Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is privileged to present Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, a dark, daring and dramatic coachbuilt masterpiece. This extraordinary motor car, presented to the clients who commissioned it at a private event close to Pebble Beach in California today, symbolises the distillation of experiences, significant moments and objets d’art cherished by its owners – an international family that exemplifies connoisseurship and luxury of the very highest order. Indeed, Coachbuild designers described the family’s talent for sensitive and informed curation in their homes and within their notable collection of motor cars and fashion icons, as an art form unto itself.
Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is inspired by the allure of the Black Baccara rose, an intense, velvet-like flower that originates in France and is beloved by the mother of the commissioning family. The dark pomegranate colour of its petals appears almost black in shade, but in direct light, a red, pearlescent shimmer is revealed on the dark surface. These two colours form the primary palette of La Rose Noire Droptail. The first red shade is named ‘True Love’ in recognition of the romance the client wished to capture in this commission. The darker tone is named ‘Mystery’, inspired by the mysterious nature of the rose, which appears to change colour when viewed from different angles. Indeed, it was the essence of true love and the mystery of exploration and travel that captivated the clients throughout the commissioning process.
Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is inspired by the allure of the Black Baccara rose, an intense, velvet-like flower that originates in France and is beloved by the mother of the commissioning family. The dark pomegranate colour of its petals appears almost black in shade, but in direct light, a red, pearlescent shimmer is revealed on the dark surface. These two colours form the primary palette of La Rose Noire Droptail. The first red shade is named ‘True Love’ in recognition of the romance the client wished to capture in this commission. The darker tone is named ‘Mystery’, inspired by the mysterious nature of the rose, which appears to change colour when viewed from different angles. Indeed, it was the essence of true love and the mystery of exploration and travel that captivated the clients throughout the commissioning process.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Welcome to a very secret corner of Goodwood, the home of Rolls-Royce motorcars.
00:05 It's here in our dedicated coachbuild facility that the first expression in the next chapter of our contemporary coachbuilding movement was handcrafted.
00:16 La Rose Noire droptail represents a bold, daring and sophisticated personal expression inspired by the black Baccarat rose.
00:27 Now as a design team, the significance of creating the only modern interpretation of the Rolls-Royce body style was not lost on us.
00:36 In many ways we felt liberated to fundamentally re-examine the tenets of Rolls-Royce design.
00:42 And that is perhaps no more evident than here with the interpretation of our iconic Pantheon grille.
00:49 For the first time in the marque's history, the normally upright and straight vanes are actually inclined here at the top with this kinked impression.
00:58 And this kink together with the deeply recessed headlamps creates this strong, heavy brow impression to the front of the car.
01:05 Now also down in these lower corners where we would typically have a rectangular conclusion to the grille, we have introduced for the first time a chamfer.
01:12 And this chamfer together with the deep draw projects a more functional aesthetic to the grille that is familiar with the roadster concepts of old.
01:22 What you will also notice here is a unique finish to the grille treatment itself that also extends to all of the metalwork across the exterior.
01:30 And here we actually developed an entirely new technological finish which we've named Hydroshade.
01:37 As we move to the flanks of the car, you can see how we have been guided by the pursuit of reduction.
01:42 In paring back the surfaces and what remains is executed with a level of clarity that can only be achieved with a hand-built coach-built motorcar.
01:53 In the lower areas is a unique lower intake that also carries the colour of the exterior paint True Love.
02:00 So as touched on, La Rose Noire is inspired by the black Baccarat Rose.
02:05 Native to France and beloved by the mother of the commissioning family, its deep pomegranate hue and velvet-like quality is transformed under intensive light to show accents of red.
02:19 Now in side view we can immediately appreciate the unique stance the drop tail carries, particularly its proportions.
02:27 In the first instance you have a very short front overhang but also a strong rearward inclination to the face of the car.
02:33 In the rear we have a more compact overhang than we are typically used to seeing on Rolls Royces.
02:39 But perhaps more profoundly you have this extremely generous body side section to a very shallow windscreen proportion.
02:46 This visually pushes the occupants deep down inside the interior, cosseting and protecting them a particular attribute of a roadster body type.
02:55 What you will also notice is a general distillation and purification to the form.
03:00 Here, together with the clients, we were insistent that the surfaces must remain uninterrupted.
03:06 Typically we would find the Rolls Royce monogrammed together with the indicator in this area on the car.
03:12 And we took the unprecedented step of integrating the indicator into the forward area of the door handle.
03:17 And also taking the Rolls Royce badge and for the first time in its history, deconstructing it.
03:24 And visually representing it here with this beautiful silhouetted double RR executed with the ingot and laid atop the sail cowl elements.
