Photo: X-Tomi
I hope we can all agree that the only reason behind the Rolls-Royce Sweptail's existence was to become the world's most expensive new car. The ridiculously rich man who commissioned it didn't need it, Rolls-Royce didn't need to make it, the world definitely didn't need to gawk at it, and yet here it is, serving its purpose as advertised.
$13 million and four years - that's what it took Rolls-Royce to honor the request from an unnamed billionaire who describes himself as a “connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft.” Well, we doubt there are many more individuals out there who are bold enough to approach Rolls-Royce directly and ask them to build a car specifically for them, not to mention actually affording to.
Well, what's done is done and the Sweptail two-seater wowed and horrified people in equal measure at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa D'Este. And thanks to all the pictures taken, it continues to do so even after the car had been flown to some private island and locked inside a Batman-like cave.
Rolls-Royce made it very clear that the Sweptail was a unique vehicle with a unique design that won't be reproduced later on. It is supposed to represent a nod to the 1920's design as well as feature a few nautical influences. Considering there is a huge deck behind the only two seats, we'd say at least the latter was perfectly addressed.
But it's precisely that rear end that makes the Sweptail what it is. The tear-shape of the cabin is probably the strongest visual connection with the car design from the start of the last century, so removing that would take most of the vehicle's charm and purpose away.
Reimagining the Rolls-Royce Sweptail as a Drophead Coupé does just that: it takes away everything that makes it special and transforms it into a big ostentatious barge with a funny-looking front end that nobody would pay half a million dollars for, let alone 13.
Well, what's done is done and the Sweptail two-seater wowed and horrified people in equal measure at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa D'Este. And thanks to all the pictures taken, it continues to do so even after the car had been flown to some private island and locked inside a Batman-like cave.
Rolls-Royce made it very clear that the Sweptail was a unique vehicle with a unique design that won't be reproduced later on. It is supposed to represent a nod to the 1920's design as well as feature a few nautical influences. Considering there is a huge deck behind the only two seats, we'd say at least the latter was perfectly addressed.
But it's precisely that rear end that makes the Sweptail what it is. The tear-shape of the cabin is probably the strongest visual connection with the car design from the start of the last century, so removing that would take most of the vehicle's charm and purpose away.
Reimagining the Rolls-Royce Sweptail as a Drophead Coupé does just that: it takes away everything that makes it special and transforms it into a big ostentatious barge with a funny-looking front end that nobody would pay half a million dollars for, let alone 13.
Google News