Inspired by racing yachts: the one-off Rolls-Royce – Sweptail
Rolls-Royce has unveiled the unique Sweptail - a one-off luxury car which pays homage to racing yachts, as well as the brand's iconic vehicles of the past
Rolls-Royce has unveiled the Sweptail – one of the most unique and expensive cars in the world.
While the client’s identify is secret, the British car manufacturer has revealed that the one-off two-seater luxury car was built for a collector of “distinctive, one-off items”, including super yachts and private jets.
Sweptail is a nod to the swept-tail of certain Rolls-Royces from the 1920s, which are so admired by the client, such as the 1925 Phantom I Round Door built by Jonckheere and the 1934 Phantom II Streamline Saloon by Park Ward.
The individual was also inspired by the design of many classic and modern racing yachts.
The client worked alongside the car manufacturer’s design team, which is led by Giles Taylor.
Commenting at the launch of the Sweptail on Saturday (27 May) at Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Taylor said that Rolls-Royce has proven once again to be the world’s leading luxury goods provider.
“Sweptail is the automotive equivalent of Haute Couture,” he stated.
“It is a Rolls-Royce designed and hand-tailored to fit a specific customer. This customer came to the House of Rolls-Royce with an idea, shared in the creative process where we advised him on his cloth, and then we tailored that cloth to him. You might say we cut the cloth for the suit of clothes that he will be judged by,” added Taylor.
Sweptail, a two seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof, took four years to design and build.
It has the classic front profile of a Rolls-Royce as well as the iconic grille, which is milled from solid aluminium before being polished by hand to a mirror finish.
From the leading edge of the windscreen, the roofline accelerates as it fires backwards towards the rear of the motor car, overshooting the boot lid edge to emphasise its length.
The longer side window graphic and wide C-pillar finisher underscore the length and proportions.
The coup de gras of the rear is the ultimate homage to the world of racing yachts that inspired the client – the raked stern.
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The roof lines taper towards the centre line of the car, concluding in a ‘bullet-tip’ that houses the centre brake light, and the sweeping lower bumper area of the motor car.
The cleanliness of the surface of ‘Sweptail’ is maintained as the bodywork wraps under the car with no visible boundary to the surfaces, a treatment that is akin to the hull of a yacht.
The underside of the motor car was designed to deliver the visual of a progressive upward sweep at the rear departure angle of the car, culminating in the swept-tail that gives ‘Sweptail’ it name.
Inside it boasts modern, minimalistic, handcrafted interior.
Generous quantities of polished Macassar Ebony and open-pore Paldao feature in the interior.
This choice of dark and light, Ebony and Paldao, is set off by contrasting light Moccasin and Dark Spice leathers that adorn the seats, armrests and dashboard top.
True to the spirit of a transcontinental GT that Rolls-Royce established in the 20s and 30s, in place of the rear seats is a vast expanse of wood creating a mid-shelf with an illuminated glass lip, and a hat shelf.
The Sweptail has one of the cleanest Rolls-Royce dashboards to date with only one control featured on it – the others are discreetly relocated.
Even the clock blends seamlessly – handmade from the thinnest Macassar veneer.
Concealed in the outboard walls on either side of the motor car are two identical panniers.
Each pannier, when activated, deploys forward to present the owner’s bespoke carbon-fibre and leather attaché case which has been carefully packaged to exactly house his personal laptop device.
These attaché cases are twinned with the full set of luggage also developed by Rolls-Royce Bespoke for Sweptail.
The luggage resides in the trunk of the motor car, a trunk beautifully clad in the same wood as the hat shelf and inset with polished aluminium luggage rails.
The entire centre console also houses a one-off hand-built mechanism that, at the touch of a button, will deploy a bottle of the client’s favourite vintage champagne – the year of his birth – and two crystal champagne flutes.
As the lid of the chiller opens, the mechanical action articulates the bottle to the perfect position for the owner to pick up.
A true one-off.