Rolls-Royce wants to return to the ancient art of ‘coachbuilding’, we recently learned. The brand puts words into action: this is the unique Rolls-Royce Boat Tail!
“Normally, there is a natural ceiling to Rolls-Royce Bespoke by way of the canvas. At Rolls-Royce Coachbuild we break through that ceiling, embracing the freedom of expression affordedd at coachbuilding to shape a concept directly with our commissioning clients.”
Freely translated and summarized: Rolls-Royce Coachbuild puts an end to the limitations of the regular Rolls-Royce model range and makes almost everything possible in the field of personalization. Where every Rolls customer now chooses something from the Bespoke range of the brand, Coachbuild goes a lot further than special colors and materials.
Rolls-Royce announced yesterday that it wants to return to ‘coachbuilding’, or building models and body styles on behalf of a customer. The first proof of this is not entirely coincidentally presented today. It’s the Rolls-Royce ‘Boat Tail’ where those last words are in quotes because it’s more of a project name than a type name. After all, this is not an official Rolls-Royce type, but a commission-built car.
J-Class
In this case, the order in question did not come from one, but from three special customers. Three copies will be built, although those cars are all unique in terms of design and color scheme. These customers were reportedly looking for a car that would derive its design emphatically from the nautical world, more specifically the J-Class sailing ships. These almost objectively beautiful sailing ships have a classic but slender shape that has been in use for more than a century. That shape has been translated into an open Rolls-Royce which, as the name says, is mainly distinguished by its tapered butt.
J-Class sailing yacht. Photo: J Class Association /Jclassyachts.com
The Boat Tail, a body shape that was also popular with the original coachbuilders, is therefore very long. The car takes up just under 5.90 meters in length. A remarkably large part of this is located behind the rear axle.
Although Rolls-Royce does not mention it, everything indicates that the Boat Tail is based on the Phantom Drophead Coupé that was discontinued in 2016. That is also somewhat in line with the times, because Rolls-Royce says it has been working on the project for four years. The dashboard largely comes from the Drophead, for example, and the shape of the windscreen is also typical of the open Phantom, which is already gigantic with a length of 5.61 as standard.
Teak
Apart from the mentioned elements, however, almost everything is completely unique about the Boat Tail. We see a tighter body with a unique, beveled crease that starts at the nose and ends in a flat, small tail lights. The line under the doors slowly rises towards the rear and continues down the road after the rear wheel, further enhancing the effect of a boat line. The aft deck, just to stay in those terms, is made of what strongly resembles teak. It does not contain a regular boot lid, but two valves that open towards the middle, under which there are all kinds of chic, mainly drink-related accessories. Even in the photos, it becomes clear that the level of finish here is nothing short of astonishing.
The roof, or rather the hood, may also be there. It has foothills towards the rear that are somewhat reminiscent of a Porsche 718 Spyder, but is of course many times more luxurious than its hood.
At the front, the Boat Tail is most recognizable as a Rolls-Royce. The front facade is in line with the latest generation of models and features a version of the classic grille that has been incorporated into the design remarkably smoothly. The top light units are a lot more rounded than on a Phantom Drophead, but the characteristic round units below were allowed to remain.
More on the way
Surely we don’t need to explain that this car is not for sale to normal mortals, even if those mortals put a shocking amount of money on the Rolls counter. From now on, however, those same people can turn to Rolls-Royce Coachbuild for their own unique Rolls and that will undoubtedly result in more special creations in the future.