We’ve featured exactly two Rolls-Royce creations previously at Rare Rides. The first was the completely bespoke mega-buck Sweptail in 2017, and more recently the Silver Spectre, a shooting brake based upon the Wraith coupe.
Today’s Rare Ride falls somewhere between those two on the cost spectrum. It’s a one-off creation from famed design house Pininfarina.
The Phantom’s lineage at Rolls Royce is a long one. Dating back to 1925 as a flagship sedan, the model took a hiatus after 1990. It reappeared in its seventh generation iteration in 2003, after BMW took ownership of Rolls-Royce. Riding on its own bespoke platform, the Phantom resides as the flagship of Rolls-Royce. That seventh-generation started as a stately sedan but expanded into the Drophead convertible in 2007, and Phantom Coupe in 2008. Notably, the Drophead eclipsed the standard Phantom in price, and in 2015 was the most expensive car on offer from the brand at $533,000. Both Drophead and Coupe lived through 2016; the Phantom sedan was again a singularity in 2017. It was replaced that year by the eighth-generation Phantom, which exists today only as a sedan.
The Phantom Drophead was based almost directly on the 100EX concept car, which debuted at NAIAS in 2007 in recognition of the centennial of Rolls-Royce. A four-seater affair, the Drophead was notable for its rear-hinged coach doors and tonneau cover made of wood. All examples were powered by the 6.75-liter V12 from the Phantom which produced adequate horsepower, paired to a six-speed automatic.
Shortly after its introduction, Rolls-Royce collector Roland Hall contacted Pininfarina and asked them to design an even more exclusive version of the Phantom Drophead. Pininfarina set to work on the project and reworked the Drophead into a fairly different-looking car.
The results were – let’s be diplomatic – interesting. Smoother lines ended in a shortened rear deck, which turned the four-seat Drophead into the two-seat Hyperion “roadster.” The wood tonneau cover remained at the rear and spawned a matching one on the hood. Rolls-Royce badging on the trunk was replaced by a smaller dual-flag logo that represented Rolls-Royce and Pininfarina, and Pininfarina badging appeared on the front wings. In a costly edit, lamps front and rear were of a new, bespoke design. Though it was short two seats, the interior remained largely factory.
Mister Hall owned the Hyperion for around two years and drove it not at all. It was shown at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours before being put up for sale in 2009, where it sold for around $5 million. The Hyperion then moved to the UAE, where it’s presently for sale in Dubai. Current ask for this zero miles roadster is $3.267 million. Any interest?
[Images: Pininfarina]
I’ve got four grand right here for it.
Was just thinking “this is what happens when Mansoury gets their hands on a Lexus SC430.”
Mansory! Oh lord.
Burn it
I like the rear tail lights. They remind me of a 1949 Buick!
Corey I’ve got a new concept for you: In model year X which of [list models] would you choose to keep for 20 years and put maximum mileage on? Then I’ll source the highest mile examples from Manheim after a day for the “winners”.
It’s pretty obvious when The Pininfarina intern of the summer gets these things to do. Not horrible, but not coherent and nowhere beautiful to pay so much.
Caddy in the rear, Chrysler 300 w/fake grill in the front. Chop the roof for maximum floppiness. Awful.
According to the listing, “All of the panels are made from carbon fiber…”
Picture 26: What do the matching driver/passenger joysticks control? (Not the mirrors, that control is on the driver’s door.)
And then in between those same joysticks, presumably that switch raises/lowers the top? Can’t figure out what is going on between the vehicle icon and the switch – SD card slot for the automatic selfie camera?
This has been today’s ASD Level 2 moment – thank you for your participation.
Absolutely grotesque.
I don’t at all mind the looks of it, if judged as a car.
But it’s not really a car. Not driven, no parts availability, no experiences with how it behaves when driven…. Can you even register it, in most parts. It’s most certainly not crash tested properly.
Instead, it’s just a sculpture. And judged as such….. well, let’s just say that while the guys trading on the Pininfarina name these days aren’t bad car designers, I’m not really sure inert sculptures are really their thing.
To design RR you have to be Englishman. Let Italians design Daewoo and Maserati.
Practically the whole of F1 is British design and tech. I think even Ferrari F1 has some work done there.
‘F1 Valley’ its called -Now almost 3,500 companies associated with motorsport are based in Motorsport Valley, employing around 40,000 people. That represents around 80% of the world’s high-performance engineers.-BBC
I don’t get the hate.
Rolls in the front Caddie in the back. What more could you want?