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Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale Unveiled - First Electric Coachbuild; Limited to 100 Units
Rolls-Royce has unveiled Project Nightingale, its first-ever all-electric Coachbuild convertible concept. It is part of the carmaker's Coachbuild Collection - an exclusive, invite-only programme that produces unique models designed by the brand's in-house Coachbuild department. Only 100 units will be made, with customer deliveries beginning in 2028.
The name is drawn from 'La Rosseignol', meaning 'the nightingale', the name of the designers' house at Rolls-Royce founder Henry Royce's French Riviera Estate. The concept takes inspiration from the 'EX' models - landmark cars in the carmaker's history, originally developed by Henry Royce in 1928 to challenge Bentley for top-speed supremacy.
Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale: Exterior Design
The Project Nightingale retains several classic Rolls-Royce design cues despite its all-electric underpinnings. It gets a V-shaped bonnet, a smooth front bumper finish, and the widest Pantheon grille ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce - also featuring the highest number of slats of any model in the range. Notably, the headlamps are vertical, a clear departure from the horizontal units seen on other Rolls-Royce models. A carbon fibre apron with a chrome outline sits lower on the front bumper.
From the side, the stainless steel frame for the front quarter window draws inspiration from the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. A single hull line runs the full length of both flanks, accompanied by carbon fibre door sills. The 24-inch alloy wheels are the largest ever fitted to any Rolls-Royce and adopt a yacht propeller design. Two stainless steel strips run along both sides of the car.
The roof uses sound-deadening, high-performance composite materials combined with cashmere and fabric. The rear gets an elongated sloping tail design inspired by the Rolls-Royce EX models. The boot opens sideways, mimicking a grand piano lid, and features a vertical brake light mounted on it. Two slim vertical tail-lamps sit on either side, and a carbon fibre diffuser provides high-speed stability without requiring a spoiler.
Domagoj Dukec, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said, "Project Nightingale is built on the design principles that define this marque at its most compelling - grand proportions, absolute surface discipline, and a clarity of line that rewards the closest attention. And yet, it takes them somewhere entirely new. For me, this landmark motor car feels both inevitable and completely unexpected, and it will shape everything that follows."
Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale: Interior
The cabin of the Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale takes its cues from the French Riviera, with seats finished in blue and white with navy blue inserts and pink contrast stitching. The dashboard features open-pore black wood trim arranged in a V-shape, with physical buttons for the centre console.
A motorised centre armrest moves back automatically when the door is opened, revealing a Spirit of Ecstasy rotary dial. Pressing a button slides the armrest further back to uncover a storage compartment. The ambient lighting, which runs across the doors and around the seats, is inspired by the sound-wave patterns of nightingale calls. Rolls-Royce calls this the Starlight Breeze suite, and it comprises 10,500 individual LED lighting elements.
Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale: Powertrain
Rolls-Royce has not confirmed power output, range, or battery capacity for the Project Nightingale. Since the Nightingale is based on the Spectre, it is expected to carry the same 102 kWh battery with a dual-motor setup. The Rolls-Royce Spectre in standard form produces 584 hp and 900 Nm, while the Black Badge version delivers 659 hp and 1,075 Nm.
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars stated, "Some of the most discerning Rolls-Royce clients in the world asked us for our most ambitious work. We responded by bringing three things together that have never coexisted within our brand: the complete design freedom of coachbuilding, our powerful, near-silent all-electric powertrain, and a uniquely potent yet serene expression of open-top motoring - an experience that only this technology makes possible. Achieving this required the same audacious mindset that drove our co-founder, Sir Henry Royce, to create his radically different experimental 'EX' motor cars of the 1920s. Project Nightingale shares the spirit of those landmark projects and is the most extravagant expression of what Rolls-Royce is capable of today."
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