When You Are Your Car's Raison D'être

We trace the conception of the latest coachbuild by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and learn the true meaning of bespoke.

- Suffian Hakim

IN THE VERDANT VALLEYS by Lake Como, a car cruises along its meandering prealpine roads, gleaming in the bright spring sun. Curiously, in a land known for its conspicuous muscle cars, the car looks at home here, by the clear waters of the great lake, zipping by the cypress and laurel trees that thrive in this mild microclimate.

At a cursory glance, it's a rose gold marvel, paired beautifully with wood panels reminiscent of racing yachts. It's a car influenced by and made for the Mediterranean mise en scène it's in. Clearly, this car was not mass-produced in a factory.

And clearly it belongs to someone. If you look closely at the opulent mother-of-pearl flourishes across the dashboard, the Royal Walnut hosting suite and the exquisite and extremely rare whitewall tyres, the list of possible owners of this motor car dwindles dramatically. Very few individuals would have the personal history, material knowledge, and dedication to artistic endeavour to warrant even the conceptualisation of such a car.

This is one of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' Boat Tail coach build commissions, one of three that has been - and will ever be built. These commissions are built specifically for the client, incorporating into its design elements the client's personality, tastes, métier, and even family history.