The start of the limited edition Coachbuild Collection.
By Wallace Wyss –
Of course, Rolls Royce has always been about coachbuilt cars with special bespoke versions for wealthy customers (and royalty) in addition to mass produced cars but with this new Project Nightingale, they are calling this “the first model in its new Coachbuild Collection, with limited production.”
In the past few years they have unveiled some coachbuilt (why not say “custom?) cars, say making three of them, or one of them and the cars got a lot of publicity. One of the last was the Arcadia, but all of the custom ones lately had the same downward slant to the rear deck. The rare customs generated more demand than there were cars available since those were made specifically with customers ordering them with special colors, styling, etc. Hence the decision to make 100 of the Nightingale, the first of the Coachbuild Collection.
It is a bit confusing that in some publicity it says the car is electric yet, yet in one release CEO Chris Brownridge says the company has decided to retain V12 engines.
Unlike the other one-offs of recent times, it is a two seater, unusual for Rolls and like the boat-tail has a strong downward slant to the rear deck. Covering up what would have been the rear seat is a permanent cover which I will have to call a “headrest hump” for lack of a better phrase. Think of it as the modern equivalent of the twin headrest hump on the ’62-’63 Thunderbird Sports Roadster.
The new car is built on the chassis of the Spectre, a two door coupe. In that model, a pair of electric motors provides all-wheel drive and an output of either 577 or 650 horsepower, depending on which model you choose. BMW acquired Rolls in 2003, establishing it as a wholly owned subsidiary in Goodwood, England, so there’s a V12 BMW engine that could figure in this new series somewhere.
The price? I gather, like the Ferrari SP cars, it depends on how special you want your car to be but I’ve seen a million dollars mentioned and yet other articles hint each one could be at as much as $6 million. Here’s my take on the design, again starting from pictures. I probably won’t see the actual car until I arrive at Pebble Beach in August.
Here’s my reaction.
FRONT The front fenders look a little like a Lincoln Continental Mk. III of the. mid-70s. Curiously no visible turn signals, and they missed the chance to install a modern version of good old fashioned fog lamps.
SIDE Amazingly the top of the body side, mid-section to rear is like the 1970 Chevrolet Impala convertible had for a few years, almost a fin. To me this is a backward complement to those Chevy designers. The 24” tall wheels are the largest ever offered on a Rolls, and to me, are a bit too “busy” for a luxury car.
REAR The most shocking view in my opinion because it so high humped, like a beginner’s ski slope. It still has a rear trunk lid and I would like to see if there’s fitted luggage. There is no indication the panel lifts up at the top end to stow items into what used to be the rear seat area. The taillamps are an unsettling vertical design that brings to mind no other Rolls Royce and look a bit cheap for such an expensive car.
IN SUM: A welcome design in terms of unity of styling especially from the rear ¾ view. The front seems curiously stark, like where are the turn signals?
THE MARKETING Rolls already mentions they have 30 inquires, almost one third of the run and are looking for US sales. You might question if there is a justification for a cost-no-object product but if you look at women’s Hermes Birkin bags and see they cost as much as a 3 bedroom home, you can see there is a market for million dollar bespoke Rolls droptops. I congratulate Rolls-Royce for seeing that Cadillac has preceded them with a bespoke model and is carving out an audience, and it’s about time that Rolls stepped in and re-asserted their one time dominance in this field.
Oh, and by the way don’t think that even if you have the moola (and if you use the word “moola”they might slam the door in your face..) you can buy one. It is a car sold by “invitation only” similar to Ferrari’s SP cars that are only sold to customers who will qualify as the right type of owner, as it were.
Tally ho, full chat in top cog, and all that….
THE AUTHOR Wallace Wyss is a long time auto historian turned fine arts painter. For inquiries about commissioning a fine art portrait in oil of your favorite car, write mendoart7@gmail.com
Images compliments of Rolls-Royce.
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