Rolls-Royce ‘Sweptail’ Fulfills One Customers Dream With One-of-A-Kind Coachbuild

At this weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Sweptail, a one-off coachbuild that pulls inspiration from last year’s 103EX. The Sweptail is unique in so many ways and pushes the envelope for what a luxury and one-of-a-kind luxury tourer should be. The build also showcases the British brand’s desire and willingness to listen to its customers and bring their dreams to reality. Chances are this can’t happen all the time but as Rolls-Royce continues to explore their resources and refines the process, we can expect more of their top-tier clients to be able to tap into such a service.

And for those wondering what the process to build such a wondrous beauty entailed, the unnamed customer worked closely with Rolls-Royce to tailor make this vehicle for him. But he’s not only a fan of Rolls-Royce, he’s a connoisseur and collector of other fine, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft. As you can see, there’s a bit of inspiration pulled from those impeccable toys as well. Further inspiration came from Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 1930s blended with the customer’s desire to have a two-seat coupé that featured a large panoramic glass roof.

The amount of inspiration available from Rolls-Royce’s storied history is tremendous, and their current designers made full use:

The 1925 Phantom I Round Door built by Jonckheere; the svelte tapering glasshouse, dramatic dash to axle proportion and up-sweep of the rear departure angle of the 1934 Phantom II Streamline Saloon by Park Ward; the elegantly falling waist-rail, swept tail coachwork of the 1934 Gurney Nutting Phantom II Two Door Light Saloon, and the flowing roofline, rising departure angle, and again the swept tail coachwork of the 1934 Park Ward 20/25 Limousine Coupé.

Though this has been in the works for the last few years, the end result is the perfect blend of Rolls-Royces from generations past and all that we’ve come to expect from a modern Rolls. And then some. Up front, we see the iconic Rolls-Royce Pantheon grille, with the Sweptail’s being the largest of any modern era Rolls-Royce. It’s been milled from solid aluminum before being polished by hand to a mirror finish. Walk to the side and you’ll see where the Sweptail really begins to craft its own character when comparing it to other modern Rolls-Royces. The elegant lines give it its larger-than-life presence while the roofline stretches from the windscreen all the way back towards the rear, right past the boot lid. The longer side window graphic and wide C-pillar finisher take things a step further.

And the back. Well, this is where the customer’s love for yachts blends right into his love for luxury automobiles. The raked stern is apparent while the rear taper contrasts strongly with the front to give it a really unique presence. As the hull of a yacht tends to wrap under with no visible boundary to the surfaces, so does the bodywork of the Sweptail. The underside delivers the visual of a progressive upward sweep at the rear departure angle of the car which culminates in the swept-tail that gives Sweptail its name.

With the glass roof swooping over it, the cabin is as spacious as it feels, with the approach here to deliver simplicity and minimalism rather than clutter. Beautiful materials are seen throughout, with plenty of polished Macassar Ebony and open-pore Paldao to go around. Look for light Moccasin and Dark Spice leathers on the seats, armrests and dashboard top. With no rear seats, the space is instead met with a wrapping of wood that creates a mid-shelf with an illuminated glass lip as well as a hat shelf which flows to the outer limits of the interior volume. Not a detail has been overlooked here as ‘Sweptail’ is discreetly debossed into the surface of the Passarelle that flows from the rear edge of the windscreen and then connects to the hat shelf.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, behind the opening of the coach doors are two identical panniers that deploy forward to present the owner’s bespoke made attaché case that can perfectly house his personal laptop. The cases are made from lightweight carbon fiber and wrapped in the fine leather to match the interior of the Sweptail. There’s also a full set of luggage developed by Rolls-Royce Bespoke for ‘Sweptail’. The luggage sits in the trunk of the Sweptail.

The amount of painstaking detail that’s gone into building this one-off beauty is something to appreciate and with the sale price said to be hovering around $13 million USD, there’s no doubt it’s worth every penny.

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