It’s a Dawn of a new model over at Rolls-Royce. Now that we’ve got that pun out of the way, there’s a new Rolls in town. It’s a soft-top convertible, but it is… dare we say it? Sporty …ish. For a Rolls-Royce, anyway.
What the Dawn is, is the convertible sibling of the Wraith. It is 80 per cent new, says the company, but what is identical is the doors and the driveline – it has the same twin-turbo V12 that puts out ‘enough’ horsepower in the form of 555 bhp and a 0-100 kph time of under 5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 kph – you don’t need to go faster when you’ve already arrived in life, obviously – and Rolls says it is the quietest convertible in the world.
The Dawn certainly looks arresting in that dark blue paint and contrasting orange interior, and the silhouette with the top up is surprisingly three-box instead of a fastback, like the Wraith’s. With the top down, it is a surprisingly sporty profile, a combination of the rising beltline, low top of the windshield and the hunkered-down stance helped visually by the gargantuan 21-inch wheels. On the inside, there is the same options list as the Wraith and Ghost, so it should be at least as long as the 4800-word press release. There is also ample room for four adults of generous dimensions, although the company hesitates to admit that the Dawn anything but a two-seater convertible.
Prices haven’t been announced yet (hey, if you’ve got to ask, you probably can’t afford it) but expect it to be exclusive enough. The company hopes to target new buyers, including more women. With sales of super-luxury carmakers down thanks to the Yuan becoming unfavourable and the Chinese government’s crackdown on wanton consumption, the Dawn should help bring the company’s sales up to more respectable standards.
