The five most expensive Rolls-Royce cars in the world

Rolls-Royce's reputation for hand-built cars is one of the reasons they charge such high prices.

Close your eyes and think of an "expensive car" and chances are your mind will immediately imagine a Rolls-Royce.

The British brand has been producing cars since 1906 and has earned a reputation for producing some of the most luxurious cars. Some of his most famous nameplates are Silver Ghost, Phantom, Ghost, and Silver Shadow.

Since 2003, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (as opposed to aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce Holdings) has been a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW, with the German brand gaining control of the brand's famous logo and "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament.

Under the leadership of BMW, Rolls-Royce has launched a line of luxury limousines, coupes and, more recently, SUVs. The current range includes Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan. 

The difficulty in pricing a new car from Rolls-Royce is that the company has a wide range of customization options through its "Bespoke" department. 

Given that most wearers are successful in their chosen profession, each model usually has some element of customization.

What is the most expensive Rolls-Royce?

Cullinan was introduced in 2018.

While personalization - the choice of specific paint colors, leather trims and trim elements - is common for Rolls-Royce owners, some take it to a whole new level. 

Such is the case with buyers of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, a custom-made creation that revives the once-thriving coachbuilding industry that made the brand famous. 

It was introduced in May 2021 and immediately stunned the world with its richness and price.

There will be three cars in total, and while Rolls-Royce hasn't officially named a price, it's believed to start at US$28 million (that's AU$38.8 million at today's exchange rate). 

What is the average price of a Rolls-Royce?

The Ghost is the cheapest Rolls-Royce, starting at $628,000.

Rolls-Royce Australia's current price range can best be described as a transition from expensive to stunning. 

The most affordable Rolls-Royce available at press time is the Ghost, which starts at $628,000 and ranges up to $902,000 for the Phantom. 

And it's worth remembering that these are standard list prices, so this is without any personalization or travel expenses.

The average price of the nine models currently available in Australia is over $729,000.

Why is Rolls Royce so expensive?

Only 48 Australians have bought a Rolls-Royce in 2021.

The cost of a Rolls-Royce depends on a number of factors. The most obvious is the craftsmanship and the amount of handcrafted components that are used to build the cars.

The downside of the result is that the company only produces a limited number of vehicles in order to maintain low demand and low demand. Despite having the most successful year in its history in 2021, the company sold just 5586 vehicles worldwide, with just 48 buyers in Australia.

The five most expensive Rolls-Royce models

1. Rolls-Royce Boat Tail 2021 - $28 million

Rolls-Royce is reportedly only building three Boat Tails.

What can you buy for $38.8 million when it comes to a car? Well, the Boat Tail is a product of the revived Rolls-Royce Coachbuild department, built specifically for a special client.

The company is reportedly building just three examples of the car, which combines elements of a Dawn convertible with a luxury vintage yacht. It is equipped with a 6.7-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine producing 420 kW.

But these are only technical details, the real attraction of the car lies in its design. The extended tail has two large openings that include a deluxe picnic setup. 

There's an auto-folding parasol, a pair of bespoke leather chairs from Italian furniture specialists Promemoria, and a champagne fridge that chills bubbles to exactly six degrees.

The owners, husband and wife, also receive a Bovet 1822 watch with a pair of "he and she" created in unison with the car itself.

Who Owns Boat Tail? Well, there is no official confirmation, but there are rumors that this is a powerful couple of the music industry, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. 

This is because the car is painted blue (which may be a nod to their daughter Blue Ivy) and the refrigerator is designed specifically for the Grandes Marques de Champagne; Jay-Z owns a 50 percent stake.

Whoever it is has one of the most luxurious cars in the world.

2. Rolls-Royce Sweptail 2017 - $12.8 million

Sweptail's design is inspired by a luxury yacht.

Before the Boat Tail, Rolls-Royce's benchmark was the Sweptail, another bespoke creation for a particularly wealthy customer.

This car is based on the 2013 Phantom Coupe and it took the Rolls-Royce Coachbuild team four years to build and finish it. It was presented in 2017 at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on Lake Como, Italy.

