Rolls-Royce announced a new collection called the Waterspeed Collection. It is the flagship model called the Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed that is grabbing all of the attention. It is inspired by the water speed records that were set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1937. Campbell went to the Lake Maggiore, and at the helm of his BlueBird hydroplane boat, he had the first world water speed record set at 126.33 mph. This boat was powered by a V12 Rolls-Royce R Engine. The new crisp and modern design of the Waterspeed pays homage to Campbell’s feats in a decidedly modern way.
The exterior of the car is painted in aptly-named Maggiore Blue. The interior is shaded in Windchill Grey leather and from these names alone, you can already imagine how gorgeous the exterior and interior look. Maggiore Blue is illuminated in part from the interior. There are open grain Abachi wood veneers that complement the Riviera look of this car. The marina-like details of the car are seen through the brushed steel deck with a matching bonnet. From the Drophead’s interior, you can see the nautical inspiration from the steering wheel to how the driver’s seat looks like the inside of a boat. The brushed steep deck was the result of over 70 hours of work from a craftsman and 10 hours of hand brushing for that perfect polished look. The wood veneers of the Waterspeed Collection took 13 days to make which shows the commitment the marque has to making things perfect.
The Waterspeed Collection is a limited edition of just 35 vehicles. These are the cars that Campbell himself would have driven, Rolls-Royce says. Even the engine is tinted with Maggiore Blue to show the total connection to the spirit of the 1937 record breaking feat by Sir Malcolm Campbell. The details are beautiful as seen by a handpainted coachline with a BlueBird motif to pay homage to Campbell’s original hydroplane boat. The attention to detail is absolutely staggering as Rolls-Royce have not left anything out. The instrumental dials are stylishly designed with blue as the key motif colour as well as the Rolls-Royce logo adorning the dials.
The new Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed is one of the most exciting Rolls-Royce cars that the marque has ever manufactured. It is guaranteed to be one of the most enduring examples of the power of limited edition cars that bring Rolls-Royce’s heritage back to life.