachbuild ever conceived,” Rolls-Royce Design Director Anders Warming said. “In capturing the romantic and glamorous spirit of the commissioning clients, our design team explored bold new artisanal processes and highly complex creative gestures in their pursuit of a deeply personal language of luxury.
The Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is one of four unique Droptail commissions that the company has created. Additional commissions will be unveiled in the future.
In other automotive news, Mercedes-Benz showed off its next-gen AMG GT Coupe.
