Rolls-Royce Dawn makes its Kiwi debut

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

Dawn has broken cover in New Zealand. But it'll be gone before you know it.

Rolls-Royce's new four-seat convertible, the Dawn, was unveiled to media this week in Auckland. There's just a single car in the country, a pre-production display model that's a look-but-don't-drive proposition. It's being used for a number of media and customer functions before being shipped to Singapore. Customer deliveries of Dawn don't start until the second quarter of the year and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NZ expects to have its first example in May.

Rolls-Royce Dawn shares platform (and coach doors) with Wraith coupe.

As is always the case with Royce, Dawn will be a rarity: allocation for NZ is just three cars for 2016, including one demonstrator. There's no such thing as a retail price for this marque's models, most of which have bespoke features, but an indicative starting price is $669,000.

The launch car pictured here is finished in Andalusian white and silver two-tone, with a silver hood, Tan/Hot Spur interior and Canadel Open Pore Rosewood. Bespoke features include 21-inch wheels, Night Vision system, massage seats and an illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy on the grille. An similar example for a customer would cost about $800,000.

Virtually every Rolls-Royce sold carries elements from the Bespoke division.

Dawn roof can be lowered at up to 50kmh - in near-silence.

* New Rolls-Royce Dawn sails into Sydney

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* Lapping up the luxury of the Rolls-Royce Ghost II**

Dawn could reasonably be described as Rolls-Royce's entry-level convertible. Unveiled globally late last year, it's also the maker's first new drop-top for eight years: the even more opulent Phantom Drophead, launched in 2007, continues at the top of the range.

Dawn is ostensibly based on the Wraith coupe, which is in turn based on parent company BMW's 7-series luxury sedan. However. Rolls-Royce has been keen to distance Dawn from Wraith: the only body panels shared between the two are the distinctive rear-hinged 'coach' doors and even the tyres have been specially developed for Dawn.

The Dawn maintains the classic Royce 2:1 wheel height to body ratio. At the front, the grille is recessed 45mm compared with Wraith, while the lower bumper has been extended by 53mm.

The language used by Rolls-Royce is also a little different to its other models. The media material describes the car as 'sexy' and likens the roof-raised profile to that of a 'hot rod'.

Underneath, the Dawn and Wraith share the same platform and 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 powerplant. The engine makes 420kW/780Nm and drives through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The suspension calibration is unique to Dawn, while the rear track is 24mm wider than the Ghost sedan (which shares its architecture with both Dawn and Wraith).

A key feature of Dawn is the 'silent ballet' of the folding fabric roof, which can be folded in 22 seconds at speeds of up to 50kmh. In order to achieve its goal of making the world's quiest convertible, much of the hydraulic mechanism for the powered roof has been positioned low-down in the car, out of earshot. As a result, the roof lowers and rises in virtual silence.

A number of design elements in the fabric roof contribute to Dawn's refinement in motion. The surface is smooth when raised thanks to the use of a tailored 'French seam' similar to that used in clothing. Rolls-Royce claims the Dawn is just as quiet as the fixed-roof Wraith on the road.

The Dawn is intended to be a full four-seater, with generous legroom in the rear and a 'waterfall' panel of Canadel Rosewood between the rear chairs.

The new Dawn is partly inspired by the 1952 Silver Dawn, which was Rolls-Royce's first model to be offered with a factory-built body - although many examples were still delivered with coachbuilt elements. The Silver Dawn remains a rare model: just 28 drophead models were produced between 1950-54.

In a global sense, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars had its second-highest-ever sales year in 2015. A total of 3785 cars were commissioned by customers (Rolls-Royce does not 'sell' motor cars).

Record sales were reported in Asia Pacific (up 13 per cent), the Middle East (four per cent) and North America (six per cent). However, there was big trouble in China for luxury brands and Royce sales dropped 54 per cent compared with 2014.

The global dealership network is now 130. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi was the top dealership for the third consecutive year.

The company's Bespoke division continues to be crucial. Nearly every Phantom, Ghost and Wraith sold in 2015 contained specially commissioned Bespoke elements. The company also created a number of Bespoke Collections – including Wraith Inspired by Film, Fashion & Music, Phantom Nighthawk and Limelight and the one-off Phantom Serenity.

Rolls-Royce also employed 100 additional people at its Goodwood centre in 2015. The total workforce is now 1600 people; just 350 that worked to create the first new-generation Phantom in 2003.