Why Rolls-Royce Cars Are So Expensive | So Expensive

Summary

Rolls-Royce is renowned for crafting the world's most luxurious cars, offering a 'magical carpet ride' experience. With no set base price, the cost of a bespoke Rolls-Royce is limitless, thanks to a myriad of customization options. From 44,000 color choices to diamond-infused paint, hand-crafted coachlines, and personalized embroidery, each car is a unique masterpiece. Inside, features like the Starlight Headliner and acoustic insulation elevate the ride to a new level of opulence. The brand's commitment to luxury is evident in record sales and iconic, one-of-a-kind models like the $13 million Sweptail.

Takeaways

• 🚗 Rolls-Royce is renowned for producing the world's most luxurious cars, offering a 'magical carpet ride' experience to its customers.
• 💰 The cost of a Rolls-Royce is not fixed due to the virtually unlimited optional extras, upgrades, and customizations available.
• 🎨 The company offers over 44,000 colors for customers to choose from, including the ability to replicate any color, such as a lipstick or even a pet's fur.
• 🖌️ Rolls-Royce cars' paintwork involves multiple layers, with the possibility of up to 23 layers of coating, weighing up to 45 kilograms.
• 💎 One customer requested the addition of 1,000 diamonds to be crushed and infused into the car's paint for an extra sparkle.
• 🌟 The Starlight Headliner is a bespoke feature that recreates the night sky with fiber-optic lights, customizable to include shooting stars or specific constellations.
• 🧵 The embroidery on the car's upholstery is tailor-made and can be as complex as a million individual stitches, such as in the Rose Phantom model.
• 🎨 The dashboard can be transformed into a bespoke art gallery, with one example being a 3D-printed, gold-plated installation replicating a customer's DNA profile.
• 🔇 To ensure a silent ride, Rolls-Royce uses approximately 300 pounds of acoustic insulation and special foam-filled tires developed by Continental.
• 📈 Sales of Rolls-Royce have increased significantly over the last decade, with a 25% rise in 2019 and an average owner age dropping from late 50s to mid 40s.
• 💲 The most expensive Rolls-Royce ever built was the Sweptail, a one-of-a-kind car reported to cost $13 million, previously the world's most expensive new car.

Q & A

What is Rolls-Royce known for in the automobile industry?

Rolls-Royce is known for producing hand-crafted, luxurious automobiles that offer a seamless 'magical carpet ride' experience to its customers.

Why does Rolls-Royce not discuss its base prices?

Rolls-Royce does not discuss its base prices because the cost of a car is highly customizable and varies greatly depending on individual customer preferences and bespoke options.

What is unique about the color options at Rolls-Royce?

Rolls-Royce offers a palette of over 44,000 colors and can replicate any color, including lipstick shades or even the color of a customer's pet, making each color unique and registered to the customer.

How many layers of coating can be applied to a Rolls-Royce car?

Rolls-Royce cars can have at least seven layers of coating, but this can go up to 23 layers, which has been done before, equating to about 45 kilograms in weight just of the coat.

What is the role of a coachliner at Rolls-Royce?

A coachliner at Rolls-Royce, like Mark Court, is responsible for applying the pinstripe to the side of the car freehand, a unique skill that is done by only one person within the company.

What special feature did one customer request to be added to their Rolls-Royce paint?

One customer requested the addition of 1,000 diamonds to be crushed and infused into the paint for a more sparkling finish.

Why did Rolls-Royce have to remove some soundproofing from their cars?

Rolls-Royce removed some soundproofing to avoid causing acoustic sensory deprivation, as the use of acoustic insulation and special foam-filled tires by Continental made the ride virtually silent.

What is the Starlight Headliner and how is it created?

The Starlight Headliner is a bespoke feature that recreates the night sky with fiber-optic roof lights. It takes up to 16 hours to build, involving drilling and perforating up to 1,340 holes to thread the fiber-optic through.

How customizable is the embroidery on a Rolls-Royce car's upholstery?

The embroidery on the upholstery is completely unique to each customer, with no standard process repeated. Each design is carefully thought out, considering the angles of the stitch to create a three-dimensional effect.

What is the most complex embroidery project that Rolls-Royce has completed?

The most complex embroidery project completed by Rolls-Royce is the special Rose Phantom model, which consists of 1 million individual stitches.

What was the most expensive Rolls-Royce model ever built and why was it so costly?

The most expensive Rolls-Royce model ever built was the Sweptail, which was a one-of-a-kind car that took over four years to create and was reported to cost $13 million, making it the world's most expensive new car at the time.