Rolls-Royce had previously unveiled its Black Badge range, which was aimed at younger buyers by offering cars that possessed a more assertive, confident and powerful attitude. The Wraith and Ghost were the first two models to undergo the Black Badge transformation, and now, the company is adding the drop-top Dawn to the line-up.
As you can tell from Rolls-Royce’s social media page activity recently, the Dawn Black Badge is all about being as edgy as possible, and it has plenty of design cues to suit such a persona. Like its other Black Badge siblings, the Dawn’s body is finished in a deeply intense shade of black through a labour-intensive process of painting and polishing numerous layers.
Accompanying the black-painted body is a black canvas roof, which “opens in a ‘Silent Ballet’ to allow in the sounds of the night,” along with a rear deck that is finished in black leather. This emphasis on the dark shade extends to the front grille surround, boot lid finisher, exhaust pipes and air inlet finisher.
Finishing touches sees The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot receiving a high-gloss black finish, and the ‘Double R’ signifiers on the Rolls-Royce badges are inverted in colour to reflect the Black Badge as the alter-ego of the marque.
Moving inside, Rolls-Royce’s trademark craftsmanship can be seen on the dashboard, where threads of aircraft grade aluminium (0.014 m in diameter), are woven together and then bonded in carbon-fibre. Various surfaces also receive six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours, and hand-polished to produce its eye-catching finish.
The design philosophy of the exterior is reflected here as well, with an abundance of black leather applied sparingly, albeit with a few Mandarin highlights. As a homage to one of Rolls-Royce’s pioneer patrons, Sir Malcolm Campbell, the numerous speed record holder’s ‘Infinity’ logo is embroidered into the car’s rear waterfall to mark his restless spirit that defines the Black Badge attitude.
It isn’t just visual splendors either, as Rolls-Royce has tweaked the Dawn’s 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 to make an additional 30 hp (30 bhp) for a grand total of 601 hp (593 bhp). There’s also 20 Nm more torque as well, amounting to 840 Nm.
The carmaker also remapped the car’s shifting and throttle strategy to promote a more engaging ride, while beefing up the brake system with larger discs, a quicker steering rack and revising the suspension settings. A new exhaust system, engaged by pressing the ‘low’ button, “celebrates Rolls-Royce’s hallmark V12 engine with a menacing bass baritone, announcing its arrival with authority rather than hysteria.”
Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? If you’re interested, and are blessed with a well-stocked bank account, you can commission Rolls-Royce to build you your very own Dawn Black Badge as the order books are now open.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Yeah, it’s for younger patrons with DEEP POCKET.
Nope, money is kept in cards
And still stuck in the gothic phase of their lives.
Correctly stated.
Youngsters tend to like ‘cool’ things in black.
For me, I prefer lots of chrome outside and bright interior, as does my wife.
for my son