New Rolls-Royce Boat Tail the world’s most expensive car

Hand-built luxury car comes at an ‘unprecedented’ cost as manufacturers fight for the attention of billionaires around the globe.

Rolls-Royce won’t say how much the world’s most expensive car costs.

Only that the asking price for the new Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is “unprecedented”.

Created by Rolls-Royce’s new Coachbuild arm for three of the world’s wealthiest motorists, the Boat Tail is an exclusive roadster inspired by coastal glamour.

Rolls-Royce says Boat Tail is ‘unprecedented’ in the world of motoring.

Rolls-Royce says “out of respect for our client’s privacy, we do not communicate pricing”.

“But we believe that this is the most ambitious motor car ever created,” a statement by the company says.

“From a design, research and development, hand craftsmanship and mere Bespoke content, it is, we believe, unprecedented.”

British automotive outlet Autocar suggests it costs about £20 million ($36.7 million). Enough to buy more than 100 examples of the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine.

Just three examples of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail will be built.

The Boat Tail is the first machine offered by the new Rolls-Royce Coachbuild division established to meet the needs of exacting customers. The sort of folks who need a more bespoke machine than the company’s usual $1 million fare.

Alex Innes, head of Design for Coachbuild, says the Boat Tail is “not just the method to reach a destination, but the destination itself”, and “a distinct counterpoint to industrialised luxury”.

The car has a chilled food and drink compartment shaded with an elegant parasol.

The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is also the world’s most expensive picnic hamper.

The brand says the attention-to-detail of its bodywork and cabin are second to none.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Rolls-Royce chief executive, says ultra-wealthy customers want more than a car.

“It represents an opportunity for the select few to participate in the creation of utterly unique and truly personal commissions of future historical significance,” he says.

“Only the House of Rolls-Royce can offer its Coachbuild clients the inimitable opportunity to commission a product of future historical significance, that is as fundamentally unique as they are – and then participate in every detail of its creation.”

Loyal Ferrari customers have commissioned one-off supercars such as the SP38.

The Boat Tail was the result of four years of collaboration between the manufacturer and three customers.

Car companies around the world are doing more to attract the attention of ultra-high net worth individuals.

Aston Martin recently revealed the one-of-one Aston Martin Victor, a car that combines retro styling with an enormously powerful V12 engine, a manual transmission and race-spec suspension.

Aston Martin’s Victor is one customer’s brutal vision for the ultimate British brute.

The car was created at extreme expense for a collector who did not want an off-the-shelf supercar.

Ferrari has a long history of building similarly boutique machines.

Wealthy collectors such as guitarist Eric Clapton can commission one-off machines and take a hands-on role creating cars that will never be replicated.

These cars, such as the Ferrari 488-based SP38, combine outrageous performance with styling tailored to a customer’s exact preferences.

Bentley’s Bacalar has svelte bodywork - but no roof.

Bentley moved into similar territory with the Bacalar in 2020, offering a reimagined version of the $441,000 Continental GT Convertible for almost 10 times that car’s price.

Porsche recently announced an expansion to its Exclusive Manufaktur business, inviting seriously rich customers to apply to build the car of their dreams.

Porsche’s 935 Clubsport could light the way for new retro models.

Though Porsche already offers a wide range of customisation for its sports cars, a handful of customers will be able to go much further with extensive personalisation each year.

That could include the return of elements such as flat-nosed front-end styling found on handbuilt “Flachbau” models of the 1980s, along with the ultra-limited Porsche 911 GT2 RS-based 935 Club sport in 2018.