00:00 Welcome to a very secret corner of Goodwood, the home of Rolls-Royce motorcars.
00:05 It's here in our dedicated coachbuild facility that the first expression in the next chapter of our contemporary coachbuilding movement was handcrafted.
00:16 La Rose Noire droptail represents a bold, daring and sophisticated personal expression inspired by the black Baccarat rose.
00:27 Now as a design team, the significance of creating the only modern interpretation of the Rolls-Royce body style was not lost on us.
00:36 In many ways we felt liberated to fundamentally re-examine the tenets of Rolls-Royce design.
00:42 And that is perhaps no more evident than here with the interpretation of our iconic Pantheon grille.
00:49 For the first time in the marque's history, the normally upright and straight vanes are actually inclined here at the top with this kinked impression.
00:58 And this kink together with the deeply recessed headlamps creates this strong, heavy brow impression to the front of the car.
01:05 Now also down in these lower corners where we would typically have a rectangular conclusion to the grille, we have introduced for the first time a chamfer.
01:12 And this chamfer together with the deep draw projects a more functional aesthetic to the grille that is familiar with the roadster concepts of old.
01:22 What you will also notice here is a unique finish to the grille treatment itself that also extends to all of the metalwork across the exterior.
01:30 And here we actually developed an entirely new technological finish which we've named Hydroshade.
01:37 As we move to the flanks of the car, you can see how we have been guided by the pursuit of reduction.
01:42 In paring back the surfaces and what remains is executed with a level of clarity that can only be achieved with a hand-built coach-built motorcar.
01:53 In the lower areas is a unique lower intake that also carries the colour of the exterior paint True Love.
02:00 So as touched on, La Rose Noire is inspired by the black Baccarat Rose.
02:05 Native to France and beloved by the mother of the commissioning family, its deep pomegranate hue and velvet-like quality is transformed under intensive light to show accents of red.
02:19 Now in side view we can immediately appreciate the unique stance the drop tail carries, particularly its proportions.
02:27 In the first instance you have a very short front overhang but also a strong rearward inclination to the face of the car.
02:33 In the rear we have a more compact overhang than we are typically used to seeing on Rolls Royces.
02:39 But perhaps more profoundly you have this extremely generous body side section to a very shallow windscreen proportion.
02:46 This visually pushes the occupants deep down inside the interior, cosseting and protecting them a particular attribute of a roadster body type.
02:55 What you will also notice is a general distillation and purification to the form.
03:00 Here, together with the clients, we were insistent that the surfaces must remain uninterrupted.
03:06 Typically we would find the Rolls Royce monogrammed together with the indicator in this area on the car.
03:12 And we took the unprecedented step of integrating the indicator into the forward area of the door handle.
03:17 And also taking the Rolls Royce badge and for the first time in its history, deconstructing it.
03:24 And visually representing it here with this beautiful silhouetted double RR executed with the ingot and laid atop the sail cowl elements.
03:33 Now as we come to the rear of Drop Tale we can immediately appreciate the strong impression of sculpture.
03:39 Particularly the taper towards centreline.
03:43 The view is dominated by this transom surface which in many ways mimics the construct of a yacht.
03:50 It also serves as an uninterrupted canvas for the placement of these jewel-like rear tail lamps.
03:55 And while highly modern in their execution, here they actually serve as a historic nod to the early roadster bodied Rolls Royces.
04:04 The dynamic nature of the roadster body is also evident in the proportion of the lower diffuser element.
04:11 That establishes the width, particularly the rear track of the car.
04:16 This is of course a driver's car and therefore there are demands aerodynamically placed on this rear area.
04:24 Now we were able to let's say develop and work with these demands by creating an aerodynamically sculpted profile in this rear deck area.
04:33 Which together with this floating element here provides the downforce for the car when it's travelling at speed.
04:40 And as we follow the cowl line back up we arrive at the interior.
04:44 Where we can immediately appreciate the three key design gestures.
04:49 The first is the shawl element that takes the line that develops off the front of the grill,
04:53 comes rearwards into the waist rail before then enveloping the two occupants and cossetting them.
04:59 This provides the level of romance, the level of intimacy that one would expect with a two-seater proposition.
05:06 Secondly you can see the centre console plinth.
05:09 This beautiful elliptical element that is more akin to what you would expect to find in an architectural space rather than in an automotive one.
05:17 And this element sits high, again giving the impression that the occupants are deep down and protected within the cabin space.
05:25 And the final gesture is of course the instrument panel.
05:28 Reflecting the materials and the colours of La Rose Noire.
05:31 In particular the inclusion of the red accent together with the high precision metalwork.
05:37 But as a first for us also the incorporation of the parquetry into the centre needle coins of the dials themselves.
05:45 By way of the client's request we work together with Audemars Piguet to produce and integrate one of their unique high complication timepieces
05:55 into the fascia panel of the car itself.
05:59 But moreover fulfill the exacting wishes from the client that it should also be wearable on the wrist.
06:05 Now when the client is to enter the car they can then remove the timepiece and place it into the clasp holder here.
06:11 Where it will retreat back into the instrument panel and the straps can be stowed separately.
06:17 And then of course to the real showpiece of La Rose Noire.
06:21 The simple request from the client was to create the impression of floating roses as if they had been scattered across the interior by hand.
06:29 Here there is this beautiful merger between the tried and tested techniques of an age old practice of parquetry
06:35 with an achingly modern design that represents an abstract depiction of the rose petals.
06:41 These triangular elements are made up of 1,603 individual pieces.
06:48 It took three years to move from the formative development through to the production of the piece that you see in here.
06:55 This highly contemporary depiction of the rose petals is not just exclusive to the interior.
07:00 We actually bring the theme out onto the aft deck here.
07:04 Now interestingly we execute it with a completely different technology.
07:08 Pulling on the very best skills within our paint area.
07:11 Here the artisans depicted 96 individual rose petals.
07:17 Executed in the true love paint that we find on the main flanks of the car.
07:22 Building on the foundation of the mystery base layer.
07:26 But more interestingly they are all hand stenciled and hand sprayed.
07:30 But done so in a way as the client insisted that there could be no visible detection between the surfaces
07:36 to understand that they had been applied by hand.
07:40 With the roof fitted, Drop Tale is transformed from a lithe open top roadster into a dramatic and formidable looking coupe.
07:49 Here as a design team we actually studied 1930s hot rods from the west coast.
07:53 To appreciate the generous body side section to the very shallow glass proportion in here.
07:59 Together with the fast and accelerating roof line here.
08:03 This was actually a feature that the commissioning client of La Rose Noire Drop Tale pushed us further with.
08:09 To really exaggerate the speed and the length of the line work.
08:14 Pulling it as far rearward as it could possibly go before truncating it here at the rear.
08:18 Mimicking the treatment of the cap roofs on 1920s Rolls Royce roadsters.
08:24 And here we pioneered a large application of glass.
08:28 A beautiful uninterrupted and rather pure treatment here that sits across the entire upper surface of the roof itself.
08:36 Now while that is impressive the real ingenuity is that it incorporates electrochromatic technology.
08:42 Allowing the client at the touch of a button to transform from an opaque sun shaded protection to complete translucency.
08:51 Taking in the view up and out of the cabin of the car.
08:54 Our contemporary movement of Coachbuild is about creating something artful that has real meaning.
09:01 La Rose Noire Drop Tale is glamour distilled.
09:05 Imbuing the personal passions and distinctly bold visions of the commissioning couple.
09:12 And it is all the more extraordinary for it.
09:15 It is an elevated statement of true connoisseurship.
09:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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