May 30: What price poor taste?

Just when you thought that money could buy you everything, Rolls-Royce comes along and proves that you were right.........

Introduced the other day at Italy's Corso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este (close your eyes and spell it), this is the Rolls Sweptail. Looking like a bigger Wraith, this car is so much more.......

So, just what is this unusually styled big Roller? Before you start to call your local dealer, trying to order one for yourself, you should know a few specifics. First and foremost, this car is a one off, two seater coachbuilt Rolls, based on the Phantom and designed for a very exacting buyer. This person wanted Rolls to create a car, that was a modern take on the elegant, custom bodied Rolls-Royce's of the '20's and '30's. I guess it has some of those elements, but it's hardly what I would call attractive like many of those old classics.

So, what price is poor taste? Good question, but if one goes back over a few special cars that Rolls has done for their best clients, you'll see that while money might be able to buy you everything, it sure as hell doesn't guarantee good taste. Want me to prove it? Say no more.........

Call it lumpy to be kind, but this old custom didn't look good in its day and other than as a curiousity, doesn't look good today. Costly? One can only imagine. And how about the famous Honeymoon Express.......

Back when this was designed, the Rolls cabriolets were lovely examples of what a classic beauty should look like and it sure wasn't like this unusually proportioned one off. Fins? Sure they were all the rage, but did this Rolls really need them? Beauty is in the eye etc and its price, of course, was in the money can buy you anything range.

Moving right along to a couple of other customs built for clients with discerning(?) taste and huge bank accounts.........

If I said these designs were breath taking, would that have the same meaning, as saying these designs took my breath away? I don't think so. What price is poor taste? One could bet it would be high in either of these cases.

But, not only did questionable taste and money collide with just two seater models.........

Whew! What designer signed their name to this hideous one off for a client, who had the money to stand out in a very unfortunate way? Not a good line anywhere on this monstrosity. If Rolls didn't sue them, they should have.

And now back to our signature piece, the Sweptail. What did I say about the price of poor taste? Want to put a dollar figure on this big Roller?

 Without being able to read minds, I can tell that you are way too low. Think again. No, still too low. Rolls-Royce reportedly created this questionable behemoth for a touch under $13M USD. Talk about breath taking. Even Drake would have to think twice before plunking down that much of his hard earned coin.

What price poor taste? Now you know.

Until next time.........