Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unequivocally produces some of the finest automobiles on the planet. And while its regular (if you can even call them that) production models are already insanely exclusive, the marque offers its most discerning cliental the option to purchase custom-commissioned one-offs meticulously built by the marque’s Bespoke Coachbuilding program. These special projects take the notion of a spare-no-expense, open-checkbook build to the nth degree — as evidenced by the one-off division’s latest work, the Rolls-Royce Arcadia Droptail Coachbuild Commission.
Taking its name from a place in Ancient Greek mythology known as “Heaven on Earth,” the Arcadia represent Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ third Coachbuild Droptail commission— one of the previous of which was reportedly purchased by rap icon and mogul Jay-Z at a supposed cost of $28,000,000. The Arcadia Droptail project began back in 2019 when a client was shown a sketch of a yacht-inspired one-off Droptail — a sketch that impressed the client so much, that they then requested the vehicle be brought to life and that it be as close and true to the sketch as physically possible, no matter the cost. In this case, that meant a bill that came out to more-than-70-times the price of the average U.S. home.
This version of the Droptail features more than 230 wood pieces that are laid down using Formula 1-derived carbon fiber layering techniques. Just over 75 of these wooden elements have been applied to just the rear deck. Fortified via a custom-developed protective lacquer, this elaborate woodwork is handcrafted from Santos Straight Grain and took more than 8,000 hours to complete. Also complementing the interior is a wildly elaborate clock with a geometric guilloché pattern in raw metal. Sporting 119 facets, the clock’s visual motif is followed by the bespoke build’s instrumentation which shares the horological item’s construction and guilloché pattern. In order to bring this so-called “expression of haute horlogerie” to life, the team behind the third Droptail build spent two years developing the clock, before proceeding to spend an additional five months assembling it. In total, the Arcadia Droptail took five years to complete, and reportedly resulted in a $30,000 price tag.
Though the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Arcadia Droptail Coachbuild Commission was already spoken for before work even began on the build, the company is currently accepting commissions for new one-off cars — though you can expect a lengthy waiting list and a seven or eight-figure price tag.
