The Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire, an extraordinary motor car, presented to the clients who commissioned it at a private event close to Pebble Beach in California, symbolises the distillation of experiences, significant moments and objects d’art cherished by its owners – an international family that exemplifies connoisseurship and luxury of the very highest order. Indeed, coachbuild designers described the family’s talent for sensitive and informed curation in their homes and within their notable collection of motor cars and fashion icons, as an art form unto itself.

Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail is inspired by the allure of the Black Baccara rose, an intense, velvet-like flower that originates in France and is beloved by the mother of the commissioning family. The dark pomegranate colour of its petals appears almost black in shade, but in direct light, a red, pearlescent shimmer is revealed on the dark surface. These two colours form the primary palette of La Rose Noire Droptail. The first red shade is named ‘True Love’ in recognition of the romance the client wished to capture in this commission. The darker tone is named ‘Mystery’, inspired by the mysterious nature of the rose, which appears to change colour when viewed from different angles. Indeed, it was the essence of true love and the mystery of exploration and travel that captivated the clients throughout the commissioning process.

The exterior coachwork is finished in the lustrous and complex True Love red. Like the Black Baccara rose, the motor car also appears to change colour depending on the point it is examined from. To achieve this rich variation, surface finish specialists developed a completely new paint process, which was perfected over 150 careful iterations. A base coat, the colour of which is a closely guarded secret, was followed by five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a slightly different tone of red.

The duotone theme extends into La Rose Noire Droptail’s brightwork. The dark finish, named Hydroshade due to its liquid quality, was developed specifically for this project. These pieces are not painted; rather, a specific chrome electrolyte is introduced in the chrome plating process and co-deposited on each stainless-steel substrate in a layer just one micron thick – roughly the same width as a strand of spider-web silk. This dark but reflective finish is continued on select metal details throughout the interior, each of which have been precision-polished by hand to achieve a high-gloss finish.

The most remarkable element of this extraordinary motor car is its cocooning interior. This reveals the most complex expression of parquetry ever created at Rolls-Royce – the product of nearly two years of development, intense experimentation and hand craftsmanship.

The artwork represents an abstract expression of falling rose petals, formed using 1,603 pieces of black wood veneer triangles. Read the complete story with all background details about this unique masterpiece of coach build in the edition 44 of POLO&LUXURY Coffee Table Book edition 44. Order your personal copy here – Download

Photo credit: Rolls Royce Motors