Rolls-Royce has unveiled the world’s most expensive and exclusive new car whose £25million price tag reflects a five-year labour of love for both the firm and the vehicle’s romantic mystery female buyer.
The unique two-door, two-seater convertible Droptail – called ‘La Rose Noire’ – is a private commission by a super-rich wife and husband from a glamorous art-loving champagne and fashion dynasty who are described as ‘the heads of a prominent international family’ with a ‘deep connection to France’.
The car is inspired by the romance and the allure of the velvet-like Black Baccara Rose, which originates from France and, according to Rolls-Royce, has a personal association for the family and is especially ‘beloved by the mother of the commissioning family’.
The hybrid rose itself was created in France only in 2000 by the family owned Meilland International. And the car, like the flower, changes colour according to how it is viewed, and in the right light also exudes a dark shade of red.
It is described by Rolls-Royce as ‘a romantic celebration of the couple who created it’ and is one of four Droptails that will be produced over the coming years.
World’s most expensive new car: This is the one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce La Rose Noir Droptail – a private commission by a super-rich wife and husband from a glamorous art-loving champagne and fashion dynasty
The one-off motor was presented to the client and her family at a private event close to Pebble Beach in California on Saturday night during Monterey Car Week – the automotive date in the calendar that attracts the rich, famous, and fashionable from around the globe.
Although Rolls-Royce has declined to name the wealthy commissioning client and her family, there are some clues to their potential identity including their love of cars, fashion, art and champagne.
Rolls-Royce said the new ‘La Rose Noir’ Droptail was designed in close cooperation with the client and her family and represents both ‘glamour distilled’ and the clients’ ‘passion for detail’.
The wealth of personal touches and detailing include a removeable low-slung hard-top that transforms it from an open-top two-seater roadster into a dramatic coupe with an electro-chromatic glass roof section which, at the press of a button. can darken or stay clear to let light flood in.
It also gets a specially created ‘True Love’ shade of dark red paint – linked to the Black Baccara rose – which took 150 iterations to perfect.
Inside, it features the most complex wood parquetry inlays in Rolls-Royce’s history, comprising 1,603 individual and intricate triangular veneer pieces representing stylised rose petals, hand-finished and hand-placed over nearly two years. The craftsman carrying this out reportedly had to work in complete and silent isolation and only for five hours a day with breaks – so intense was the level the concentration required.
The cabin also includes a removeable luxury timepiece from luxury Swiss firm Audemars Piguet, which doubles as both a dashboard clock and – once released from a clasp mechanism – a wristwatch using a stored strap.
Another unique addition is a Rolls-Royce champagne chest and cooler to carry the clients’ special edition Champagne de Lossy – described as one of only ‘a precious handful of vintages produced by the Chateau in its 160-year history’ – and fluted glasses.
France has no shortage of billionaires and super-rich tycoons – with interests in cars, champagne, fashion and the arts – for whom £25million to buy a unique personalised Rolls-Royce might be considered relatively small change. Find out in the boxout below who the owner of this stunning motor might be…
Rolls-Royce said the new ‘La Rose Noir’ Droptail was designed in close cooperation with the client and her family and represents both ‘glamour distilled’ and the clients’ ‘passion for detail’
At a lengthy 5.3 metres long, 2 meters wide but just 1.5 metres high, the low-slung Droptail presents a dramatic vision on the road
The wealth of personal touches and detailing include a removeable low-slung hard-top that transforms it from an open-top two-seater roadster into a dramatic coupe with an electro-chromatic glass roof section which, at the press of a button. can darken or stay clear to let light flood in
The British luxury car maker says the raised rear tail is a nod to the first 100mph Rolls-Royce of 1912 nicknamed ‘The Sluggard’
The car is inspired by the romance and the allure of the velvet-like Black Baccara Rose, which originates from France and, according to Rolls-Royce, has a personal association for the family and is especially ‘beloved by the mother of the commissioning family’
As a final touch, the Rolls-Royce badge on the prow of the finished car was left off until the new owner could write her signature on the back of it – as the ultimate personal touch – before the ‘R-R’ lettered badge was finally fitted into place below the silver winged Spirit of Ecstasy statuette flying at its prow.,
The bespoke ‘La Rose Noir’ is one of just four Droptail models to be built – each one unique in its styling and bespoke details chosen by the individual commissioning customers.
Riding on vast 22 inch wheels and powered by a 593bhp 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with manual override, the Rolls-Royce is estimated to accelerate powerfully but smoothly up to 62mph in around five seconds, with top speed restricted to 155mph.
At a lengthy 5.3 metres long, 2 meters wide but just 1.5 metres high, the low-slung Droptail presents a dramatic vision on the road.
With the spirit of the Great Gatsby and ‘hot rods’ of the 1920s, a raised rear tail, and a rakishly shallow windscreen, it harks back to an era of ‘coachbuilt’ cars in the early part of the 2Oth century, when customers for luxury limousines – and especially those on the West Coast of America wanting racy bespoke Rolls-Royce roadsters– would buy a base chassis and engine, but commission a unique bespoke body created to fit on top.
The raised rear tail is a nod to the first 100mph Rolls-Royce of 1912 nicknamed ‘The Sluggard’.
Rolls-Royce said the La Rose Noire Droptail is ‘a dark, daring and dramatic coach-built masterpiece’, noting: ‘This bold and historic motor car is a romantic celebration of the couple who created it, characterised by passion and a restless desire for meaningful experiences.
‘In commissioning this extraordinary expression of Droptail, this remarkable family has not only shaped their own legacy but also participated in the legend of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.’
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös said: ‘Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is a love story, thoughtfully captured and stunningly projected onto the canvas of a Rolls-Royce motor car.
‘It is an expression of the deep and passionate partnership between a husband and wife who are the heads of a prominent international family – to be part of their remarkable story is a privilege.’
The new £25million Droptail exceeds in price the world’s previously most expensive car – the bespoke £20million Rolls-Royce Boat Tail unveiled two years ago in May 2021.
The Droptail is harks back to an era of ‘coachbuilt’ cars in the early part of the 2Oth century, when customers for luxury limousines would buy a base chassis and engine, but commission a unique bespoke body created to fit on top.
Rolls-Royce has helped co-create a completely new paint process perfected over 150 iterations, including a closely guarded secret base coat, followed by five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a slightly different tone of red
ROLLS-ROYCE LA ROSE NOIR DROPTAIL IN DETAIL
Colour and paintwork
The new car is inspired by France’s Black Baccara rose – ‘beloved by the mother of the commissioning family’ – whose intense, dark pomegranate colour petals appear almost black in shade, but in direct light, have a red, pearlescent shimmer. The red shade is named ‘True Love’ – in recognition of ‘the romance the client wished to capture’.
The darker tone is named ‘Mystery’ after mysterious nature of the rose which appears to change colour.
Like the Black Baccara rose, Droptail also appears to change colour depending from where it is viewed.
To achieve this, specialists developed a completely new paint process perfected over 150 iterations, including a closely guarded secret base coat, followed by five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a slightly different tone of red.
Rolls-Royce said: ‘Indeed, it was the essence of true love and the mystery of exploration and travel that captivated the clients throughout the commissioning process.’
