Rolls-Royce Arcadia Droptail

The Most Expensive New Car on the Planet

Pete Weishaupt
2 min readMar 5, 2024

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently unveiled the coachbuilt Arcadia Droptail. Named for a place known as ‘Heaven on Earth’ in Greek mythology, the Acadia is Rolls-Royce’s third coachbuilt droptail commission.

The press proclaimed the Arcadia Droptail the world’s most expensive new car, coming in a a whopping $31 million dollars, though I was unable to corroborate the claim through official Rolls-Royce channels.

Originally commissioned in 2019, the anonymous buyer spent months personally overseeing the coachbuild, insisting the car remain as close to the earliest hand-drawn sketches as possible.

In the end, the coachbuilt Arcadia Droptail is a bespoke expression of the anonymous buyer’s lifestyle and reflects their deep appreciation of British luxury. Rolls-Royce noted the interior wood trim alone took over 8,000 hours to create.

Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce

Interior. Santos Straight Grain wood was selected for a modern statement based on its aesthetics and rich texture. A total of 233 word pieces were installed, with 76 pieces making up the rear deck alone.

Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce

Precision Time. The Santos Straight Grain dashboard incorporates a bespoke clock designed by Rolls-Royce. It is the most complex expression of haute horlogerie by Rolls-Royce to date.

Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce

Exterior. The main body color is a solid white infused with aluminum and glass particles. Rolls-Royce claims this provides not only an effervescent shimmer under light, but an illusion of unending depth in the paint.

Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce

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