There are special events that only come around every so often; a blue moon, winning a raffle, perhaps consistent weather in Melbourne. But in this case, it’s the arrival of the brand new Rolls Royce model. This month luxury motoring enthusiasts were treated to the unveiling of a drophead convertible known as the ‘Dawn’.
Similar to the Wraith, a fastback coupé released two years ago, the Dawn is a drop-top sporting some stunning new body work and new technological innovations. Hand built in the heart of the English countryside, Director of Design Giles Taylor wanted to create a car that was luxurious, but also reflected the evolution of the Rolls Royce brand.
‘We design without compromise, and this uncompromising approach brings new challenges with each new motor car…in the case of the Rolls Royce Dawn, we have designed it from the road up to deliver a striking, seductive encounter’ he said.
And what a sexy looking model it is. 80% of the exterior body panels were redesigned to encapsulate contemporary, super-luxury drophead architecture.
The Dawn is futuristic when compared to the Ghost, Phantom and Wraith models. However the name is actually homage to the original Silver Dawn that Rolls Royce first made in the early 1950’s.
One of the most interesting features of the new model is its innovative new roof. Engineers at Rolls Royce were faced with the challenge of creating the quietest convertible on the market today without compromising on aesthetics. The canopy’s tailored ‘French seam’ keeps all of the stitching in the car’s interior while allowing air to flow over it with no noticeable wind noise.
If the Dawn itself (or its $300K price tag) doesn’t get your heart racing, then its lightning fast engine certainly will. This 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 bad boy produces 780Nm of torque, enough to propel the nearly 6MT Dawn to 100km/h in a mere 4.9 seconds. It also boasts a satellite aided transmission, that uses GPS to sense changes in the road like hills or corners and adjusts the 8-speed ZF gearbox accordingly.
The interior is, quite simply, magnificent. From the open pore canadel paneling, the night time heat detection system to the butter soft leather interior, living in this car wouldn’t be so bad, particularly since it costs as much as a 3 bedroom home.
While arguably out of most buyers reach, if you do get a chance to drive one, let us know if you feel the ‘erotic tingle’ the Dawn is said to inspire.
