The third Droptail roadster, which costs over Rs 209 crore to build, has been unveiled by Rolls-Royce. It was unveiled at a special ceremony in Singapore under the name Arcadia Droptail. It is the second of four cars in production, the other two being the Amethyst and La Rose Noire cars that were displayed last year.The first roadster body design in Rolls-Royce’s modern history, the Arcadia Droptail, has been introduced.
The car bears the name Arcadia, which is derived from the Greek mythology and means “Heaven on Earth.” Its clock face is the most intricate in Rolls-Royce history, requiring five months to assemble. In a private ceremony held in Singapore, the car was given to the client who had commissioned it.
Arcadia Droptail’s Colour
The Arcadia Droptail’s natural duotone colorway was created by Rolls-Royce Coachbuild designers. The primary body colour is a pure white with glass and aluminium particles mixed in. With bigger-sized aluminium particle sizes, Rolls-Royce experts created a more faceted, visually arresting metallic.
Arcadia Droptail’s Body
Unlike the other three coachbuilt Droptails in this series, the Arcadia Droptail’s bottom sections are made of carbon fibre, but instead of being partially or completely exposed, it is painted in the solid Bespoke silver hue. Complete mirror polishing has been applied to the outer grille surround, ‘kinked’ vane pieces, and 22-inch alloy wheels.
Arcadia Droptail’s Interior
Among all the wood species used inside a Rolls-Royce, Santos Straight Grain has one of the finest grain kinds, and this is evident in the interior finish of the Arcadia Droptail. The Arcadia Droptail’s aerodynamically useful rear deck piece is one area where Santos Straight Grain is employed.The Arcadia Droptail is intended for usage in tropical regions and other parts of the world, so extra care was taken in creating a protective system and testing procedure for the external wood surfaces.
It was possible to create a bespoke lacquer that only needs to be applied once over the vehicle’s lifetime.There are two custom-colored finishes for the leather interior. In keeping with the external paint scheme, the main leather colour is a custom shade of white, while the contrast leather is a custom shade of tan.
The largest continuous wood section ever seen on a Rolls-Royce motor car, the shawl panel connecting all four Droptail models, is another feature of the inside. The Santos Straight Grain open pore veneer used in the Arcadia Droptail is book-matched at a 55-degree angle and features individually moulded leave stripes that extend into the door linings.
The dashboard also includes a custom-designed clock by Rolls-Royce, which took two years to research and five months to assemble. It is reportedly the most complicated component the company has ever created.The roadster with two seats is propelled by the well-known 6.75-liter V12 twin-turbo engine, which has been tuned to provide an extra 30 horsepower, for a total output of 601 horsepower and 841 Nm.
The clock on the Santos Straight Grain veneer fascia was designed and produced by the designers and craftsmen of Rolls-Royce Coachbuild. The clock features a 119-faceted geometric guilloche pattern made of raw metal. The instrument dials and the clock’s themes are matched, sharing resources, methods, and execution. They have brushed and polished brightwork, frosted white inserts, and the same repetitive guilloche pattern that evokes the car’s colour scheme.
Arcadia Droptail’s Exterior
For the motor car’s coachwork, Rolls-Royce Coachbuild designers created a serene, natural duotone colorway in order to satisfy the client’s desire to respect Droptail’s form. The client wanted to define a classic white that would look sturdy at first but would reveal a degree of curiosity when examined more closely in natural light. In order to do this, the primary body colour is a pure white that has been mixed with glass and aluminium particles. When the light hits the coachwork, this not only produces an effervescent shimmer, but it also gives the paint the appearance of infinite depth up close.
Rolls-Royce experts used bigger-sized aluminium particles to create a more faceted, visually arresting metallic.The carbon fibre used to build the lower sections of Droptail is painted in the solid Bespoke silver colour rather than left fully or partially exposed, which is a significant departure from the other three coachbuilt Droptails in this series. This paint job visually “lifts” the car in profile to intensify its lithe, dynamic intent.
The outside grille surround, “kinked” vane pieces, and 22-inch alloy wheels have all been entirely mirror-polished in homage to the beautiful mirror finish of the brightwork on vintage Rolls-Royces, which particularly intrigue the customer.The main goal of Arcadia Droptail’s exterior colour scheme, despite its abundance of subtle details, is to highlight the coachwork’s shape and dimensions.
The car’s subdued paint colours, which reflect sunlight and create dramatic shadows that emphasise Droptail’s many subtle design gestures, further appealed to the customer. Specifically, the car’s clean, monolithic surfacing and strong use of negative sculpting.