We have some tough news for you. You’re going to have to change your plans.
Rolls Royce has canceled both its Wraith Coupe ($343,350) and Dawn Convertible ($368,850). You’re left with only the Ghost ($314,400), Cullinan ($335,350), and Phantom ($463,350) to choose from. We’re sorry.
Remembering the departed, the Wraith is a 2-door car (doors hinged at the rear) with the same wheelbase as a 3-row Ford Expedition SUV. It weighs only 63 pounds less. Everything is just grander for the super-rich.
It defies the laws of physics, though, sprinting to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, thanks to a ludicrous twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 producing 624 horsepower. Its 8-speed automatic transmission uses GPS to determine when to shift, for reasons we’re not wealthy enough to be privy to.
It doesn’t handle like a sports car, but that’s not its job. This is a grand tourer in the classic sense. It moves gracefully, but it owns the road and is unfamiliar with the anxiety required to corner quickly. Potholes, presumably, move aside for it.
Like every Rolls, its interior is covered in acres of leather. Leather from bulls, as Rolls says female cattle are more prone to getting stretch marks. Leather from bulls raised in the mountains of Scandinavia, where it’s too cold for mosquitoes that might do microscopic damage that would make the hides unacceptable to the tastes of those who buy … excuse us … commission a Rolls Royce car … pardon us … motor car.
And, like every Rolls, you could commission your Wraith in almost any style that struck your fancy. Three-tone paint job, including two colors never before used on a Rolls? Sure. They can do that. Teal-dyed sheepskin floormats? Done. Hand-finished purple Amaranth wood trim? Of course.
The Dawn is essentially a Wraith convertible – the largest convertible in production. It’s mechanically similar to its sibling but features what has to be the most complex convertible roof ever designed. Hand-built, with hydraulic power rather than electric motors, it opens and closes in utter silence. The 6-layer construction seals out the outside world’s noise when up. It’s so good that Rolls claims the Dawn is actually quieter than the hardtop Wraith.
Oh, you would prefer not to see the roof when retracted? For roughly the cost of a Ford Mustang, it tucks beneath a hand-shaped leather tonneau cover … forgive us … aero cowling.
May they rest in opulent peace.
Rolls Royce says neither the Wraith nor the Dawn will have replacements in the U.S. We know you were in the market. Our sympathies are with you all. We realize a Bentley Continental GT may not have quite the same exclusivity to it, but these are trying times. Bentley’s bespoke Mulliner experience does allow you to work personally with the team building your car to design an utterly unique example for your collection, if that brings you any solace.
