The Santos Straight Grain that was landed on presented huge challenges for Rolls-Royce’s craftspeople, who had to contend with its delicacy. The veneer features everywhere, from the car’s rear deck section, to the interlocking grain pattern arrangement behind the seats in the cabin. In all, some 233 wood pieces were used in the Droptail, 76 of which feature on the rear deck alone. The whole presentation took 8,000 hours to create – mind-boggling.
As the car is to be used worldwide, potentially seeing humid tropical clients, the wood had to be treated and protected with coatings used on superyachts. Appropriate, given the nautical inspiration behind the Droptrail series. The lacquer they landed on should last the life of the car. Cartier Style et Luxe 2084, here we come..?
The cabin’s crown jewel, though? The clock, set within the Santos veneer fascia, which features 119 facets and 12 0.1mm thick hour-mark chaplets. The intricate craftsmanship involved resulted in the most complex clock face in Rolls-Royce history and took five months to assemble. The client is a patient one, then.