Rolls-Royce has presented a one-off, custom build two-seat model at the Concorso d’Eleganza held at Villa d’Este in Italy.
Nicknamed ‘Sweptail’ - the special Roller was built for one lucky client who admired the swept-tail Rolls-Royce models of the 1920s, reimagined for 21st century.
Presenting the car to the media at the Concorso d’Eleganza on Saturday 27 May 2017, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, “Sweptail is a truly magnificent car. It exudes the romance of travel for its own sake, and immediately places ‘Sweptail’ in the pantheon of the world’s great intercontinental tourers."
In 2013, Rolls-Royce was approached by one of its most valued customers with a particular request. A connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft, this gentleman came to Rolls-Royce to realise his vision of a one-off luxury motor car like no other. Inspired by the beautiful coachbuilt Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 1930s, the client’s desire was for a coachbuilt two seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof. As a connoisseur of Rolls-Royces, he was inspired by many of his favourite cars from the marque’s golden era of the early 20th Century, as well as many classic and modern yachts.
The Sweptail is without question a Rolls-Royce and, when seen from the front, a new treatment of the iconic Rolls-Royce Pantheon grille is the largest of any modern era Rolls-Royce, and is milled from solid aluminium before being polished by hand to a mirror finish.
The silhouette defines its unique character. The scale and grandeur of this regal looking coupé is evident, from the leading edge of the windscreen, the roofline accelerates as it fires backwards towards the rear, overshooting the boot lid edge to emphasise its length. The longer side window graphic and wide C-pillar finisher underscore the length and proportions of the one-off car.
The rear is described as the ‘ultimate homage’ to the world of racing yachts that inspired the client - with its raked stern. Seen directly from behind, the rear taper contrasts strongly with the front of the motor car, shaping a completely new perception of a Rolls-Royce Coupé. Both the roof line as it tapers 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 car, combine to create a ‘greater feeling of elegance in motion’ says Rolls-Royce.
The highlight feature of the Sweptail however is that specifically asked for by the client. An uninterrupted glass roof, one of the largest and most complex ever seen on a car of any marque, allows the cabin to be flooded with natural light, animating a host of beautifully handcrafted materials and componentry.
The size, scale and complexity of the glass roof’s curvature is a marvel to behold, and from above again accentuates the speed and elegance of the Sweptail. Creating the ambience of the interior of the motor car, the glass of the roof is framed by polished aluminium rails that channel it into a vanishing point at the rearmost extremity of the cabin.