$470,000 Phantom Drophead Coupe got an equal opponent. Rolls Royce announced the launch of a new Bespoke Waterspeed Collection. Designed to celebrate Sir Malcolm Campbell’s water speed record in 1937, this special edition Bespoke Waterspeed Collection that will be limited to only 35 units worldwide. On September 1st, 1937, Sir Malcolm Campbell headed out onto the calm blue waters of Lake Maggiore on the Swiss-Italian frontier. He took a Bluebird K3 hydroplane boat powered by Rolls-Royce’s R-Type engine to a top speed of 126.32 mph. Next day he did even better, and set a record of 129.5 mph.
According to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, “Sir Malcolm Campbell’s successful pursuit of world-speed records on land and water were the result of his commitment to the most exacting standards of British design and engineering excellence. Such attributes are hallmarks of every Rolls-Royce motor car, ensuring the marque’s position at the pinnacle of super-luxury manufacturing.”
The Waterspeed Collection features a Maggiore Blue and Brushed Steel exterior and will be equipped with hand-crafted wood inlays that “evoke the sense of a boat effortlessly gliding through water at pace”.
Rolls-Royce hasn’t offered specifics, but no changes are expected in the powertrain department, so all 35 Phantom Drophead Coupe Bespoke Waterspeed Collection models will come with a 453-horsepower 6.75-liter V-12 mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
More information will be released in the coming months.
