An automotive expression of love, the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire was commissioned to represent the romance between a husband and wife. It’s the first of four unique Droptail commissions; the marque’s nomenclature for a two-seat roadster.
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Inspired by and named after the Black Baccara rose—a dark, velvet-hued flower associated with passion and mystery—the La Rose Noire adopts a unique colour palette of ‘True Love’ and ‘Mystery’ a deep pearlescent red that shimmers in the light and a complementary darker shade, respectively.
The two-tone effect sees the exterior coachwork finished in the lustrous True Love red, with its multifaceted variation the result of a new paint process that took 150 versions to perfect. A ‘secret’ base coat is followed by five layers of clear lacquer, each blended with a slightly different tone of red. Like the rose its named after, La Rose Noire appears to morph in the light, flitting from pomegranate to black.
A removable hardtop bestows the Droptail with two distinct characters. With the top down, it’s a lithe roadster, while with the roof installed it transforms into a dramatic coupé. Unique to La Rose Noire is a low-slung roof, working to further underpin its dynamic, glamorous aesthetic.
The two-tone theme extends into the one-off commissions’ brightwork, with a dark finished called Hydroshade developed for the project. Rather than painting the elements, a specific chrome electrolyte is introduced during the chrome plating process and co-deposited on each stainless-steel substrate, allowing for a dark, reflective finish which continues into select metal elements in the interior.
One of the most notable elements of La Rose Noire is its complex parquetry. The product of nearly two years of development and unrivalled craftsmanship, the artwork spans the entire sweep of panelling behind the seats and extends onto the doors, depicting an abstract expression of falling rose petals. Black wood veneer triangles are interspersed with asymmetrically positioned red pieces and set in black sycamore wood, with the asymmetry requested by the clients to represent a natural, organic ‘scattering’ of petals.
Naturally, a singular client wouldn’t opt for a standard dashboard clock. The owners of La Rose Noire commissioned a one-off Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date. Matched to the vehicle’s colourway, it incorporates red counters and a red inner bezel, contrasting with the black openworked dial.
The timepiece is embedded into the fascia of the car using a clasp mechanism, which also allows it to be removed and worn. When removed, the aperture reveals an elegant titanium openworked blank head watch highlighting a white-gold coin displaying a rose engraving, hand-sculpted by Audemars Piguet artisans.
“Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail stands as one of the most progressive expressions of Rolls-Royce Coachbuild ever conceived,” said Anders Warming, design director at Rolls-Royce. “In capturing the romantic and glamorous spirit of the commissioning clients, our design team explored bold new artisanal processes and highly complex creative gestures in their pursuit of a deeply personal language of luxury.”
Words by Theo Rosen
