Rolls Royce Boat Tail, Promotional Piece Or Private Client Indulgence?

 

The Rolls Royce Boat Tail is a masterful piece of engineering, possibly it might be able to be called a work of art, certainly in engineering terms.  Named after the rear of the vehicle which is shaped like a J-class racing yacht, it has alongside all the luxurious trappings that might be expected, a unique feature.  The boat shaped rear opens up like a butterfly to reveal a parasol, folding chairs, and a full set of accruements for entertaining that re-create the atmosphere of a small outdoor cafe wherever the car performs this feat.

The vehicle reportedly costs $20 million, and was according to Rolls Royce press releases,  commissioned by a wealthy European, who will be enjoying drives around the sunny Mediterranean, enjoying the unique feature, and the cars other stunningly luxurious touches.  However, we believe this is likely to be a marketing ploy.

The announcement and fanfare surrounding this one off car comes as Rolls Royce announce the re-launch of Rolls Royce's Coachbuild unit.  For those unaware of what this is, motor cars of the standard Rolls Royce make were originally like bespoke suits, a consumer would order one. and it would be made by the Coachbuild unit to the clients specifications.  To compete with the likes of Ford, Rolls Royce began producing "ready made" cars, in the same way tailors began making ready made suits.  By the time the company nearly failed and was nationalised in 1971, the Coachbuild unit was non-existent.   As is well known, Volkswagen now own the brand, and it's workshops and history, and eager to both appeal to wealthy buyers, and to hopefully make up for an appalling last 18 months, have re-launched the Coachbuild unit.

The Boat Tail is therefore more likely to be a promotional piece, created to draw admirers to gaze in awe at the possibilities of bespoke car-making.  There's nothing wrong with that, while the marketing is slightly deceptive, this remains a marvel of engineering, innovation and creativity and we hope this once great brand reclaims it's pedigree and ushers in a new era of truly unique hand built bespoke automobiles.