The dark, adventurous, and spectacular Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is a privilege to be unveiled by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
First of four unique Rolls-Royce Droptail commissions, named ‘La Rose Noire’
Inspired by romance and the allure of the Black Baccara rose
Incorporates most complex expression of parquetry in Rolls-Royce history
1,603 wood pieces hand-finished and hand-placed over almost two-year period
New exterior paint process required 150 iterations to perfect
Matching Champagne Chest commissioned to stage client’s exclusive vintage
Features wearable Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept timepiece
"Rolls-Royce An exquisitely rendered and beautifully projected love story, La Rose Noire Droptail, is depicted on the surface of a Rolls-Royce automobile. It is a representation of the intense and passionate bond between a husband and wife who are the leaders of a well-known multinational family; it is an honor to be a part of their inspiring tale. La Rose Noire Droptail is also evidence of our brand's unwavering commitment to excellence, where artistic vision and that of a single client fully harmonize. From its alluring yet intimidating form to its faultless and beautiful amorous gestures, this historic commission recalls both the rich tradition of Rolls-Royce and the character of the commissioning customers. La Rose Noire Droptail will go down in Rolls-Royce history alongside the exceptional customers who dared to make such a bold and modern statement.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer Torsten Müller-Tvös
One of the most innovative examples of Rolls-Royce coachbuilding ever imagined is the La Rose Noire Droptail. Our design team searched for a truly personal language of luxury by experimenting with daring new handcrafted processes and extremely intricate creative gestures to capture the passionate and glamorous mood of the commissioning clients. The exceptional craftsmanship of La Rose Noire Droptail's wood components, in particular, makes it obvious that time-honored, beautiful crafts can coexist with cutting-edge design. For Rolls-Royce Coachbuild and its position as the top innovator in applied art at its highest level, the ambition of the marque's clients and the unmatched abilities of its designers portend a long and exciting future.
Design director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Anders Warming
The Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is pure glitz. The Black Baccara rose, which held a special place in the client's heart and fascinated the design team, served as the principal source of inspiration for this dark, strong, and commanding commission. Our creative investigation was influenced by its rich and multifaceted character, which had an impact on the color scheme, composition, and fine details of the car. We used materials that quietly reinforced the clients' strong connection to France while fusing radically new design principles with centuries-old, excellent handmade processes. The result of our joint efforts to create a meaningful and forward-thinking design statement is a highly significant representation of the patron's character and a new high point for modern workmanship.
Head of Coachbuild Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Alex Innes
THE FIRST DROPTAIL: LA ROSE NOIRE
The dark, adventurous, and spectacular Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is a privilege to be unveiled by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. This extraordinary automobile represents the distillation of experiences, pivotal moments, and priceless artifacts cherished by its owners, an international family that embodies the highest levels of connoisseurship and luxury, and was presented to the clients who commissioned it today at a private event near Pebble Beach in California. In fact, Coachbuild designers referred to the family's ability to sensitively and intelligently curate their houses, as well as their renowned collection of automobiles and fashion icons, as a distinct art form.
Rolls-Royce The Black Baccara rose, a powerful, velvet-like flower with French origins that is adored by the mother of the commissioning family, served as the inspiration for La Rose Noire Droptail. However, in direct sunlight, a red, iridescent sheen may be seen on the dark surface of the petals' dark pomegranate color. La Rose Noire Droptail's primary color scheme consists of these two hues. In honor of the passion the client desired to depict in this commission, the first red tone is referred to as "True Love. The enigmatic quality of the rose, which appears to change color when viewed from different angles, served as the inspiration for the darker tone of "Mystery. The clients were enthralled throughout the commissioning process by the spirit of genuine love and the mystique of discovery and travel.
True love color, which is rich and lustrous, is used to complete the outside coachwork. Similar to the black Baccara rose, the color of the automobile appears to vary depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Surface finish experts created a brand-new paint method that was refined over 150 meticulous iterations to obtain this rich diversity. Five coats of clear lacquer, each one blended with a slightly different shade of red, were applied after a base coat, the color of which is kept a well-guarded secret.
The brightwork of La Rose Noire Droptail continues the duotone concept. Due to its liquid-like appearance, the dark finish, called Hydroshade, was created especially for this project. Instead of painting these pieces, a particular chrome electrolyte is added during the chrome plating process and co-deposited on each stainless steel substrate in a layer that is only one micron thick, or nearly the same width as a strand of spider silk. On a few metal accents that have been carefully hand-polished to a high-gloss finish throughout the inside, this dark but reflective finish is continued.
Droptail has a removable hard top that gives it two unique personalities: without the roof, it is a nimble, open-top roadster; with the roof on, it is a commanding, dramatic coupé. The roof is distinctively low-slung, exclusive to La Rose Noire, and is further emphasized with a faster and longer rake to support its forceful, glitzy character. An ingot with the name of the vehicle is attached behind it, a first for Rolls-Royce. The entirely customized roof also has an electrochromic glass part that, at the touch of a button, rapidly transforms to a nearly transparent shade, enticing guests to explore the space above.
The Pantheon grille vanes on La Rose Noire Droptail are a perfect example of the commissioning clients' love of detail. On the back surface of the vanes themselves, True Love paint is hand-applied as an accent, a tasteful touch that can only be seen through indirect reflection.
