Rolls-Royce plans more coachbuilding off the back of £20m Boat Tail

UPDATE, JUNE 24: Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Otvös has outlined his company's plans for the Coachbuild division off the back of its new Boat Tail commission – saying it could hand-pick clients who use the bespoke arm.

"Our idea is to maybe do one project every second year," he told Autocar.

"Whether it’s three cars or one car will hinge very much on the idea of the clients and also on our appetite for doing it.

"There’s no intention to boost any volume, because the intention clearly is to create projects which are significant for the brand’s history in 70-100 years or so, and are truly unique pieces.

"Commercially, Coachbuild is not a ‘make it or break it’ addition for the business but it’s important for the brand aura and for the image of the brand to showcase unbelievable craft skills we have developed over the years."

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The Boat Tail was released earlier this month, the company's first Coachbuild model since the Sweptail

MAY 28: Rolls-Royce will return to building bespoke vehicles for its customers alongside its regular line-up as the Goodwood-based brand announced its plans to re-establish the Coachbuild division.

Steeped in almost 100 years of history, Rolls-Royce's coachbuilding team made special, one-off vehicles based on the company's existing platforms, though the art started to fade away in the late 20th century with the Phantom IV Limousine being the last separate chassis coachbuilt vehicle made by Rolls-Royce in 1972.

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Rolls-Royce's last truly coachbuilt car based on a separate chassis, the 1972 Phantom IV Limousine

In 2013, Rolls-Royce was commissioned to build a coachbuilt two-door car which was inspired by some of its creations from the 1920s and 30s, resulting in the Sweptail, released in 2017 at an estimated cost of £10 million (AU$18.34 million).

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said it was the Sweptail commission which reignited the brand's desire to make coachbuilt vehicles, resulting in the re-establishment of the Coachbuild department.

“The ability to personalise almost every aspect of their motor car is one of the main reasons our patrons come to us," said Müller-Ötvös.

"But we know some wish to go further still. In 2017, we stunned the world with our first fully coachbuilt motor car of the modern era, the spectacular Rolls-Royce Sweptail.

"This was, by definition, an entirely unique commission; but in our minds, it was the start of a journey.

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In 1926 the 40/50HP Phantom I Brougham De Ville was released as the first Rolls-Royce vehicle to be coachbuilt

"We have formally re-established our Coachbuild department for those patrons who wish to go beyond the existing restraints, and explore the almost limitless possibilities this opens up for them.

"We are able to offer our customers the opportunity to create a motor car in which every single element is hand-built to their precise individual requirements, as befits our status as a true luxury house.”

Rolls-Royce is expected to announce the structure of the Coachbuild division in the near future.