This Rolls-Royce Is the Most Expensive New Car Ever Sold

How much would you be willing to pay for your own, one-of-a-kind luxury car? For one particularly wealthy Rolls-Royce customer, that answer was, well, quite a lot.

The world has seen its fair share of expensive luxury supercars, from the $3.26 million Bugatti Chiron Sport to the $4.5 million Lamborghini Veneno, but no new car can claim to match the astronomical price tag of Rolls-Royce’s Sweptail, a one-off coupe that cost its mystery owner a reported $13 million, according to automotive news site The Drive.

The World's Most Expensive Car

The handcrafted marvel manufactured by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke department made its debut in 2017 after four years of development and became the world’s most expensive new car ever sold, The Telegraph reported.

One of a Kind

Featuring a panoramic glass roof and a design that “draws on the lineage of 1920s and 1930s Rolls-Royce motor cars,” the vehicle is unique. There will likely never be another one manufactured, making it one of the rarest cars in the world.

'A Truly Magnificent Car'

“Sweptail is a truly magnificent car,” said Torsten Müller-Otvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “We are listening carefully to our most special customers and assessing their interest in investing in similar, completely exclusive coachbuilt masterpieces.”

See: 20 Vintage Cars That Are Worth a Fortune

How It Came To Be

The car is the real-life version of the buyer’s dream vehicle. The unknown buyer approached Rolls-Royce Motor Cars with his design, and they worked with him to bring it to life.

“Sweptail is the automotive equivalent of Haute Couture,” said Giles Taylor, director of design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in a press release. “It is a Rolls-Royce designed and hand-tailored to fit a specific customer. This customer came to the House of Rolls-Royce with an idea, shared in the creative process where we advised him on his cloth, and then we tailored that cloth to him.”

A Design Rooted In History

The car includes elements from the 1925 Phantom I, 1934 Phantom II and the 1934 20/25. Its “swept tail” rear end — which gave the car its name — is based on the tapered ends of the early 20th century Phantoms.

An Impressive Grille

The Sweptail’s grille is the largest of any modern Rolls-Royce and represents a new treatment of the luxury carmaker’s iconic Pantheon grille.

A Yacht-Like Rear

The rear of the car is inspired by racing yachts, with a tapered raked stern look.

A Roof That Lets the Light In

The client requested an uninterrupted glass roof, and the result is the car’s most impressive feature. The panoramic roof allows natural light into the cabin, which brings life to the handcrafted interior.

Fine Interior Materials

The interior of the cabin provides a contrast of light and dark colors, with polished Macassar Ebony and open-pore Paldao accents, and light Moccasin and Dark Spice leather seats, armrest and dashboard.

A Place To Rest Your Hat

In lieu of a back seat, this two-seater features a mid-shelf and a hat shelf, made out of wood and glass, and inset with luggage rails.

A Hidden Laptop Compartment

The interior cabin also features two identical panniers concealed in the coach doors, which when activated present the owner’s leather laptop case — designed to match the rest of the interior, of course.

Pop the Bubbly

The center console can present a bottle of champagne and two champagne flutes at the press of a button. (To be used while in park, we presume, as we don’t condone drinking and driving.)

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Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.

About the Author

Chris Jennings

Chris joined GOBankingRates in 2016 and has over five years of experience working at various print and digital publications. Prior to joining GOBankingRates, he served as a copy editor on the news and sports desk at The Times of Northwest Indiana. He received his BA in English from Illinois State University.

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