Rolls-Royce unveils "most refined 'picnic basket' on Earth"

Record ID: 1618428

  • Title: Rolls-Royce unveils "most refined 'picnic basket' on Earth"
  • Date: 27th May 2021
  • Summary: GOODWOOD, ENGLAND, UK (MAY 27, 2021) (REUTERS) ROLLS-ROYCE 'BOAT TAIL' CAR REAR OF BOAT TAIL MEMBER OF ROLLS-ROYCE STAFF PUTTING CHAMPAGNE IN THE COOLER INTERIOR OF BOAT TAIL VARIOUS OF CHAMPAGNE COOLER VARIOUS OF ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CEO TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS LOOKING AT BOAT TAIL (SOUNDBITE) (English) TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS, ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CEO, SAYING: “That is history in the making for us. Coachbuild represents the utmost, pinnacle of the brand and it is quite a rare opportunity when we invite clients to participate in one of those projects.” MORE OF BOAT TAIL CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS, ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CEO, SAYING: “What you see here in the back is probably, technically, the most refined picnic facility on earth. It is unfolding like butterfly wings and captures marvelous little details, be it champagne coolers, be it glasses, porcelain, cutlery, all hand-picked and hand-designed particularly for this very special car.” VARIOUS OF PICNIC PARASOL BEING ERECTED PARASOL VIEWED FROM ABOVE (SOUNDBITE) (English) TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS, ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CEO, SAYING: “The outcome is one of the most remarkable cars ever in history. I would even say it's probably not even a car. It’s a masterpiece of art and something unseen. For that reason, I think it was worth every mile we went.” VARIOUS OF FRONT OF BOAT TAIL (SOUNDBITE) (English) TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS, ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CEO, SAYING: “We are not talking about profit but rest assured we are a very profitable company, that’s for sure, but we are talking publicly about how many cars we delivered to clients and that was definitely a record quarter (Q1). And it’s not only Asia or China, it is all over the world. It is true for the United States. United States and China are more or less head to head in terms of volume now. Europe also recovered quite nicely I must say so I think we are back in full swing, back in business in an excellent way. And yes of course we suffered a certain dent last year when the pandemic hit us. We closed our plant for quite a while and for that reason are extremely pleased to see that fully recovered and even on heights we haven’t seen before.”
  • Embargoed: 10th June 2021 13:18
  • Keywords: Boat Tail CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos CoachBuild Rolls-Royce Motor Cars handmade bespoke car
  • Location: GOODWOOD, ENGLAND, UK
  • City: GOODWOOD, ENGLAND, UK
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EEQKLLL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A convertible rolls-Royce with a back deck that opens up to reveal cocktail tables, fridges for champagne, and a parasol matching the vehicle's baby blue colour scheme is now a reality - for one ultra-wealthy individual.
    The "Boat Tail" car, so-called because its rear is shaped like a J-class racing yacht, was hand-built over four years according to the detailed specifications of an unnamed client of the elite automaker.
    "The outcome is one of the most remarkable cars ever in history. I would even say it's probably not even a car," said Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is based in southern England and owned by Germany's BMW.
    "It's a masterpiece of art and something unseen," he said as he presented the car to reporters at the firm's factory in Goodwood.
    The Boat Tail's price tag is not being made public, nor is the name of the buyer.
    While high-net-worth clients have long had the option of having their Rolls-Royce cars customised with their preferred upholstery or gadgets, this car is different in that nothing init is standard.
    The entire design and manufacturing process were bespoke.
    It was produced by a new division of Rolls-Royce called "Coachbuild", also unveiled on Thursday.
    Only clients selected and invited by the firm can have access to Coachbuild services.
    For its first project, Coachbuild approached three ultra-wealthy clients who collaborated with Rolls-Royce designers.
    An agreement was reached whereby the three clients would get cars that shared a common body, but would otherwise be highly personalised.
    The vehicle shown on Thursday (May 27) was the first of the three, and it reflected its unknown buyer's rarefied tastes.
    It comes with two timepieces -- "one for the lady and one for the gentleman" according to Rolls-Royce -- specially made by Switzerland's Bovet 1822, that can either be worn on the wrist or mounted on the dashboard to serve as a clock.
    The most eye-catching feature, however, is the rear deck, which has panels that rise up to reveal the cocktail tables, fridges designed to keep champagne at 6 degrees, compartments for crystal flutes, china crockery, and silver cutlery.
    "It is unfolding like butterfly wings and captures marvellous little details, be it champagne coolers, be it glasses, porcelain, cutlery, all hand-picked and hand-designed particularly for this very special car," said Muller-Otvos.
    "What you see here in the back is probably, technically, the most refined picnic facility on Earth."
    (Production: Stuart McDill)
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