Rolls Royce Sweptail: The $12.8 Million, World’s Most Expensive New Car
Sorry, you can’t have the $12.8 million Rolls Royce Sweptail. The coach-built super-luxury yacht on wheels (almost literally) is a strict one-off created for a special connoisseur of the brand.
Another magnificent piece of automotive engineering, luxury and craftsmanship has made its presence felt at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy. The one-of-a-kind Rolls Royce Sweptail. The bespoke car built by the luxury carmaker for a special customer is now the most expensive car on the planet.
It costs a staggering sum of $12.8 million and that makes it the most expensive “new” car in the world today. Rolls Royce designers chose to design it with the classic cars from its own past and modern-day luxury yachts as inspirations. Now that explains why the whole thing looks more like a yacht from the rear and from above. That panoramic glass roof extends all the way from the windshield right up till the very rear tip of the car to enhance the overall yacht-lie appearance.
The name “Sweptail” by the way, comes from the popular design element in vintage Rolls Royce cars of the 1920s.
We do have our share of criticism though, on how the car looks. It’s big, bulky and will certainly drop jaws and pop eyeballs wherever it goes. But the yacht-inspired rear end is too close to the source material that the luxury barge (pun, again) looks a lot like a Rolls Royce Wraith which backed into a luxury yacht.
Courtesy: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
Courtesy: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
Courtesy: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
Courtesy: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
Courtesy: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub
Having said that, the Sweptail boasts of the highest levels of craftsmanship that has ever gone into the making of a Rolls Royce. It may be based on the Phantom Coupe. But that’s were the sharing of parts ends and the exclusivity begins.
It took Rolls Royce 4 years to design, develop, build, test and deliver the Sweptail. Will they do it again?
The exterior starts off with a redesigned front fascia, which then moves on with a side profile similar to that of the Wraith. The rear of course, is where all the drama is. The yacht-like glasshouse, the swooping roofline and the entire tail section which closely resembles the back of a boat – the rear three-quarters of the Rolls Royce Sweptail packs more punch than the front.
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Inside the car, it’s once again the revered and worshiped Rolls Royce luxury that binds you in its spell. Macassar Ebony and Paldao wood, leather trim finished in Moccassin and Dark Spic, all of that laid out in a rich, elegant layout. But it’s just for two occupants to savor. The rear seats have been thrown out and in its place an immaculate-looking mid-shelf in wood has been welcomed in.
Rolls-Royce’s Director of Design, Giles Taylor told Autocar
"We will probably never repeat the level of involvement we had with a customer for this car ever again, not because we don’t want to, but because it’s always fraught with risk that someone may misinterpret the end goal. It’s a risk you might end up with something that doesn’t fit the brand, or suit the customer."
The Rolls Royce Sweptail is one of those “Love it, hate it, but you won’t be able to ignore it” breed of cars.
There is a massive market out there for bespoke cars like the Rolls Royce Sweptail. With everyone from oil barons to business tycoons having millions to splurge on stuff that they may not even use, cars like this one-off Sweptail will continue to be made and sold.
There are challenges like the availability of skilled hands and the cumbersome task of getting the bespoke vehicle compliant with all safety regulations. But iconic brands like Rolls Royce are trying to address that moving forward as bespoke luxury cars are the future of luxury motoring. And nobody would want to miss that boat.