When Rolls Royce first unveiled the one-off Sweptail to the world, it immediately set the world ablaze with its seductive styling and a roof line that appeared to draw inspiration from past Rolls Royce offerings. However, a new patent registration appears to suggest that the Goodwood based luxury car maker is preparing a droptop sequel that could indeed make lighting strike twice.
First discovered by the folks at Coche Spias the roof of the mysterious Rolls Royce model is arguably its most distinctive attribute. The renderings themselves don’t give us a clear idea on what kind of top will be equipped, with the rear and side affixed pieces looking very vauge. However, it does eliminate a traditional droptop, with the coupe perhaps using a bikini style top which is similar to what is used on the Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder. The front fascia on the other hand is perhaps are most immediate clue that this vehicle will have Sweptail DNA. There are large round headlights, with skinny LED strips mounted above them. Rolls’s trademark multi-slatted front grille is mounted in between them. The chrome rib that is present on the Sweptail is absent here, which could indicate that Rolls designers are looking to add a distinctive character to the car to help it stand out better from its source material.
The rear profile offers more surprises with the rear deck and the bumper tapering into a point that is very similar to the Sweptail. A top view appears to show horizontally ribbed lines that make their way across the turn. We suspect that this will ultimately be teakwood decking which has reliably been a distinctive calling card for some of Rolls Royce’s past droptop efforts (including the Dawn and the older Phantom based Drophead.) Slender LED tail lights round out the changes, and provide a very compelling exclamation point to the festivities.
Rolls Royce for its part has not officially commented on the rendering, but if this model is indeed based on the Sweptail, look for it to be another one time release, with Rolls Royce charging accordingly for the privilege of owning one. That latter fact is even more interesting since Rolls Royce never confirmed just how much its charged for the original Sweptail (though estimates peg the number at a lofty $12.8 million.) It’s also a mystery when the model would even debut, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of other planned events. A dedicated event is not completely out of the realm of possibility, and perhaps we could see the model debut as early as the middle of next year.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.