Rolls-Royce has created yet another gem for the superluxury market, this time in honour of the former world-speed record holder, the Bluebird K3.
Capturing the title in 1937, the K3 sped to 203.308 km/h on Italy’s picturesque Lake Maggiore. It will be unveiled to the public adjacent to that at the Concorso D’Elegenza at Villa D’Este on Lake Como after a private preview at the site of the original Bluebird Motor Company today.
Showing the elegance of the Drophead Coupé, an incredible nine-layers of “Maggiore Blue” paint are laid before being hand-sanded and coated in an a powder lacquer to recreate the famous Bluebird blue.
That colour extends to the engine and eleven-spoke wheels for the first time ever on a Rolls, giving it even greater collector value.
More custom bodywork showcases the auto builder’s detail-oriented heritage, including a hand-painted Bluebird motif on the coachline, applied by Rolls-Royce’s master painter.
Throughout the vehicle, the traditional teak work has been replaced with hand-brushed stainless steel, culminating after 70 hours of hand-beating each panel before 10 hours of hand brushing. On the end of the door armrests, both the driver and passenger sides are treated to hand-engraved modern interpretation of the Bluebird logo.
The final Bluebird tribute is hidden inside the glovebox, a hand-sewn panel displaying each of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s records at Lake Maggiore and Coniston Water.
“This very special motor car serves to pay a perfect homage to my grandfather’s remarkable acts of British daring and endeavour,” said Donald Wales, grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell. “The extraordinary attention-to-detail and commitment to engineering excellence so evident in these motor cars perfectly echoes the lengths my grandfather and his colleagues went to in their pursuit of the waterspeed records.”
The company says the accents give the Drophead Coupé a smooth, cool sensation similar to the feeling of a speed boat in water. What it translates to visually, is one of the most elegant, complete Rolls-Royces ever.
