- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents the Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail
- An extraordinary coachbuilt project inspired by the birthstone of the patron’s son
- Features a celebration of craft, minimalism, and meticulous attention to detail
- The veneer aft deck is the largest wood surface ever produced by Rolls-Royce
- The rear section is the only aerodynamically functional wood surface on a new motor car
- Incorporates precious amethyst gems into the interior and exterior
- The Pantheon grille features both brushed and polished finishes for the first time
- The design is inspired by the client’s Vacheron Constantin timepiece
- Unveiled to the commissioning client at a private event in Gstaad, Switzerland
“This stunning expression of the Rolls-Royce Droptail truly captures the soul of its commissioning client. This distinguished and international individual exemplifies connoisseurship, and their global outlook, refined tastes, and deep-rooted heritage were a broadening pleasure to explore. The extraordinary projection of their spirit, captured in the Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail, is a clear statement of Rolls-Royce Coachbuild’s intent: to collaborate profoundly as a means to produce a historic expression of applied art. It is the client’s personal involvement that gives Coachbuild motor cars their unparalleled strength of character. These products reflect an exceptional clarity of vision, executed with absolute conviction. Amethyst Droptail captures these virtues in extremis.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
“A Coachbuilt Rolls-Royce derives its identity and legend from the accomplishments, sensibilities, and character of its owner. It is this human dimension, combined with highly progressive design, that makes it entirely unique and irreplaceable. This specificity gives every Coachbuild commission a sense of timelessness and artistic endurance. Within Rolls-Royce design, Amethyst Droptail will stand in our history as a representation of how accurate our creative response can be in projecting the soul of an individual commissioning client through both literal and highly conceptual expressions of personal luxury.”
Anders Warming, Design Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
“Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail is the epitome of quiet artistry, and its significance lies in its depth of detail. Together with a discerning patron whose character resonates throughout the commission, we explored their sensibilities, cherished pursuits, and values through masterfully curated details, each imbued with profound symbolic significance. Created for an individual with a passion for modern design, the minutia of haute horlogerie techniques, and whose family has a special connection to gemstones, Amethyst Droptail is a remarkable projection of connoisseurship, contemporary design, and personal heritage.”
Alex Innes, Head of Coachbuild Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Amethyst Droptail
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents the Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail, a breathtaking coachbuilt masterpiece that celebrates its commissioning client’s cultural heritage, family legacy, and personal passions.
One of four unique expressions of the Rolls-Royce Droptail, Amethyst Droptail is an elevated expression of applied art, commissioned by a patron whose family business has grown from a gemstone boutique to a multinational corporation with diversified interests. The client is well-traveled, internationally educated, and draws inspiration from various sources. They are an established patron of the arts, with a collection of precious jewels, significant motor cars, and contemporary artworks housed in a specially commissioned private museum.
The patron requested an elegant expression of the Droptail inspired by the amethyst gem, which is both the birthstone of their son and a symbol of purity, clarity, and resilience. The themes of this exceptional motor car explore these qualities in extraordinary depth. Amethyst Droptail reflects the client’s passion for quiet artistry and subtle details, rewarding those who study it with beguiling elements.
Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail was unveiled at a private event in Gstaad, Switzerland, a region of particular significance for the patron.
A Flower in the Desert
The patron and co-creator of Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail wanted to celebrate the cultural heritage of their home region. Rolls-Royce Coachbuild designers responded with an inspiration point – the Globe Amaranth wildflower, which blooms in the desert near one of the client’s homes.
The exterior paint finish captures multiple stages of the flower’s bloom. The main body color is a soft purple hue with a subtle silver undertone, named Globe Amaranth as a tribute to the flower. It is enhanced with fine flecks of powdered aluminum that reflect the light and create an iridescent finish. The upper coachwork is a deep purple Amethyst contrast paint containing red, blue, and violet mica flakes that create a mauve color with a subtle metallic sheen.
In sunlight, the motor car reveals a hint of mauve paint on the inside of the 22-inch wheels, providing an elegant contrast to the mirror-polished aluminum surface. The exterior also features a complex treatment of carbon fiber on the lower sections of the motor car. The carbon fiber is finished with a fine layer of lacquer tinted with Amethyst pigment, creating a unique effect that speaks of the client’s passion for subtlety and restraint.
Depth of Detail
The client’s trust in Rolls-Royce’s artisans is expressed in the Pantheon grille treatment. The exterior grille surround and ‘kinked’ vane pieces feature both hand-brushed and hand-polished finishes, creating a precise line that demarcates each finish. This surface treatment, inspired by the client’s interest in haute horlogerie, is achieved through over 50 hours of collective work.
The front end features an intricate lower front air intake digitally designed and ‘printed’ in a lightweight composite. It incorporates 202 hand-polished stainless-steel ingots, each painstakingly painted in the Globe Amaranth hue. The front is completed with a Spirit of Ecstasy figurine surrounded by amethyst cabochons.
Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail celebrates the materials and crafts personally curated by the client and their family. The motor car features a stunning Calamander Light open-pore wood, with colors that inspired the leather treatment. The leather, in the Sand Dunes hue, contrasts gently with the wood. The interior wood parts extend from the fascia and doors to the shawl panel, center armrest, and aft deck. The wooden surface on the aft deck is both an artistic piece and the world’s only ‘raw’ wooden surface that produces downforce on a new roadgoing motor car.
The interior treatment also includes the adornment of the rotary dials with rare amethyst gems. The client personally approved each stone, ensuring their exceptional depth and clarity. The interior suite is completed with woven leather floormats, paying tribute to traditional weaving crafts.
Bespoke, Elevated
A removable hard top gives the Rolls-Royce Droptail two distinct characters – an open-top roadster and a dramatic coupé. The roof incorporates electrochromic glass that can change its color and transparency instantly. When deactivated, the glass is completely opaque with a subtle purple tint that matches the exterior finish. When activated, it becomes translucent with a hue that matches the Sand Dunes leather used in the interior suite.
A Singular Timepiece
The Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail features a unique timepiece commissioned by the client from Vacheron Constantin. Handmade in Geneva, the timepiece named ‘Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon’ has an intricate hand-wound movement and is securely housed in a specially designed holder. The timepiece combines beautifully with the motor car, with amethyst-colored inserts on the instrument dials and a hand-crafted sunburst guilloché pattern on the baseplate.
Amethyst Droptail: A Personal Place in Rolls-Royce History
The Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail is a testament to the client’s passion for quiet details and meticulous craftsmanship. It represents the harmonization of heritage, modernity, and soul in one of the most historically significant Rolls-Royces ever built.