Like the Boat Tail, the Sweptail is inspired by a luxury yacht, featuring wood and leather panels. 

It has a signature square grille at the front, and a tapering rear window at the rear that flows out of the glass roof. 

The company says the rear windshield is the most complex piece of glass it has ever worked with.

3. Rolls-Royce 1904, 10 hp — 7.2 million US dollars.

There are only a few copies left in the world with a capacity of 10 hp.

Rarity and exclusivity are two key factors in a car's value, which is why this particular car set a record price when it was sold at auction in 2010. 

This is because it is believed to be one of the few remaining examples of the first model ever made by the company.

While it may not look much like a modern Phantom or Ghost, the 10-horsepower engine has many of the hallmarks that have become Rolls-Royce's hallmark. 

This includes a powerful engine (at least for the time), a 1.8-liter and then a 2.0-liter twin-cylinder unit with 12 hp. (9.0 kW).

It also came without a body, instead Rolls-Royce recommended coachbuilder Barker to provide a body, resulting in slight differences between each model; and inspired contemporary designs such as the Boat Tail and Sweptail.

Another trademark element is the triangular-top radiator, which is still part of the brand's style to this day.

4. Rolls-Royce 1912/40 HP '50 Double Pullman Limousine - $6.4 million

40/50 hp model nicknamed "Corgi". (Image credit: Bonhams)

40/50 hp model was introduced shortly after the 10 hp model introduced in 1906 and helped it become a true luxury brand. 

What makes this particular 1912 model so special is that it was designed with the driver in mind.

Most luxury cars of the era were designed for drivers, but this Rolls had a front seat that was just as comfortable as the back seat. This meant that the owner could choose to either drive the car or drive the car himself.

That's why it was sold for $6.4 million at a Bonhams Goodwood auction in 2012, not far from where the brand now calls home.

This car was also given the special nickname "Corgi" because it was used as a template for a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost toy car sold under the Corgi brand name.

5. 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Special Town Car by Brewster - $1.7 million

Bodybuilder Brewster & Co took the Phantom II and turned it into a limousine. (Image credit: RM Sotheby)

This is another one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce, commissioned by American architect C. Matthews Dick by Brewster bodybuilder.

What started as a Phantom II chassis was redesigned by Brewster to create a truly beautiful limousine for Mr. Dick and his wife.

As the RM Sotheby's vehicle listing explains, the design was shaped to meet the specific requirements of the original owners: “Behind the 'cane' of the doors was an exceptionally comfortable rear compartment with a seat upholstered in personally selected woolen fabric with buttons. Dix; a pair of reclining seats, one with a back and one without, were provided on a recessed floor indicated by Mrs. Dick.

“Luxury was underlined by beautiful inlaid wood trim, gold-plated hardware (even reaching the Brewster badges on the thresholds) and pleated door trims. 

“The Dickeys chose the wood finishes from samples and hand-selected the hardware for the dressing table. Even the heater was custom designed, warming the Dicks' feet on winter evenings through Art Deco floor vents."

No wonder someone was willing to pay the equivalent of $2.37 million for a car at auction in June 2021.

Honourable mention

Hotel 13 has 30 custom-made phantoms, two of which are gold and the rest are red. (Image credit: Hotel 13)

We can't list the most expensive Rolls-Royces without discussing Macau's famous Louis XIII Hotel and Casino deal.

Owner Steven Hung placed the largest order in the company's history, spending US$20 million on 30 custom built long wheelbase phantoms. 

Two of the cars were painted gold for the most important guests only, while the remaining 28 were painted in a unique shade of red. 

Each was fitted with custom-designed 21-inch alloy wheels with custom hotel-advertising seat trim and extras such as champagne glasses to make affluent hotel guests feel pampered during and after their stay.

The order meant each car cost an average of $666,666, but that turned out to be one of the many extravagances the hotel couldn't afford. 

The cars were delivered to Macau in September 2016, but due to the fact that the development was unable to obtain a casino license, it had financial difficulties.

Most of the Rolls fleet was sold in June 2019, but only brought in $3.1 million. That works out to $129,166 per car, a relative benefit for Rolls-Royce.