03:33 Now as we come to the rear of Drop Tale we can immediately appreciate the strong impression of sculpture.
03:39 Particularly the taper towards centreline.
03:43 The view is dominated by this transom surface which in many ways mimics the construct of a yacht.
03:50 It also serves as an uninterrupted canvas for the placement of these jewel-like rear tail lamps.
03:55 And while highly modern in their execution, here they actually serve as a historic nod to the early roadster bodied Rolls Royces.
04:04 The dynamic nature of the roadster body is also evident in the proportion of the lower diffuser element.
04:11 That establishes the width, particularly the rear track of the car.
04:16 This is of course a driver's car and therefore there are demands aerodynamically placed on this rear area.
04:24 Now we were able to let's say develop and work with these demands by creating an aerodynamically sculpted profile in this rear deck area.
04:33 Which together with this floating element here provides the downforce for the car when it's travelling at speed.
04:40 And as we follow the cowl line back up we arrive at the interior.
04:44 Where we can immediately appreciate the three key design gestures.
04:49 The first is the shawl element that takes the line that develops off the front of the grill,
04:53 comes rearwards into the waist rail before then enveloping the two occupants and cossetting them.
04:59 This provides the level of romance, the level of intimacy that one would expect with a two-seater proposition.
05:06 Secondly you can see the centre console plinth.
05:09 This beautiful elliptical element that is more akin to what you would expect to find in an architectural space rather than in an automotive one.
05:17 And this element sits high, again giving the impression that the occupants are deep down and protected within the cabin space.
05:25 And the final gesture is of course the instrument panel.
05:28 Reflecting the materials and the colours of La Rose Noire.
05:31 In particular the inclusion of the red accent together with the high precision metalwork.
05:37 But as a first for us also the incorporation of the parquetry into the centre needle coins of the dials themselves.
05:45 By way of the client's request we work together with Audemars Piguet to produce and integrate one of their unique high complication timepieces
05:55 into the fascia panel of the car itself.
05:59 But moreover fulfill the exacting wishes from the client that it should also be wearable on the wrist.
06:05 Now when the client is to enter the car they can then remove the timepiece and place it into the clasp holder here.
06:11 Where it will retreat back into the instrument panel and the straps can be stowed separately.
06:17 And then of course to the real showpiece of La Rose Noire.
06:21 The simple request from the client was to create the impression of floating roses as if they had been scattered across the interior by hand.
06:29 Here there is this beautiful merger between the tried and tested techniques of an age old practice of parquetry
06:35 with an achingly modern design that represents an abstract depiction of the rose petals.
06:41 These triangular elements are made up of 1,603 individual pieces.
06:48 It took three years to move from the formative development through to the production of the piece that you see in here.
06:55 This highly contemporary depiction of the rose petals is not just exclusive to the interior.
07:00 We actually bring the theme out onto the aft deck here.
07:04 Now interestingly we execute it with a completely different technology.
07:08 Pulling on the very best skills within our paint area.
07:11 Here the artisans depicted 96 individual rose petals.
07:17 Executed in the true love paint that we find on the main flanks of the car.
07:22 Building on the foundation of the mystery base layer.
07:26 But more interestingly they are all hand stenciled and hand sprayed.
07:30 But done so in a way as the client insisted that there could be no visible detection between the surfaces
07:36 to understand that they had been applied by hand.
07:40 With the roof fitted, Drop Tale is transformed from a lithe open top roadster into a dramatic and formidable looking coupe.
07:49 Here as a design team we actually studied 1930s hot rods from the west coast.
07:53 To appreciate the generous body side section to the very shallow glass proportion in here.
07:59 Together with the fast and accelerating roof line here.
08:03 This was actually a feature that the commissioning client of La Rose Noire Drop Tale pushed us further with.
08:09 To really exaggerate the speed and the length of the line work.
08:14 Pulling it as far rearward as it could possibly go before truncating it here at the rear.
08:18 Mimicking the treatment of the cap roofs on 1920s Rolls Royce roadsters.
08:24 And here we pioneered a large application of glass.
08:28 A beautiful uninterrupted and rather pure treatment here that sits across the entire upper surface of the roof itself.
08:36 Now while that is impressive the real ingenuity is that it incorporates electrochromatic technology.
08:42 Allowing the client at the touch of a button to transform from an opaque sun shaded protection to complete translucency.
08:51 Taking in the view up and out of the cabin of the car.
08:54 Our contemporary movement of Coachbuild is about creating something artful that has real meaning.
09:01 La Rose Noire Drop Tale is glamour distilled.
09:05 Imbuing the personal passions and distinctly bold visions of the commissioning couple.
09:12 And it is all the more extraordinary for it.
09:15 It is an elevated statement of true connoisseurship.
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