Bespoke Rolls-Royce is world’s most expensive car at $31M — it drew inspiration from yachts: ‘Heaven on Earth’ (2024)

It might cost all your life savings, a few organ donations and your firstborn child.

Rolls-Royce unveiled a captivating new addition to the luxury car brand’s already stunning fleet: the Arcadia Droptail, a $31 million piece of automotive machinery whose name translates from ancient Greek mythology: “Heaven on Earth.”

This one-of-a-kind dream convertible is the world’s most expensive new car and was commissioned for an unnamed client who was meticulously involved at all stages of its creation.

They ensured it most closely resembled a 2019 hand-drawn rendering of the “bold statement” two-seater while also maintaining its unique nautical inspiration by way of a lavish dayboat’s wooden deck finish.

The fortunate, anonymous individual was recently presented with the Arcadia Droptail at a private function in Singapore.

Its classy yet slender design — including a captivating V-12 engine and 22-inch alloy wheels — focuses on its aquatic-styled woodwork made from Santos Straight Grain.

The area behind the Arcadia Droptail’s doors evokes that of a yacht’s jib and is even called “sail cowls.”

Its dashboard area also includes “the most complex Rolls-Royce clock face ever created.”

The dash area, among other interior sections, is also wood-made — 8,000 hours were spent on wood craftsmanship alone — and its 76-piece rear deck that stretches to the car’s brake lights was “laid at a perfect 55° angle” for the sake of aerodynamics.

That stern section perhaps gives off the strongest sense of driving a yacht on asphalt.

Engineers used carbon fiber stylings inspired by Formula 1 racing to handle “dynamic extremes” the vehicle may face, plus a special wood lacquer to ensure its reliability in all climates.

There was also a surprising, more personal inspiration for the distinctive wooden layout of 233 total pieces – the client’s favorite desk and coffee table.

“This became a catalyst for the rest of the specification,” Alex Innes, head of Rolls-Royce’s Coachbuild department, which handles “invitation only” projects, told Forbes.

He added that the Arcadia is also meant to be reminiscent of a vehicle that would have zoomed around Long Island’s Gold Coast in “The Great Gatsby” from a century ago.

The car also features a solid, white paint infused with both aluminum and glass particles so that when the sun glares, it presents a different-looking tint with “unending depth.”

There is still, of course, the classic black hood.

The Arcadia Droptail is the third of four highly coveted cars of its line. In August, Rolls-Royce unveiled a similar styled one in red that’s expected to fetch $30 million.

As for its latest, the automaker calls it “the epitome of quiet irreverence, celebrating purity of form and natural materials while serving as a bold statement of the client’s personal taste.”