New model heralds expansion of Rolls-Royce’s bespoke programme; will be its first limited-run EV
Rolls-Royce’s next coachbuilt car will be an EV based on the Spectre, due to be revealed in the coming weeks.
It marks a significant expansion of Goodwood’s bespoke programme, now named the Coachbuild Collection.
Customers with a “special affinity” for the British marque will be invited to one of its global ‘private offices’ – effectively rooms designed for car specification – to discuss limited-production projects designed according to their desires.
“It became clear that [clients] wished to see not only what Rolls-Royce would create if left entirely to its own imagination and with the freedom offered by coachbuilding, but they also wanted to witness that journey at every stage,” said CEO Chris Brownridge.
The expansion of its coachbuilding programme comes after the positive reception to previous limited-run Rolls-Royces.
The Phantom-based Sweptail was unveiled in 2017 as the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era and was described by then-CEO Torsten Müller Otvös as “probably the most expensive new car ever”.
It was followed by the open-top Boat Tail, revealed in 2021 and thought to cost around £20 million. It was inspired by yachts and its 1932 namesake, with wooden panelling and a parasol that popped out from its rear deck. Just three examples were built.
The Droptail then followed two years later. It was understood to cost even more than the Boat Tail and was sportier in style, taking inspiration from ‘chop-top’ hot rods.
The next coachbuilt car will be the first with electric power; the previous three were all powered by Rolls-Royce’s signature 6.75-litre petrol V12.
