Rolls Royce Dawn Revealed – Take a Bow, Dawn of the Convertible era

Kuala Lumpur: Rolls-Royce has just unveiled its latest soft-top convertible, the Dawn. The company is paying homage to the Silver Dawn - a name applied to 28 vehicles from 1950 to 1954 - with the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible.

The new Dawn inherits its basic design cues from the other cars in the fleet. It also continues to maintain the company’s design principles such as 2:1 wheel height to body height, a long bonnet with a short front overhang, a tapering rear graphic and a high shoulder line. Rolls-Royce says that 80 percent of the body panels on the soft-top are all new.

According to the Rolls-Royce Dawn's design director Giles Taylor for whom the car represents a milestone, said, “Dawn is very much a product of a process I believe in passionately which involves not just picturing customers, not even just imagining their lifestyles, but conjuring a moment in their lives, be it on the Riviera, the Amalfi coast, Rome even. We try to construct a vivid, cinematic impression of those moments and then imagine our cars in the middle of them. We are unashamed romantics, and the Dawn in an unashamedly romantic car.”

(Also Read:  Excerpts from an interview held with Rolls-Royce Dawn design Director – Giles Taylor at the end of this article)

In addition to being absurdly expensive, Rolls-Royce automobiles are absurdly quick, and the Dawn is no exception. Under the hood, there's a Rolls-Royce trademark 6.6-liter V-12 good for 563 horsepower at 5250 rpm and 779 Nm at 1500 rpm, which is enough to propel this 50,644-pound beast from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds. Combined fuel economy in the city and highway is 19.9 miles per gallon and CO2 emissions are 330 g/km. An eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox drives the rear wheels, which links with the sat-nav to automatically pre-select the next appropriate gear.

The beefy dimensions of 5285mm length, 1947mm width, 1502mm height with a wheelbase of 3112 mm are also a contributing factor to the Dawn. The four seats on the Dawn, which are hand-stitched in Mandarin leather, provide ample room even at the rear, despite the folding top. The Dawn offers the same 36.9 inches of rear leg room available in the Wraith. Even more, Rolls-Royce has used open-pore wood on the deck surrounding the rear seats.

In the cabin, the Dawn is equipped with all the accoutrements you might expect of an ultra-luxury vehicle, including a touchpad with character recognition for text entry into the navigation system (basically an iDrive controller), heads-up display, and dynamic cruise control. The Dawn will also feature Rolls-Royce’s bespoke 16-speaker audio system.

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“With the hood up the Dawn displays an even more seductive side to its personality.”

Rolls-Royce claims that the Dawn is the quietest soft-top available right now thanks to the French Seam that ensures that the air flow over the roof doesn’t make too much noise. According to Rolls-Royce, the top, which opens in 21 seconds, can be operated when driving at speeds up to 30kmph.

“Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date, and begins a new age of open-top, super-luxury motoring. Dawn is a beautiful new motor car that offers the most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world. It will be the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world’s most exclusive social hotspots.,” said Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, the chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Interview Excerpts with Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce Design Director

Is this a Rolls to drive or be driven in? “To drive. It’s modern, has cool values and a real sexiness. It’s a seminal moment for us, putting a car to the world that celebrates La Dolce Vita.”

Has the Wraith attracted new customers? “Yes. People are taking it seriously as a young person’s car. The average buyer age has come down to 45. People no longer see us as stiff and formal. I have no sense of restraint in trying to keep the brand as a certain something; I’m curating it to the buyers and responding to the market.”

Will this less formal look be reflected across the range? “The Phantom has to have gravitas. But the greater flow of this design, the more relaxed look is something we’ll look to do more of. The new front end is a contemporary expression of a Rolls-Royce. We’re lowering the formality.”