Rolls-Royce Sweptail
2017 · Rolls-Royce Sweptail — Grand Tourer, V12, designed by Giles Taylor.
The Story
In 2017 Rolls-Royce revealed the Sweptail – the first true one-off coachbuilt Rolls in roughly 70 years and, at about $13 million, the most expensive new car in the world at the time. It was commissioned in 2013 by a connoisseur and collector of super-yachts and private aircraft (widely reported as Hong Kong’s Sam Li), and took four years of collaboration before its debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The Sweptail fused two inspirations: the great coachbuilt Rolls-Royces of the 1920s-30s and the world of racing yachts. Its panoramic glass roof, single sweeping boat-tail rear and hull-like surfacing (the bodywork wraps underneath with no visible seam) made it a rolling sculpture, hand-built on a Phantom Coupe base. More than a folly, it relit Goodwood’s coachbuilding ambitions – the direct ancestor of Boat Tail and today’s formal Coachbuild division.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Grand Tourer class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Giles Taylor
Coventry- and RCA-trained; chief designer of the Jaguar XK and XJ lines (to 2011) before joining RR, where as Director of Design (2012-2018) he shaped the Wraith, Dawn, Phantom VIII and Cullinan. Now global design VP at FAW’s Hongqi.
Studio Motors POV
The Sweptail relit the art of coachbuilding for the modern era – a museum piece rather than a market car, but the spark for everything Coachbuild that followed.
The Engine
BMW N73 / N74 V12
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About Sweptail
Worth Knowing About the Sweptail
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1) It was commissioned in 2013 and took four years to realise, debuting in May 2017. 2) The owner is widely reported to be Hong Kong's Sam Li, son of property billionaire Samuel Tak Lee – though Rolls-Royce keeps the commissioner officially anonymous. 3) The rear surfaces wrap underneath the car with no visible boundary, mimicking a yacht's hull; Giles Taylor called it 'automotive Haute Couture.'
5 Fast Facts
- 1) One-off – exactly one built. 2) ~GBP 10M / $13M, the most expensive new car in the world at its debut. 3) Built on the Phantom Coupe (6.75L N73 NA V12). 4) Vast panoramic glass roof; bespoke hidden attache cases. 5) The first one-off coachbuilt Rolls in ~70 years; precursor to Boat Tail and RR Coachbuild.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
FLAG: officially anonymous. Widely reported (Robb Report and others) as Hong Kong-based Sam Li, son of billionaire Samuel Tak Lee – reported, not confirmed by Rolls-Royce.
Studio Buyer’s Brief
Not applicable – a single, non-transactable one-off that has never been publicly sold. Of museum / collection significance rather than a market car.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Rolls-Royce Sweptail
- Class
- Grand Tourer
- Production years
- 2017
- Units built
- 1 (one-off bespoke Coachbuild commission)
- Variants
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- V12
- Engine family
- BMW N73 / N74 V12
- Displacement
- 6.75L (6,749 cc)
- Power
- 453 hp
- Torque
- 531 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- s
- Top speed
- mph
- Power-to-weight
- hp/tonne · lb/hp
- Transmission
- 8-speed automatic (ZF 8HP)
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive · Petrol
- Curb weight
- lb
Questions
Sweptail FAQ
How many Rolls-Royce Sweptails were built?
Exactly one Sweptail was produced. Delivered in 2017, it was a fully bespoke one-off commission and the first fully coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era.
How much did the Rolls-Royce Sweptail cost?
The Sweptail was reported to cost approximately $13 million, making it the most expensive new car in the world at its May 2017 reveal at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
What engine is in the Rolls-Royce Sweptail?
The Sweptail is built on the Phantom Coupe platform and uses the 6.75-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine from the Phantom VII, producing 453 bhp.
What inspired the design of the Rolls-Royce Sweptail?
Rolls-Royce drew on 1920s and 1930s coachbuilt Rolls-Royces, the owner’s early-20th-century favourites, and classic and modern yachts for the Sweptail’s two-seat coupe form with its sweeping rear deck and panoramic roof.
How does the Rolls-Royce Sweptail differ from the Boat Tail?
Both are ultra-bespoke Coachbuild commissions. The Sweptail is a fixed-roof grand tourer with a panoramic glass roof built in 2017; the Boat Tail is an open-top design with three examples produced from 2021.
The Rolls-Royce Lineup
Explore every Rolls-Royce
Silver Wraith ’46Silver Dawn ’49
Phantom IV ’50Silver Cloud I ’55Phantom V ’59Silver Cloud II ’59
Silver Cloud III ’62Silver Shadow I ’65Phantom VI ’68
Corniche (1971) ’71Camargue ’75Silver Shadow II ’77
Silver Spirit / Silver Spur ’80
Corniche (2000) ’00Phantom VII ’03Ghost (1st Gen) ’09
Wraith ’13Dawn ’15Phantom VIII ’17Sweptail ’17Cullinan ’18
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