The Rolls-Royce Drop Tail is the marque’s first modern two-seat roadster, harking back to the coachbuilt drop-tops that established it as a leading luxury brand a century ago.
The product of a four-year collaboration between Rolls-Royce and four clients, the firm said it represents the “absolute pinnacle” of its in-house coachbuilding capabilities, following in the footsteps of 2017’s Sweptail and 2021’s Boat Tail as the latest entry in a series of ultra-exclusive, multi-million-pound specials.
Rolls-Royce does not give prices for its coachbuilt specials, but each of the four Drop Tails is understood to have cost its owner more than the £20 million Boat Tail.
Rather than being simply a reworking of the now-retired Dawn convertible, the Drop Tail is underpinned by an all-new monocoque chassis constructed from steel, aluminium and carbonfibre, in a first for the Coachbuild division. It previously based bespoke models on the Architecture of Luxury platform, which is also used for the Cullinan, Ghost and Phantom.
Power is provided by the familiar twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 in a bespoke state of tune that boosts power by 30bhp over the Phantom but cuts torque by 44lb ft, giving total outputs of 593bhp and 620lb ft. Rolls has not revealed any performance figures, but no doubt the Drop Tail will be a close match for the V12-engined Dawn, with a sub-5.0sec 0-62mph time and a top speed capped at 155mph.
Rolls-Royce design director Anders Warming told Autocar the V12 was used rather than an electric powertrain because the marque is “celebrating” the roadster “and the V12 is a powertrain we will be celebrating for the next couple of years”. He added that “time will tell” for electric coachbuilds.
At 5.3m long and 2.0m wide, it is smaller than the electric Spectre, with its completely bespoke silhouette defined by a low coupé-esque roofline inspired by ‘chop-top’ hot rods. This gives the new model a more overtly sporting character than mainstream Rolls-Royce models, reinforced by blade-shaped haunches and the large carbonfibre rear diffuser, finished in semi-clear lacquer to highlight how it juts out from the painted body.