Just under a year ago, Rolls-Royce unveiled the VISION Next 100, a driverless concept designed to take one of the most famous car makers in the world into the 21st century. Rolls Royce said it was an example of how it was going to combine new technology such as 3D printing alongside hand-built techniques to create one-off cars for customers – and now it’s unveiled one of the examples of that practise.
Called the Rolls-Royce ‘Sweptail’, the new bespoke car was unveiled at the
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Designed specifically for one of Rolls Royce’s most valued customers, the new Sweptail is a bit like a ‘Greatest hits’ of old Rolls-Royces. According to the marque, the car gets its name from the swept-tail design of Rolls-Royce cars from the 20’s and 30’s, and it has styling cues from other places, too. A large panoramic glass roof echoes similar structures seen on luxury yachts, while the striking grille at the front also harks back to, well, pretty much every Rolls Royce ever.
The idea of this car first began in 2013, and since then both the client and Rolls Royce have worked together to create the Sweptail. Giles Taylor, Director of Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said: “It is a Rolls-Royce designed and hand-tailored to fit a specific customer.
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“This customer came to the House of Rolls-Royce with an idea, shared in the creative process where we advised him on his cloth, and then we tailored that cloth to him. You might say we cut the cloth for the suit of clothes that he will be judged by.”
“Our job was to guide, edit and finely hone the lines that would ultimately give our client this most perfect of Rolls-Royces,” he added.
As you’d expect, the car cost an astronomical amount, with the Telegraph reporting an asking price of around £10 million. However, the most interesting aspect of this car is the evolution and progression it represents. Rolls Royce is a brand famed for traditional , handcrafted vehicles, and now it’s using technology to push that DNA even further.
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In 2017, luxury is something we take for granted, and while expensive, off the shelf cars like Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Ferraris aren’t as uncommon as they used to be. By offering a customizable element to its cars, and using technology to build one-off models like the Sweptail, Rolls-Royce is preserving or even increasing its prestige.
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