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New Rolls-Royce Boat Tail shows off coachbuilding chops of the Phantom platform

Rolls-Royce is flexing the coachbuilding muscles of its highly versatile new Phantom platform with this gorgeous Boat Tail commission. Rolls-Royce claims the build required the fabrication of more than 1,800 unique parts and 20 years of combined man-hours to complete.  Even by Rolls-Royce standards, this is pretty ambitious stuff. The commission was inspired by a 1932 Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, and like the original, it was inspired by, well, boats. Shocking, right? The trim elements both inside and out (Caleidolegno veneer, if you're curious) were designed to be reminiscent of the teak decking you'd see on a wooden yacht. "Today marks a seminal moment for the House of Rolls-Royce. We are proud to unveil Rolls-Royce Boat Tail to the world, and with it, the confirmation of coachbuilding as a permanent fixture within our future portfolio," said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos in the Boat Tail announcement.  "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," Muller-Otvos said previously. "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." There are quite a few bespoke accessories as well, though apart from the full picnic service shown in some of the pics (there doesn't appear to be much of a trunk — sorry, boot), most of it was left out of the promotional materials. Most notably absent are the custom his-and-hers Bovet 1822 timepieces that were commissioned alongside the car. They can be either mounted in the dash or worn on the wrist (of course), but we see only a glimpse of one in the top-down image Rolls-Royce provided.

Rolls-Royce dealer incentive could take $15K off a Cullinan or Ghost

When a carmaker wants last year's models off dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, one standard tactic is to offer incentives either to customers or to dealers. Rolls-Royce is an automaker with last year's models on dealer lots at the beginning of the new year, and on top of that, a refreshed Cullinan and a refreshed Ghost are due later this year. That explains the dealer bulletin Cars Direct said it saw that informs dealers, "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA is introducing a Non-FS and Regional Rate Cash Program to stimulate sales and to promote all aging units to be retailed by the end of March 2024." The cash specifics: $15,000 that can be spent on the $375,000 Cullinan and Black Badge Cullinan, as well as the $350,000 Ghost, Ghost Extended and Black Badge Ghost.  The "non-FS" part refers to the financial services division, meaning the vehicles in the promotion can't be financed through the automaker's loan department. BMW, Rolls-Royce's parent company, makes this distinction regularly, offering a $9,900 "Non FS Credit" on the XM last November, for instance. In that case, buyers who did finance an XM through BMW Financial were also offered a $9,900 loan credit. No such deal on the English side of the Munich empire. Because this is a factory-to-dealer incentive, dealers don't need to disclose the offer nor give the buyer the benefit even if a buyer knows about it; this is a reward for the storefront for getting the model off the lot at a price the dealer is happy with, not an incentive for a shopper. Don't get the idea that Rolls-Royce shoppers are put off by discounts, though. It's all about the phrasing and the delivery. Dropping $15,000 on the hood would be unthinkable. A dealer asking an interested shopper who's on the fence, "What if I threw in the 21-inch tri-colored pinstripe wheels you want and took $10,000 off?" Well, that's making a deal, and everyone loves making a deal. So if Santa was especially kind, or you were especially naughty and made your own bundle, there's almost three months left to take advantage. According to the bulletin, the program ends March 31, 2024. Related video: 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Tour

Michael Fux sure likes fuchsia — now there's a 'Fuxia' Rolls-Royce

Over the weekend, we told you about a McLaren 720S done up in a bespoke color at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, an eye-popping fuchsia that McLaren dubbed "Fux Fuchsia." And now it's showing up on a Rolls-Royce as well, unveiled at The Qual in a color RR calls simply "Fuxia." There's a lot more surface area on a Rolls than on a McLaren, so on a day when we're supposed to save our retinas by not looking directly at the solar eclipse, you might consider wearing your eclipse goggles to view the gallery above. The car is, well, vivid. Fux is a Cuban immigrant who made his millions in mattresses as the founder of Sleep Innovations. A mattress is clearly not where he stores those millions, since he has amassed a vast car collection. This "Dawn in Fuxia" car is his 11th Rolls, each highly personalized. "Michael is a very special patron of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars," said RR CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos in revealing the car. "Rolls-Royce designers love working with him because he constantly challenges them to take their work to an even higher level, delivering a true work of art." The color is said to be based on the petals of a fuchsia flower Fux found last year at Pebble Beach. He presented them to Rolls Royce to replicate. As with the McLaren, Rolls is using Fux's car to highlight the fact that it can build you a bespoke car in any color you want — Rolls says it offers a palette of 44,000 choices. Some of Fux's previous Rolls-Royces have come in these custom colors (each officially named using his name): Fux Blue was his Pebble reveal last year. Before it was Fux Intense Jade Pearl; a two-tone of Aequus Green Jade Pearl, Cornish White Jade Pearl; Deep Purple; Candy Red; and Yellow. Related Video: