Rolls-Royce Show Off Nautical-Inspired Phantom Drophead Coupé

Rolls-Royce has revealed a sketch of the upcoming Bespoke Waterspeed Collection, a series of 35 Phantom Drophead Coupés, which according to the automaker, pay tribute to “British daring and endeavor.” 

More specifically, the collection is dedicated to the water speed record set on September 1 1937 by Sir Malcolm Campbell on Lake Maggiore on the Swiss-Italian frontier.

Using a Bluebird K3 hydroplane boat powered by Rolls-Royce’s R-Type engine, Campbell set a record of 129.5 mph (208.4 km/h), breaking the United States’ five-year stranglehold on the world waterspeed record.

As homage to Campbell and his boat, the Waterspeed Collection for the Phantom Drophead Coupé will feature “the finest contemporary materials never used before on a Rolls-Royce,” including brushed steel complementing an exclusively developed Maggiore Blue color scheme, and hand-crafted wood inlays on the bodywork.