The Rs 3.47 crore Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that sparkled at New York Auto Show

This year at the New York Auto Show, crown jewels were few and far between. Sure, we saw McLaren's new supercar and Aston Martin's track monster. We saw Cadillac's CT6 and Jaguar's XF sport sedans.

But most of them had already made their debuts in Geneva. So people were left looking for other things that, while not necessarily new, might provide some eye candy in the interim.

At the Rolls-Royce stand was a crimson gem called the 2016 Phantom Drophead Coupe.

The Rs 3.7 crore (approx) convertible is big and heavy and bold — normally a combination that exceeds most people's sense of good taste. But one can't deny how stunning it looked with its gunmetal grey body and baby-soft Mugello red leather splashed over everything inside. It could easily double as a royal coach. And the thing feels as big as a living room.



It's meant to showcase Rolls's popular and profitable bespoke program, which services its owners in pretty much whatever automotive fantasy they can imagine. So this one has seat belts coloured a special shade of grenadine, with its Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament illuminated from the bottom. The effect displays the perfect arch of her sculpted wings.

Inside, it has stainless steel pinstripe detailing and stark white-faced instrument dials; outside are stylish 21-inch wheels. Even the
doorside umbrellas are colourcoordinated with the hand-stitched interior and black lambswool carpeting. The Rolls-Royce badges inlaid in the doors light up at night, and the one on the dash is made from solid silver.

It's a lot of work to put into one car, but it's worth it: Executives at Rolls said 95 per cent of all of their customers get their cars bespoke.