Bespoke Rolls-Royce Sweptail... $13 million - World's Most Expensive Car!

krautmeister · 06-11-2017, 12:37 PM

It's a classic I'm rich and I want what I want.... I've dealt with some extreme wealth individuals in my work... not talking a few million or even pro athlete money... equity players in high 100s millions and billions.... eccentricity is an understatement! They look at stuff through a different lens than us ordinary people.

And as always wallet size does not commensurate driving talent and/or taste.

To answer where the money went... human capital, development and fabrication.... not the end product per se. To have dedicated design department at BMW/RR for 4 years?? I'll say at a conservative level about 12 people (senior designers, modelers, engineers, and exec team time) worked on this with average comp of $150k... so $1.8MM per year so $7.2MM in man hours alone. Then take all development costs (I'm sure they didn't tool up, but had soft tooling for a lot of the panels and parts) so the fabrication and materials.... unicorn hide... yeah that could be easily $2MM... take $1.4MM in raw material cost, then $1.4MM in profit (I think it's close to 9-10% gross margin).

I've seen management consultants that charge similar fees... but only to affect businesses that are in billions... this was some rich dudes wet dream bc he simply wanted to be the only one with one!

So if I were the head of design... I would have vetoed this... but as head of marketing... it's what RR is about so why not?

Bent_remy · 06-12-2017, 12:16 AM

Must belong to prince so and so from some sand rich nation.

stooker · 06-12-2017, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bent_remy

Must belong to prince so and so from some sand rich nation.

If you read the thread you'd know you're wrong.

SO17 · 06-12-2017, 08:21 AM

I can imagine the conversation in the design studio:
Sales person - Our best customer just faxed this sketch in. He's always had a hankering for an AMC Marlin but feels that his peers will laugh in his face if he adds one to his collection, so he wants us to build him one.
Senior designer - Haha. Good joke Simon. Now go away.
Sales person - No seriously, he wants us to build one. I can't say no as I'll lose my future sales commission.
Senior Designer - Good grief. Ermmmm... Tell him it will take us four years to make and cost 13 million. That should put him off.

Dackelone · 06-12-2017, 03:23 PM

r20 · 06-13-2017, 08:37 PM

Anyone else think it was $13mio wasted?

r20 · 06-13-2017, 08:51 PM

Sales: hey one of our best customers wants you to make a sweep tail for him.

Engineering: no thanks, it'll look ugly.

Sales: hey do you want to lose him to Bentley?

Engineering: okay I'll throw our worst designer on it to draw up the ugliest car he can think of.

....
Sales: he loved it..

Engineering: great tell him it'll cost $13million to build and 4 years..
.....

Sales: done. We're funded.

Engineering: tell him we can only make it in ugly purple.
......

Sales: he said that's his 08th favorite color.

Engineering: I'm going to go design deisel engines for vw because people are stupid.

06-11-2017, 12:37 PM	#89
krautmeister krrrraaauuuuut 187 Rep 525 Posts Drives: G12 750i X Drive M-Sport Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (0) Garage List G12 750i [10.00]	It's a classic I'm rich and I want what I want.... I've dealt with some extreme wealth individuals in my work... not talking a few million or even pro athlete money... equity players in high 100s millions and billions.... eccentricity is an understatement! They look at stuff through a different lens than us ordinary people. And as always wallet size does not commensurate driving talent and/or taste. To answer where the money went... human capital, development and fabrication.... not the end product per se. To have dedicated design department at BMW/RR for 4 years?? I'll say at a conservative level about 12 people (senior designers, modelers, engineers, and exec team time) worked on this with average comp of $150k... so $1.8MM per year so $7.2MM in man hours alone. Then take all development costs (I'm sure they didn't tool up, but had soft tooling for a lot of the panels and parts) so the fabrication and materials.... unicorn hide... yeah that could be easily $2MM... take $1.4MM in raw material cost, then $1.4MM in profit (I think it's close to 9-10% gross margin). I've seen management consultants that charge similar fees... but only to affect businesses that are in billions... this was some rich dudes wet dream bc he simply wanted to be the only one with one! So if I were the head of design... I would have vetoed this... but as head of marketing... it's what RR is about so why not? __________________ (Current) G12 750i X Drive / M-Sport / LOADED (Current) 997 Turbo / 6MT / HRE FF01, Land Rover LR3 - Overlanding Family Adventure Shed, E60 525i - "family beater", Alfa Romeo Spyder Veloce - garage art (Gone) F10 550i / M-Sport, D2 Audi S8, AP1 S2000, Z32 300zx, S13 240sx
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06-12-2017, 12:16 AM	#90
Bent_remy Enemy of viscosity and thermal breakdown 142 Rep 285 Posts Drives: N54 E93 6MT Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: North Texas iTrader: (1)	Must belong to prince so and so from some sand rich nation. __________________ 02' E46 S54 M3 6MT , Bilstein PSS10 B16, Ground Control Camber Plates, Dinan SSK, Apex FL-5, Eventuri Intake RIP 09' E93 N54 6MT, Smarttop, Lux V5, JB4 G5 ISO, BMS DCI, Black ER CP, Tial BOV
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06-12-2017, 08:21 AM	#92
SO17 First Lieutenant 79 Rep 321 Posts Drives: 2018 MY M4CP Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	I can imagine the conversation in the design studio: Sales person - Our best customer just faxed this sketch in. He's always had a hankering for an AMC Marlin but feels that his peers will laugh in his face if he adds one to his collection, so he wants us to build him one. Senior designer - Haha. Good joke Simon. Now go away. Sales person - No seriously, he wants us to build one. I can't say no as I'll lose my future sales commission. Senior Designer - Good grief. Ermmmm... Tell him it will take us four years to make and cost 13 million. That should put him off.
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06-12-2017, 03:23 PM	#93
Dackelone European Editor 10805 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	__________________ Dackel's European Delivery Museum Guide
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06-13-2017, 08:37 PM	#94
r20 Private First Class 89 Rep 131 Posts Drives: BMW 328 Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Anyone else think it was $13mio wasted?
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06-13-2017, 08:51 PM	#95
r20 Private First Class 89 Rep 131 Posts Drives: BMW 328 Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Sales: hey one of our best customers wants you to make a sweep tail for him. Engineering: no thanks, it'll look ugly. Sales: hey do you want to lose him to Bentley? Engineering: okay I'll throw our worst designer on it to draw up the ugliest car he can think of. .... Sales: he loved it.. Engineering: great tell him it'll cost $13million to build and 4 years.. ..... Sales: done. We're funded. Engineering: tell him we can only make it in ugly purple. ...... Sales: he said that's his 08th favorite color. Engineering: I'm going to go design deisel engines for vw because people are stupid.
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