Maybe this should have happened at Amelia, too, although even with all the wealth that’s in obvious evidence outside the Ritz-Carlton, you’ve still got to wonder whether it would be enough in this case. The image from Rolls-Royce accompanied its announcement last week that it fully intends to build the automobile you see, commissioning the construction of the Boat Tail, as it’s being called, in a revival of custom coachbuilding that has been an element of Rolls-Royce luxury for much of its existence. The august, once British-owned institution has launched a subsidiary, Rolls-Royce Coachbuild, to create cars such as the Boat Tail after the firm ventured into customer-specific bodywork with the much-noticed Sweptail study of 2017.
Rolls-Royce last week issued a very long media statement that really discusses the Boat Tail in very broad terms and yet makes abundantly clear that no conceivable element of personal luxury and expression will be lacking in this car. Among its planned designed elements are a dual-panel deck lid that opens in butterfly fashion to reveal a champagne cooler that’s pre-stocked with Armand de Brignac in two bottles plus caviar and blini. Cocktail tables will fold open on either side of the deck, clad in anthracite-tone Caleidolegno veneers, with BOVET timepieces integrated into the instrument display. Rolls-Royce has yet to announce a target MSRP for this quintessentially personal car, but reliably accurate sources including Forbes are reporting that the first client Boat Tail, now in planning, is pegged at more than 20 million pounds, which works out to around $28 million. Jeez, and we thought the F-Series EV was a big deal. As they say, see your dealer for further details.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 