Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail walk around
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is honoured to present Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail – a breathtaking coachbuilt masterpiece that celebrates its commissioning client’s cultural heritage, family legacy and personal passions.
One of four unique expressions of the Rolls-Royce Droptail, Amethyst Droptail is a truly elevated expression of applied art, commissioned by a patron whose family business has grown from a gemstone boutique to a multinational corporation with diversified interests. Exceptionally well-travelled, internationally educated and truly global in their inspirations, the client is an established patron of the arts, whose collection of precious jewels, significant motor cars and contemporary artworks are housed in a specially commissioned private museum.
The patron tasked Coachbuild designers to create an elegant expression of Droptail inspired by the amethyst gem – the birthstone of their son and an enduring symbol of purity, clarity and resilience; themes that are explored throughout this exceptional motor car in extraordinary depth. The client’s passion for quiet artistry and subtle flourishes is what defines Amethyst Droptail – a projection of true connoisseurship that rewards those who study it with beguiling details.
Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail was unveiled to the commissioning client, their family and friends at a private event in Gstaad, Switzerland – a region of particular significance for the patron.
One of four unique expressions of the Rolls-Royce Droptail, Amethyst Droptail is a truly elevated expression of applied art, commissioned by a patron whose family business has grown from a gemstone boutique to a multinational corporation with diversified interests. Exceptionally well-travelled, internationally educated and truly global in their inspirations, the client is an established patron of the arts, whose collection of precious jewels, significant motor cars and contemporary artworks are housed in a specially commissioned private museum.
The patron tasked Coachbuild designers to create an elegant expression of Droptail inspired by the amethyst gem – the birthstone of their son and an enduring symbol of purity, clarity and resilience; themes that are explored throughout this exceptional motor car in extraordinary depth. The client’s passion for quiet artistry and subtle flourishes is what defines Amethyst Droptail – a projection of true connoisseurship that rewards those who study it with beguiling details.
Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail was unveiled to the commissioning client, their family and friends at a private event in Gstaad, Switzerland – a region of particular significance for the patron.
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to a very secret corner of Goodwood, the home of Rolls-Royce motorcars.
00:07 In this unique facility, the Amethyst drop tail was hand-crafted.
00:13 Drop tail represents a fundamental examination of our design principles,
00:18 expressed in their purest form.
00:21 And this is perhaps no more evident than with the treatment of our iconic Pantheon grille.
00:26 For the first time in our brand's history, the grille vanes, which are usually straight,
00:31 are actually kinked at the top and raked rearwards.
00:34 That, in turn, together with the deeply set eye sockets for the headlamp,
00:39 create this strong, heavy brow effect that emphasises a horizontal proportion to the front of the car.
00:46 This progressive treatment is also extended to the lower area of the grille,
00:50 where we would typically find the more rectangular conclusion in the corner, we have a chamfered effect.
00:55 And this, together with the deep draw, almost promises a more functional aesthetic by way of its impression.
01:02 And unique to the drop tail Amethyst expression is the inclusion of an Amethyst stone,
01:07 the birthstone of the eldest son of the commissioning family,
01:11 which is here placed at the base of the Spirit of Ecstasy,
01:15 and in turn informs the overall colour palette that you see here on the car.
01:20 Now, as we take in the visual silhouette of drop tail, perhaps the most unique aspect is its stance.
01:27 And in the first instance, this is established by way of its proportions.
01:31 In the front end, you have a very short front overhang and a raked rearwards inclination to the face of the car.
01:37 But more unusual for a Rolls-Royce, at the rear there is a compact overhang.
01:41 Typically, we have very regal rear ends to Rolls-Royces that provide that sense of elegance,
01:46 that visual sense of waftability, but here there's an assertiveness that comes by way of the overhangs from the axles.
01:53 But more importantly, is actually the ratio of a very, very generous body side section
01:58 to an incredibly shallow windscreen proportion.
02:01 This visually pushes the occupants down inside the car,
02:05 really emphasising the two-seater roads to nature of the design.
02:10 Now, what you will also notice is the general distillation and purification to the surfaces.
02:16 So, even where you would typically find on a Rolls-Royce the side indicator coupled together with the Rolls-Royce badge,
02:23 we work to, in the first instance, relocate the indicator into the forward edge of the door handle.
02:28 A first for us.
02:29 But secondly, actually take the Rolls-Royce monogram and deconstruct it and place it up here on the sail panel.
02:36 And this leaves the surface uninterrupted here and emphasises the visual elongation of the dash to axle proportion.
02:44 And as we move rearwards, we discover the sail cowl,
02:48 which on the interior serves as almost the collar-up impression, you know,
02:52 cossetting and protecting the occupants within.
02:54 But from an exterior standpoint, it really underlines the two-seater nature of the design.
03:01 Now, as we find ourselves at the rear of Drop Tale, the immediate impression is one of sculpture,
03:07 particularly this transom surface that helps to establish the width of the car.
