Rolls-Royce has unveiled La Rose Noire Droptail – the world's most expensive car.
Inspired by the high-speed sailing yachts of the 1930s, the two-door, two-seat roadster is estimated to cost more than $30 million.
A company representative confirmed to Bloomberg that previous "coach-built" vehicles, the term used for bespoke bodywork designs, cost more than $28 million despite being less complex.
Four Droptails will be built, with each personalised to the buyer.
The first of the four is called La Rose Noire and takes inspiration from the rare black baccara, the darkest naturally occurring rose. The vehicle, like the flower, changes colour depending on the angle from which it is viewed.
The Droptail, which took five years to make, has a sleek exterior made from steel, aluminium and carbon fibre. It has a 6.7-litre V12 engine and 593 horsepower. The upright elements in the grille are angled for the first time.
It has a blend of red and black colours with dark red accents. The bodywork also features a bespoke finish. Inside, the cabin is adorned with 1,603 pieces of black sycamore wood trim veneer, arranged to resemble rose petals scattered by the wind.
A custom-designed Audemars Piguet watch is integrated into the dashboard, which can also be taken out and worn. There’s also a champagne and cooler storage compartment in the car.
The Rolls-Royce website says the assembly of the vehicle required “intense concentration” and a “single craftsperson tasked with creating it would only work in one-hour sessions for no more than five hours per day, ensuring they possessed the concentration required for perfect execution”.
