Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail breaks cover with special wooden treatment

If opulence on wheels had a name it would surely be called Rolls Royce. The brand is synonymous with creating some of the most luxurious cars in the world. Its latest unveiling is called Arcadia Droptail– the British marque’s first roadster body style in the company’s modern history.

The name takes inspiration from the place ‘Arcadia’, a place known in ancient Greek mythology as ‘Heaven on Earth’. The third Coachbuilt model to be showcased in recent times after Amethyst and La Rose Noire, the Arcadia Droptail was recently presented at a private ceremony in Singapore.

Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail: Exterior Design

The Arcadia Droptail gets an open-top, two-door design which is wrapped in a beautiful paint scheme infused with aluminium and glass particles.This not only creates an effervescent shimmer when the light strikes the coachwork but, upon close inspection, creates the illusion of unending depth in the paint. This nicely works with the Bespoke silver contrasting against the white, not only in colour, but also in terms of intensity.

Unlike the other three Droptails, the lower section of the Arcadia’s carbon fibre tub is painted in the same solid Bespoke silver colour rather than left fully or partially exposed. The car rolls on 22-inch alloy wheels that are fully mirror-polished. The design is said to be inspired by the architecture from its commissioner’s favourite places including Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.

Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail: Interiors

Interiors of the Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail are finished in Santos Straight Grain, which is derived from its unique, interlocking grain pattern giving the cabin a rich texture. Using this high-density hardwood on Droptail’s interior posed a significant challenge since it easily tears when machined. 

To prevent this, a bespoke lacquer had to be developed to protect the wood for the lifetime of the car in tropical climates. Despite the challenge, Santos Straight Grain is used throughout Droptail, including the aerodynamically functional rear deck section. It gets a dashboard featuring Rolls Royce’s signature clock design which the company claims to be the most complex such part it has ever developed.

The clock incorporates an exquisite geometric guilloché pattern in raw metal with 119 facets. This is a symbolic nod to the company’s 119-year heritage. The specially designed clock face also includes partly polished, partly brushed hands and 12 ‘chaplets’ – or hour markers – each just 0.1mm thick. 

Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail: Powertrain

Powering the Rolls Royce Arcadia Droptail is a familiar twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine that delivers a mammoth 593 bhp and 841 Nm of peak torque.  This V12 is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox that propels it from standstill to 100 kmph in around five seconds.