Rolls-Royce Reveals Project Nightingale
The first car from the Coachbuild Collection is a showstopper.
Rolls-Royce has unveiled the concept for the first bespoke vehicle designed as part of its Coachbuild Collection, an exclusive, invitation-only programme for dedicated collectors. Dubbed Project Nightingale, the vehicle is inspired by the EX Rolls-Royces of the 1920s (EX stands for experimental) and will start shipping to the chosen 100 clients in 2028.
The car is an open-top two seater, styled after the racers of the ’20s and ’30s, with the modern introduction of a fully electric drivetrain. The name comes from Henry Royce’s house on the south coast of France: Le Rossignol, French for nightingale.
The primary design language for Nightingale is the art deco style known as streamline moderne. It emphasizes curving forms, long lines, and nautical references. Think the Pioneer Zephyr train, San Francisco’s Maritime Museum, or the Daily Express Building in London—buildings and objects designed in the past but with an eye very much on the future.
That is similar to Nightingale: the history, luxury, and timelessness of Rolls-Royce combined with a futuristic aesthetic and modern technologies. “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,” says Domagoj Dukec, director of design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Visually, the most striking element of the car is its torpedo-like shape—the hood and tail make up almost the entire vehicle, broken only by the windshield and the cutout seating compartment. The builders went to great lengths to create the image that the car is formed of one solid length, by designing handles that blend seamlessly into the bodywork.
As the first offering in the Coachbuild Collection, Project Nightingale sets a high bar for the motor cars that will follow in its wake.
