Goodwood, England — Rolls-Royce is reviving the coachbuilt luxury car, and it is likely to come with a luxury price tag.
The iconic British brand announced the new Boat Tail last week, and it may be the most expensive car ever.
As of now, three customers have signed on to have their own unique version of the Boat Tail assembled. The price tag has not officially been revealed but one blogger, Mr JWW, who was given a tour of the Boat Tail firsthand, relays that the commission apparently cost around £20 million, or $34.2 million Canadian.
Historically, some of Rolls-Royce’s most important models were not manufactured by the thousands but were customized by customers.
In 2017, the Rolls Royce Sweeptail was released and allowed for a completely bespoke body to be built on an existing Rolls platform. After the success of the Sweeptail, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös says a new division will open up called Rolls-Royce Coachbuild, which will handle the creation of a variety of unique vehicles for wealthy buyers.
“We are able to offer our customers the opportunity to create a motor car in which every single element is hand-built to their precise individual requirements,” Müller-Ötvös said.
The new Boat tail will have a wood-panelled deck, modelled after J-class yachts. The car’s halves fold open to reveal a “hosting suite,” complete with a refrigerator, champagne flutes, towels, a built-in sunshade, and fold-out chairs.
Each car comes with a timepiece from Swiss luxury watchmakers Bovet, which can either be worn by the owner or mounted on the dashboard.
The vehicle is based on the same platform as the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which has a 6.75-litre, 563-horsepower twin-turbo V12 engine.
Müller-Ötvös said, “This is an authentic luxury. This is contemporary patronage in its truest form.”
