Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail one-ups the floral theme with gemstones
Rolls-Royce debuted its first Droptail commission during Monterey Car Week, the floral-themed La Rose Noire. Not seven days later, the second Droptail took to the alpine stage in Gstaad, Switzerland, commissioned by a client wishing to celebrate his gem business, his home region, and his son. This one’s called the Amethyst Droptail, the quartz crystal chosen for being the son’s birthstone. The International Gem Society says February’s gem ranges “from pale lilac to deep reddish purple,” a symbol of royalty as well as “spirituality, mental clarity, and healing.” We’re also told the vivid stones are generally more valuable and desirable than the pale stones, hence the intense colors on the Amethyst Droptail.
There’s another lilac connection in the Globe Amaranth flower native to Guatemala, Panama and Brazil, but grown all over the world. Rolls-Royce said this amaranth “blooms in the desert near one of the client’s homes.”
The roadster starts with the soft purple body color dubbed Globe Amaranth and flecked with aluminum, contrasted with deep purple Amethyst paint swirled with a blend of red, blue, and violet mica flakes. Carbon fiber sections around the hem of the car display book-matched chevron patterns and are finished with Amethyst-tinted lacquer. More contrast shows in mauve accents painted inside the 22-inch wheel spokes.
The brightwork’s seen a great deal of attention. There are two finishes on the vanes of the Pantheon grill, each thin leading edge polished to a shine, the broadsides being brushed. The 3D-printed composite lower grille is affixed with 202 stainless steel ingots hand-painted in Globe Amaranth. Above that, a ring of rounded (as opposed to faceted) and polished amethyst surrounds the Spirit of Ecstasy when she appears. The stone’s been finished into a shape referred to as a cabochon, generally featuring a convex upper surface and flat underside, and engraved with the word “Droptail.”
The interior is designed around the commissioning client’s choice of Calamander Light wood, which features long bands of varying tones. Lighter bands decided the hue of the Sand Dunes leather on the seat bolsters framing the Amethyst leather centers. There are more amethyst cabochons laid around the gauges in the instrument cluster. The electrochromic glass panel in the detachable roof is tinged with purple when opaque, resolving into a caramel-ish hue that matches the Sand Dunes leather when the roof is translucent.
As with the La Rose Noire, there’s another watch centerpiece in the instrument panel here. This one’s a custom commission from Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin known as the “Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon.” Same as with the Audemars Piguet timepiece in the first Droptail, Rolls-Royce worked with Vacheron Constantin to harmonize the colors and materials between car and watch. This one doesn’t disappear behind medieval doors, though, always being on display in a white-gold baseplate sculpted with a sunburst guilloché pattern.
The last showpiece is quite a bit larger, that being the wood deck behind the cabin. The deck being a functionally aerodynamic part of the car, Rolls-Royce says this is the “world’s only ‘raw’ wooden surface that produces downforce on new roadgoing motor car.” As it did when created the teak decking for the Phantom Drophead Coupe back in 2007, Rolls-Royce invented protective coatings for the Amethyst Droptail’s book-matched and slip-matched Calamander Light wood to protect the surface in temperatures ranging from -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 176 degrees, receiving a patent for its work.
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