In Rolls-Royce’s most opulent fashion, one of four of the latest La Rose Noire Droptail has debuted and features an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept timepiece as an interior focal point – alone costing upwards of R3,5 million.
Part of the array of high-end models to come out of Monterey Car Week, Rolls-Royce has delivered the La Rose Noire Droptail exclusively for its most discerning clientele; individuals who epitomize the highest level of connoisseurship.
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The bespoke hue adorning the Rolls-Royce Droptail is referred to as “True Love” which is inspired by the Black Baccara rose. This dark pomegranate colour holds the ability to transform its shades under varying lighting conditions. The application of five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with subtly distinct red tones, results in this unique colour. Rolls-Royce underwent a painstaking process, involving a specialized team, to develop a novel painting procedure for this hue, a journey that encompassed over 150 iterations to achieve perfection.
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The brightwork of the vehicle is finished in a dark Hydroshade coating, characterized by its liquid-like appearance. Rather than conventional painting, a chrome electrolyte is introduced during the plating process, bestowing a dark yet reflective sheen. This finish extends seamlessly throughout the interior, meticulously polished by skilled craftsmen to achieve a high-gloss finish.
In terms of the bodywork, the Droptail boasts a removable hardtop designed to offer two distinct visual identities. With the long, sleek roof in place, the car assumes the persona of a coupe, featuring an electrochromic glass section that can shift from opaque to nearly translucent at the touch of a button. Removing the hardtop transforms the Droptail into an agile, open-top roadster.
Like any other of its stablemates, the interior continues the opulent craftsmanship, with the highlight being the upper-echelon parquetry. This intricate design is crafted using 1 603 black wood veneer triangles, resembling an abstract representation of falling rose petals. Deliberately asymmetrical, this complex pattern captures the essence of a natural, organic scattering of petals, as per the preferences of the discerning clientele.
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All of this aside, the true centrepiece of the La Rose Noire Droptail is within its interior. A 43-millimetre Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date valued upwards of R3,5 million alone sits on the dashboard. This exquisite timepiece continues the La Rose Noire theme, featuring red counters and a red inner bezel that contrasts beautifully with the black dial adorned with rhodium-toned bevels. More impressively, the timepiece is designed to be removable and wearable and when done, a titanium blank head watch conceals the aperture in the fascia, featuring a white-gold coin embellished with a rose engraving.
La Rose Noire represents the latest addition to Rolls-Royce’s exclusive line of handcrafted vehicles, and it is one of four unique Droptail commissions that the renowned coachbuilder intends to create. Concurrently, Rolls-Royce is embarking on a transition towards electric vehicle production, exemplified by the forthcoming Spectre model, marking a bold step towards the future but this model features a final hoorah for the old epoch; a mighty 6,75-litre V12.
