Rolls Royce Sweptail | Car Talk - Car News May 2017

16:02 Wednesday 31 May 2017

In 2013, one of Rolls-Royce's most valued customers approached them with a very particular request.

The gentleman, a connoisseur and collector of super-yachts, private aircraft and the like, came to Rolls-Royce to realise his vision of a one-off luxury motor car like no other.

The client desired a coachbuilt two seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof, inspired by the beautiful coachbuilt Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his favourite cars from the marque’s golden era of the early 20th Century shaped his vision, as well as many classic and modern yachts.

The resulting motor car is now a reality, and it goes by the name of ‘Sweptail’.

“Sweptail is the automotive equivalent of Haute Couture,” comments Giles Taylor, Director of Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “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.”

“Our job was to guide, edit and finely hone the lines that would ultimately give our client this most perfect of Rolls-Royces,” added Taylor.

Perhaps the most noteworthy quirk of this one-off masterpiece is as personal to the owner as every other feature. Within the centre console is a hand-built mechanism that will deploy a bottle of the client’s favourite vintage champagne and two crystal champagne flutes. The chiller opens at the touch of a button, and mechanically articulates the bottle in to the perfect position for the owner to pick up.

There is also a fridge under the seat which holds 24 cans of Carling Black Label.