The Rolls Royce of picnic chests

Gadgetry doesn’t get much better than this Champagne Chest (yes, it’s so regal it comes with capitals) created by the design virtuosos at Rolls Royce Motor Cars.

This is the king of picnic accessories, fitted with all the exacting details and elegance of a Rolls Royce Phantom. Its aerodynamic structure lends it the futuristic finesse that has long since been the cornerstone of this prestige marque. And on this point of artisanal expertise, there is much magic at work: the ‘chassis’ is cast from machined aluminium and carbon fibre while the main components are made of Tudor oak wood and natural black grain leather, signature materials used in the famous cars. Look carefully at the top and you’ll see the embossed emblem of the brand, the winged angel, famously known as The Spirit of Ecstasy.

The product release says it all, and reads: "Should a patron wish to create a bespoke colourway, this would of course be possible", which is elite Rolls Royce code for "we really can do anything". Lovers of the brand will know already that the paint menu at RR Motor Cars counts around 60,000 shades.

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The delightful "widgety" part of the product happens when you touch the release button: slowly and smoothly the top of the chest elevates and the sides stretch out like some kind of sci-fi automaton straight out of a Bond movie. The lid becomes a serving tray while newly revealed side compartments - known as "hammocks" and lined in Hotspur Red Rolls Royce leather - are intended for champagne, caviar or canapés.

Neatly tucked inside the chest, you’ll find four hand-blown crystal champagne flutes arranged to evoke the structure of a V12 engine; each bears the RR Monogram on a polished aluminium base.

The attention to detail is obvious: four cotton napkins are finely embroidered with the RR monogram and two mother-of-pearl spoons with anodised aluminium handles pleasingly click into pace thanks to hidden magnets. There’s also the small matter of the snack vessel which look like a majestic time capsule and also opens thanks to silently slick slow-motion engineering.

This being Rolls Royce Motor Cars - every high-brow snacking detail has been checked off: this includes two thermal caviar "caissons" each accommodating a 30g tin of caviar with matching containers for those all important blinis.

You’ll need at least £37,000 to purchase one of these supreme snacking stations but that’s hardly the point: it’s the wow factor that’s important here and it's this that has been the true driving force behind Rolls-Royce since 1904.