The Future of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail

Just a year ago, Rolls-Royce Bespoke completed the first Boat Tail, a true innovation of what they do so well that nearly no one else can. Rolls-Royce coachbuilding is unlike the designs any other luxury car brand has the ability to create, and now they’ve created a second Boat Tail, pushing many enthusiasts to wonder about the future of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. This number-two car is promised to be the second in a line of only three, and its beauty makes many wonder what the third will bring to the world. Considered to be the most expensive new car on the planet, it’s not hard to imagine the future car in the series will only bring something else amazing. What does the future of the Rolls-Royce boat tail hold? First, let’s go into the past.

The first Boat tail was made custom, exclusively for one of its top echelon of customers. The luxury car design was originally based on the yachts of the 1920s and 30s. It featured an Azure blue finish. It also had a parasol that extended from the rear deck that was deployed using manual buttons. The parasol also came with turning cocktail tables with matching seats, two coolers, and a complete set of Christofle tableware with the same color scheme.

This second version, though, takes its inspiration from the pearl industry. The owner is located in the Middle East and has a connection to the pearl-diving industry of the past. The exterior is a blend of soft rose and oyster with large brown and white mica flakes embedded to generate a glittering effect. This is contrasted by rose and cognac on the hood and walnut at the rear with rose gold pinstripes. The overall effect is a rich, pearlescent hue.  According to the company, this was the most complex paint finish the company had ever undertaken. 

The interior design follows the same yacht theme with oyster-colored leather mixed with walnut veneer to match. The dashboard’s inspiration came from the owner’s personal collection and is made of a mother of pearl. The interior is nothing but immaculate and all rudimentary items have been removed. Rolls Royce calls the boat tail an exclusive work of art rather than a luxury vehicle.

This version retained the idea of a luxury convertible, complete with the signature detachable carbon-fiber roof that can instantly convert the car into an elegant coupe. It also retained the butterfly panels in the back that reveal the hosting suite for picnicking. 

Both versions were manufactured at the Goodwood plant and designed by the Coachbuilding division which reinterpreted the Boat Tail car design of the early 1900s. The Boat tail shares its engine and chassis with the Rolls-Royce Phantom; but unlike the latter, it has 1,813 bespoke parts, including five electronic control units in the rear deck. 

Both vehicles were exhibited at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como in October 2021 and May 2022, respectively.  For now, we’ll just have to wonder about the future of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. The third and final car will be revealed in 2023, and, like the previous two, the luxury car will be entirely hand-built based on a unique theme provided by the owner.