Drophead gorgeous

For the person with everything you cannot go past this $183,000 18-karat white gold Girard-Perregaux because it comes with the perfect accessory - a car.

But it's no ordinary car, it's the Pininfarina Hyperion, based on the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe.

The Italian design house built the one-off two-seater for European Rolls-Royce owner and collector, Roland Hall.

The interior was largely unchanged, except for the commissioning of a special watch.

The watch sits proud on the dashboard but can be removed and attached to a bracelet to be worn on the wrist.

Girard-Perregaux personalised one of its sophisticated watches, a white gold Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with gold bridge, especially for the car.

Pininfarina took the regular production Drophead and removed the body, designing and building the sleek Rolls, which is named after Greek mythological Titan, Hyperion.

Hall has decided to dedicate the car to the memory of late Andrea Pininfarina, 51, who died in a motorcycle accident in August.

Although the car has created quite a sensation, the regional director of Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific, Collin Kelly, says there is no chance it might make it into low volume production.

“Our research has not shown there is not enough demand for such a car, Kelly says.

He says Pininfarina had a history of designing exclusive cars, which Rolls-Royce applauded.

“But there is a big difference between this and bringing a new series mode to market, with the high development costs that this implies as a vehicle manufacturer,” he says.

However, Kelly says the company has left the door open to future one-off projects.

“Rolls-Royce can't comment on Pininfarina's work but if we were approached on a similar unique project such as this we would certainly consider the possibility.”

Pininfarina personally designed the car's custom carbon fibre body.

The car made its sensational debut at the recent Pebble Beach Concours in California.

The Hyperion is designed to pay homage to the majestic pre-World War II luxury cars like the Hispano Suiza, with long bonnets and lavish interiors.

To repeat the proportions Pininfarina extended the roof and shortened the rear end, moving the driving position back 400mm and removing the rear seats.

A team of engineers designed a new hood, which folds behind the seats under a wood-lined cover.

In front of the windscreen two compartments were built to house sports equipment, including Hall's hunting rifles.

The bodywork is made of carbon fibre, while the details are applied using a technology adopted in boat building.

The doors are made of solid wood by craftsmen who specialise in luxury boats.

The Hyperion follows the debut of the technologically advanced Pininfarina Sintesi concept car at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

Next month the Italian styling house will unveil an electric car concept, the Ferrari California and the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte at the Paris Motor Show.