The complex lower front air intake continues with this subdued flair. 202 hand-polished stainless steel ingots, each hand-painted in the True Love color, are included in this intricate artwork, which was digitally created and 3D printed in a lightweight composite.
The treatment of the eye-catching alloy wheels, which have a dark mystery paint finish, is a crucial outward component. From a distance, the finish looks black, just like the blossom itself, yet up close, the sunlight exposes shimmering, rich crimson undertones. The entire rim is covered in mystery paint before some of it is scraped using a highly accurate diamond milling technique to reveal polished embellishments made from the basic alloy composition. This finish highlights the wheel's directional nature and its commanding 22-inch size, supporting this droptail's intimidating demeanor.
LA ROSE NOIRE: DISTILLED GLAMOR
The cocooning interior of this exceptional automobile is its most striking feature. This exposes the most intricate parquetry design ever produced by Rolls-Royce, the result of almost two years of research, rigorous experimentation, and hand craftsmanship.
Using 1,603 pieces of black wood veneer triangles, the artwork is an abstract depiction of falling rose petals. 1,070 absolutely symmetrical elements make up the background of the extremely complicated pattern, and 533 red pieces placed asymmetrically serve as the rose petals. The clients asked for the asymmetry to signify a natural, organic scattering of petals.
Each triangle is carved, sanded, and precisely placed by hand from black sycamore wood that is sourced in France as a subtle tribute to the French provenance of La Rose Noire. The pieces that seem to be light and dark gray stained are actually just their natural colors, which were obtained by utilizing veneer from various logs with various "figures," or the veneer's inherent patterns. Only the red pieces were painted; the artists at the marque spent a year devising a unique lacquer solution to preserve this amazing display of contemporary skill and prevent color fading over time.
The occupants of the motor vehicle are completely encircled by this exquisitely crafted and enveloping artwork, which extends from the rear shawl panel through the doors and over the broad fascia. The single craftsperson tasked with its creation could only work in one-hour sessions for no more than five hours total per day to guarantee they maintained the attention necessary for flawless completion. Its assembly required such great concentration. The craftsman, who has been with Rolls-Royce since their apprenticeship, worked for weeks in complete silence in a sound-proofed environment to reduce the risk of interruptions. It took more than nine months to complete what is without a doubt a piece of art in and of itself.
La Rose Noire Droptail's interior is finished with two seats that are edged in dark red Mystery leather and light red True Love leather, both of which have a slight copper sheen that mimics the iridescent texture of the Black Baccara rose petals.
ONE TIME ONLY
An integrated, one-of-a-kind timepiece by Audemars Piguet, expressly commissioned by the client, is fitted into the fascia of the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail. The self-winding Calibre 4407 movement that powers the 43mm Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date has a flyback chronograph and a split-seconds mechanism. It features red counters and an inner bezel that are expertly suited to the color scheme of La Rose Noire. This creates a striking contrast with the black 'openworked' dial that is accented with rhodium-toned bevels.
The requirement that the watch be both installed in the car and detachable so that it could be worn by a strap provided a considerable hurdle in terms of integration. This was made possible by a motorized clasp mechanism that, at the push of a button, softly presents the timepiece.
When the clock is taken out, an exquisite titanium openworked blank head watch that highlights a white-gold coin with a hand-sculpted Audemars Piguet rose engraving is placed over the fascia's opening. This theme is mirrored on the bespoke audio speaker frets of the automobile by subtle rose carvings. The pieces are the only authentic representations of the Baccara Rose in the entire automobile and were each painstakingly made by hand in the Swiss brand's studio.
The strap and the blank head watch are stored in a little, soft leather pouch found in the door paniers, while the timepiece itself is shown in the fascia.
A CELEBRATION COMMISSION
One of the owners' favorite wineries, Champagne de Lossy, produced an exceptional vintage to commemorate their Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail. This is especially significant because the unique wine made for La Rose Noire Droptail is one of the Chateau's rarest vintages in its 160-year history.
The commissioning family asked for a special Rolls-Royce champagne chest as the ideal staging area. It was created with the same rigorous attention to detail as the clients' coachbuilt Rolls-Royce and is finished with matching rose petal parquetry and materials that match the color scheme and automobile.
The Champagne Chest opens with the push of a button, displaying an elaborate champagne set complete with hand-blown crystal champagne flutes. The outside lid transforms into a serving tray made of bookmatched open-pore black sycamore wood and inlaid with brushed and laser-cut stainless steel that features a design of the Chateau.
Similar elaborate parquetry decorations like those on La Rose Noire Droptail may be found on the sides. When they are opened, two hammocks are seen cradling the clients' limited-edition Champagne de Lossy, which was created to complement the color scheme of the car. Stored thermal champagne coolers ensure that the champagne is kept at the ideal drinking temperature. They are constructed of carbon fiber and black anodized aluminum.
PLACING LA ROSE NOIRE DROPTAIL IN THE ROLLS-ROYCE LEGEND
This daring, iconic automobile is a loving tribute to the passionate, restless pair who built it and embodies their enthusiasm for significant adventures. By ordering this amazing rendition of Droptail, this remarkable family has contributed to the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars as well as shaped their own legacy.