It's nice to be able to invest five to 10 million dollars, or more, in a new car. Then you can go straight to a first-class automaker and embark on a "prodigious intellectual journey" that takes four years and results in a stunning one-off car worthy of any car connoisseur's attention.
The latest of these unicorns is the Rolls-Royce Sweptail, a two-door coupe unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Lake Como, Italy. It was developed in collaboration with its owner, a "connoisseur of Rolls-Royces" who, the company said, was "inspired by many of his favorite cars" from the early 20th century and by "many classic and modern yachts."
The Sweptail is indeed reminiscent of a yacht with its classic blue color scheme and its abundance of wooden elements, including a huge hat shelf in the place of the rear seat. Of course, there is a cooler for "a bottle of the customer's favorite vintage champagne," as the press release claims. (It's a 1970 Dom Pérignon.) There is also room for two custom-built briefcases.
The Sweptail's design is both classic and minimalist, with a massive aluminum grille, a front enclosed by a metal frame and a panoramic glass roof that tapers toward the rear. The dashboard is more futuristic than any other Rolls-Royce, as all the buttons are hidden.
The company would not disclose where the car will drive in the future, but the integration of the lucky number 8 on the license plate suggests that this right-hand-drive car is headed for Asia. At the unveiling, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls, said, "We listen carefully to our most special customers and gauge their interest in investing in similar, fully exclusive coachbuilt masterpieces." Similar, but certainly not the same.
Rolls-Royce Sweptail