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Rolls-Royce introduces La Rose Noire

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars proudly introduces the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, a coachbuilt masterpiece that is dark, daring, and dramatic. This exceptional vehicle was presented to its clients who commissioned it during a private event near Pebble Beach in California. The car embodies the essence of cherished experiences, significant moments, and prized art pieces valued by its owners – an international family that epitomizes a refined taste and the utmost luxury. The Coachbuild designers praised the family’s skill in curating their homes and their notable collection of cars and fashion items, likening it to an art form in itself.

The inspiration behind the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail comes from the alluring Black Baccara rose, a rich velvet-like flower originating from France, cherished by the mother of the family who commissioned the car. The deep pomegranate color of the rose’s petals appears almost black in the shade, but in direct light, it reveals a red pearlescent sheen on its dark surface. These two colors form the main palette of the La Rose Noire Droptail. The initial red shade is called ‘True Love,’ reflecting the romantic sentiment the client aimed to capture with the commission. The darker tone is named ‘Mystery,’ inspired by the rose’s enigmatic nature that seems to change color when viewed from different angles. This play between genuine love and the enigma of exploration and travel captivated the clients throughout the commissioning process.

The exterior coachwork is adorned in the intricate and multifaceted True Love red. Similar to the Black Baccara rose, the car’s color appears to shift when viewed from various angles. To achieve this captivating variation, surface finish specialists developed a brand-new paint process, refined through over 150 meticulous iterations. A secret base coat was followed by five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a slightly different shade of red.

This two-tone concept extends to the brightwork of the La Rose Noire Droptail. The dark finish, known as Hydroshade due to its liquid-like quality, was designed exclusively for this project. Instead of painting these components, a specific chrome electrolyte is introduced during the chrome plating process and co-deposited onto each stainless-steel surface in a layer just one micron thick – approximately the width of a strand of spider silk. This dark, reflective finish continues on selected metal details within the interior, each meticulously hand-polished to achieve a high-gloss appearance.

A removable hardtop has been crafted to give the Droptail two distinct personalities: without the roof, it transforms into an agile open-top roadster, and with the roof in place, it becomes a commanding and dramatic coupé. Uniquely for the La Rose Noire, the roof sits unusually low, further accentuated by a steeper and more extended angle, enhancing its assertive and glamorous character. An ingot bearing the car’s name is situated behind the roof – a first for Rolls-Royce. The fully Bespoke roof also includes an electrochromic glass section that swiftly transitions to a nearly translucent shade with a simple button press, inviting passengers to explore the world above.

The clients’ meticulous attention to detail is beautifully showcased on the Pantheon grille vanes of the La Rose Noire Droptail. In a subtle touch, True Love paint is meticulously applied as an accent on the reverse side of the vanes, visible only through indirect reflection.

This understated elegance carries over to the intricate lower front air intake. This intricately designed piece was digitally conceived and 3D printed using a lightweight composite material, housing 202 hand-polished stainless-steel ingots, each meticulously hand-painted in the True Love shade.

A notable exterior aspect is the treatment of the eye-catching alloy wheels, featuring the dark Mystery paint finish. Much like the flower itself, the finish appears black from a distance but reveals shimmering dark red undertones when examined closely. The Mystery paint is applied across the entire rim surface and, through a high-precision diamond milling process, sections of the paint are carefully removed to expose accents of the underlying alloy material, which are then polished. This process accentuates the wheel’s directional design and its bold 22-inch size, emphasizing the Droptail’s commanding presence.

The most exceptional feature of this remarkable vehicle is its enveloping interior. It showcases the most intricate manifestation of parquetry ever crafted at Rolls-Royce – the result of nearly two years of development, extensive experimentation, and expert handwork.

The artwork embodies an abstract representation of falling rose petals, meticulously composed from 1,603 individual pieces of black wood veneer triangles. The highly complex pattern is built with 1,070 perfectly symmetrical elements forming the backdrop, and 533 asymmetrically positioned red pieces symbolizing the rose petals. The asymmetry was a deliberate choice by the clients to convey a natural, organic ‘scattering’ of petals.