03:12 It takes its inspiration from the construct of a yacht, where you have the hull form running rearwards
03:18 and then this strong truncation to provide this very pure, clean and uninterrupted surface that establishes the width of the car.
03:27 You also see with this large canvas, we're able to place these beautifully delicate, almost jewel-like rear lamp elements
03:34 that are incredibly contemporary in their execution here,
03:37 but actually serve a very serious historical nod to the cars from the '20s and the '30s.
03:44 But the real visual highlight here at the rear is, of course, the aft deck,
03:49 the largest single piece of wood that has ever been produced here at Goodwood by our artisans in the home of Rolls-Royce.
03:57 It was very much defined by the unique grain of caramel hue that you see in here
04:04 that also went on to inform the wider colour palette within the interior.
04:08 We also pioneered differing techniques and even filed a patent specifically for the Amethyst Drop Tale
04:15 in our fulfilment of what the client was looking for.
04:18 What is quite interesting here visually is, of course, you have the familiar bookmatching on centreline
04:24 where the leaf is opened and spliced to provide this complete mirror down the centreline
04:29 and here exaggerated with the chevron effect that darts towards the rear edge of the car.
04:34 But moreover, this is then coupled with the technique of slipmatching,
04:38 which is actually when we move the leaves to ensure that you have no visual repetition between the individual splices,
04:45 so that what you see here provides a texture and a richness as it would have been found were it in the wild.
04:52 But beyond its aesthetic beauty is actually a very serious function.
04:56 This surface actually provides the downforce for the car when it is travelling at speed.
05:02 A feature, a normal spoiler as you would find on many other motorcars, would simply not be appropriate for a Rolls-Royce.
05:10 And here we worked hand in hand with not just the engineers doing the digital simulations to provide us with the optimal profile,
05:17 but on the other hand, together with the artisans in the woodshop,
05:20 to ensure that the limitations of the material and the way that it is sculpted
05:24 could accommodate the aerodynamic profile that we are looking for.
05:28 And as we follow the cow line up, our eye spills over into the interior.
05:33 Now the cabin of Drop Tale is made up of three key gestures.
05:37 The first is the shawl element that takes the line that comes off the grille rearwards in the waist rail
05:42 and then wraps behind the two occupants and encircles them and cossets them within the interior,
05:47 almost as if it is pulling them forward.
05:49 And as you see it here, this beautiful sculpture continues the calamander light wood down onto the interior of the car itself.
05:57 The second gesture is the plinth, this cantilevered and beautifully elliptical form that sits between the two occupants
06:04 and gives the impression that they are sitting low within the cabin space of the car itself.
06:09 And finally, the instrument panel, providing this precision and visual clarity to piloting such a unique Rolls-Royce Roadster.
06:18 There is a general pursuit of distillation here.
06:21 You will notice only the display of analogue interfaces at the request of the client.
06:26 And in nod to also the amethyst that is featured on the exterior,
06:31 it appears here in the interior on these beautiful rotary control dials as a cabochon cut gemstone.
06:38 Here, drawing inspiration from the high complication timepiece,
06:42 we draw on the hot horology techniques of fine brushing,
06:47 which of course is sympathetic to the brushing that we have on the stainless steel parts here on the exterior,
06:52 but also the centre caps that incorporate the guilloche pattern,
06:57 but also incorporate the amethyst hues as you find it here in the wider palette of the interior.
07:04 The centrepiece of the amethyst drop tail is the meeting of the client's two great passions in life.
07:10 The first, of course, is Rolls-Royce motorcars.
07:13 The second, their appreciation of fine watchmaking.
07:17 And here the client commissioned horology maison Vacheron Constantin to create a unique timepiece.
07:24 Here with the roof in place, drop tail is transformed from a lithe open top roadster
07:30 to a dramatic and formidable looking coupe.
07:34 Here as a design team, we actually studied 1930s West Coast hot rods
07:38 to establish the right glass ratio to roof.
07:42 And the speed with which it exits rearwards really emphasises that sense of drama
07:47 that you would expect with such a distinctive design.
07:50 Here this cantilevered impression is mimicking the treatment on nautical tenders
07:55 and also picks up on the design resolution here at the rear.
07:59 But perhaps more unique to the amethyst drop tail
08:03 is the inclusion of a vast uninterrupted glass application over the centre of the roof.
08:09 Here we were guided by the very clear wish from the client
08:13 that they intended to use the car in an environment where not only did they wish to view out,
08:18 but also to view up.
08:20 And not only that, knowing that it would be in very different parts of the world during its lifetime,
08:25 it actually incorporates an electrochromatic function
08:28 that allows you to transition between a completely obscured expanse of glass to translucent.
08:35 Our contemporary movement of Coachbuild is about creating something beautiful
08:39 that's emotionally resonant and intellectually stimulating.
08:43 The amethyst drop tail sensitively captures the cultural heritage and the family legacy
08:49 through quiet artistry, sophisticated details and exceptional craft.
08:55 The Rolls-Royce drop tail is our most profound statement of this applied art to date.
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