Is this the world’s most expensive new car?

The latest coach-built vehicle from Rolls-Royce was revealed in Pebble Beach, California on weekend and it could well be the world’s most expensive new car.

Officially dubbed the 2023 Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, the bespoke creation was inspired by “the allure of the Black Baccara rose” – the favourite flower of the commissioning family – and is estimated to have cost more than $40 million.

The headline act of the Noire Droptail is its dark pomegranate and black colourway – the red component of which was preceded by 150 iterations before the final hue was decided – which changes shade depending on the angle and type of environmental light.

The bespoke paint adorns a body unlike any other Rolls-Royce vehicle’s to date, save for the obligatory front fascia that makes it impossible to mistake for anything other than a Roller.

Without wanting to upset the Rolls purists, there are more than a few whiffs of Ferrari in the Droptail’s rear-end design… at least until the removable carbon-fibre roof is installed.

The exterior colourway is continued within the cocooning interior with sumptuous red upholstery and contrasting black trim, not to mention the contrasting triangle-patterned dashboard and a rear cabin wall comprising 1603 pieces of black wood veneer triangles.

“The highly complex pattern is formed with 1070 perfectly symmetrical elements forming the background, and 533 asymmetrically positioned red pieces representing the rose petals,” Rolls-Royce said.

“The asymmetry was requested by the clients to represent a natural, organic ‘scattering’ of petals.”

This triangular theme is continued on the central element of the predominantly black rear deck and again on the hand-painted 22-inch alloy wheels.

Residing under the bonnet of the vehicle is Rolls-Royce’s signature twin-turbo 6.75-litre petrol V12, outputting an equally grand 481kW/840Nm.

“In every detail of this historic commission, there are echoes of both Rolls-Royce’s rich heritage and the commissioning clients’ character, from its captivating yet formidable form to its flawless and elegant romantic gestures,” said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

“La Rose Noire Droptail, like the remarkable clients who dared to make such a potent and contemporary statement, will be written into Rolls-Royce history forever.”