Crafted from Black Sycamore wood sourced from France as a subtle homage to La Rose Noire’s French connection, each triangle is meticulously cut, sanded, and precisely positioned by hand. The pieces that appear stained in light and dark grey hues are, in fact, presented in their natural state; the color variation is achieved by utilizing veneer from different logs with distinct natural patterns. Only paint is used for the red pieces – to ensure color durability, Rolls-Royce artisans spent a year developing a new lacquer formula to safeguard this remarkable expression of contemporary craftsmanship.

This intricate and enveloping piece spans the entire interior of the vehicle, stretching from the rear shawl panel through the doors and onto the expansive dashboard. The complexity demanded such intense focus that the sole craftsman tasked with creating it could only work for one-hour intervals, for a maximum of five hours each day, ensuring unwavering attention to detail. The artisan, a long-time member of the Rolls-Royce team since their apprenticeship, spent weeks working in complete silence within a sound-insulated environment to minimize potential distractions. Crafting what is undoubtedly a work of art in its own right took more than nine months in total.

Finishing the interior, the two seats of the La Rose Noire Droptail are adorned with both dark red Mystery leather and light red True Love leather at the edges. Each is delicately finished with a subtle copper shimmer, evoking the pearlescent texture of the Black Baccara rose petals.

The dashboard of the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is graced with a bespoke integrated timepiece by Audemars Piguet, specially commissioned by the client. The 43mm Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date is powered by a unique self-winding Calibre 4407 movement, boasting a flyback chronograph and a split-seconds mechanism. Harmoniously matched with the La Rose Noire’s color scheme, it incorporates red counters and a red inner bezel, providing a vibrant contrast against the black ‘openworked’ dial adorned with rhodium-toned bevels.

Incorporating the timepiece posed a considerable challenge: the clients desired it to be both affixed to the vehicle’s interior and removable for wearable use. This was ingeniously realized with a powered clasp mechanism that elegantly presents the timepiece at the touch of a button.

Once the timepiece is detached, the aperture in the dashboard is concealed with an elegant titanium openworked blank head watch,

adorned with a white-gold coin displaying a hand-sculpted rose engraving, created by skilled artisans at Audemars Piguet. Subtle rose engravings on the car’s Bespoke Audio speaker frets mirror this motif. These pieces were meticulously handcrafted in the Swiss brand’s atelier and represent the only direct representations of the Baccara Rose in the entire vehicle.

A slim and supple leather pouch within the door compartments houses the strap and blank head watch while the timepiece is displayed on the dashboard.

To commemorate their Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, the owners commissioned an exclusive vintage of Champagne de Lossy, one of their preferred wine estates. This is particularly noteworthy as the special wine created for La Rose Noire Droptail stands as one of only a select few vintages produced by the Chateau in its 160-year history.

As the perfect accompaniment, the commissioning family requested a unique Rolls-Royce Champagne Chest. Adorned with matching rose petal parquetry and coordinated to match the car’s color palette and materials, it embodies the same meticulous attention to detail as the clients’ custom-made Rolls-Royce.

With the press of a button, the Champagne Chest opens to reveal an intricate champagne set, complete with hand-blown crystal champagne flutes. The exterior lid transforms into a serving tray crafted from bookmatched open-pore Black Sycamore wood, showcasing a design of the Chateau at its center through a brushed and laser-cut stainless-steel inlay.

The sides feature the same intricate parquetry as the La Rose Noire Droptail. When unfolded, they unveil two hammocks cradling the clients’ special edition Champagne de Lossy, designed to harmonize with the car’s color scheme. Thermal champagne coolers, crafted from black anodized aluminum and carbon fiber, finished in the dark Mystery shade, ensure the champagne remains at the ideal drinking temperature.

This bold and historic automobile is a romantic celebration of the couple behind its creation, characterized by passion and a constant pursuit of meaningful experiences. In commissioning this exceptional manifestation of the Droptail, this extraordinary family has not only shaped their own legacy but also become part of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars legacy.