Rolls-Royce has started road testing Project Nightingale, an all-electric Coachbuild Collection limited to 100 client cars. The model was announced in April 2026, and the new programme moves it from the reveal stage into prototype development under conditions intended to reflect how owners will actually use it.
The company plans a combined 350 weeks of testing. Prototypes will travel from Southern Europe to the Arctic Circle and the Arabian Peninsula, with the programme reaching altitudes of up to 2,750 metres. Before the road phase, static prototypes completed more than 1,430 hours of aerodynamic modelling, simulation and wind-tunnel work.
Rolls-Royce also plans high-speed testing at up to 155 mph on a private facility. A major objective is controlling wind noise and turbulence in the open cabin. Project Nightingale therefore uses a fully electric wind deflector designed to prevent high-pressure air from looping forward into the interior, as well as a roof lined with a combination of cashmere, fabric and high-performance composites.
Some of the validation work focuses on features unique to the car. The side-opening Piano Boot will undergo as many as 15,000 opening and closing cycles, while the roof will face ten separate tests covering its material, mechanism and behaviour in temperatures up to 80°C.
Project Nightingale matters as more than a low-volume styling exercise. It is an unusually extensive development programme for an electric, open-top Rolls-Royce. The company says commissioning clients intend to drive the cars across different climates and regions, so the engineering brief extends well beyond preparing a coachbuilt object for display.