Photo: Automedia
Should you fancy enriching your Rolls-Royce experience with a little bit of what the elements have to offer, you are in luck - the British automotive producer is currently testing the open-top version of the Wraith. To use Rolls-Royce language, this will be the Wraith Drophead Coupe.
Before we start getting into the details of the heavily camouflaged prototype we see here, we’d like to bring you a little reminder. Much like the senior proposal in RR’s line-up, the Phantom, the Ghost also gets its two-door derivatives. Rolls-Royce has already given us the Ghost, Ghost long wheelbase and the Wraith coupe, so the only missing part in this elegant puzzle is the Wraith Drophead Coupe.
The main visual change will take place precisely in the are where the Wraith uses a special approach, the roofline. While the Wraith comes with a fastback line, the open-top version is set to bring its own visual charms.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith Drophead Coupe appears to use a decklid element that brings a more classic look. Then again, it is only normal for the decklid to be at the same height with the rear wings, so that the rear visbility is not affected.
The big question here is if Rolls-Royce has any special plans for the canvas roof. During our Wraith review, we were a bit disappointed by the panoramic roof - the headliner was a tad noisy in operation and the fit and finish underneath, which is visible from the cabin, wasn’t quite top class. Still, we are expecting nothing short of perfect thermal and aural isolation from the Wraith Drophead Coupe’s canvas top.
Since we started comparing the Wraith and its Drophead Coupe sibling, we have to explain we see the latter as much more desirable. Once again, we weren’t exactly pleased with the Wraith’s behavior and we are referring to the massive bofy rolls here. Rolls-Royce itself talks quite a lot about the sporty nature of the coupe, but, due to the aforementioned roll, this isn’t quite there. The same roll was present on the Ghost and it was totally acceptable, since that was a luxury sedan marketed as... a luxury sedan. In this respect, a Drophead Coupe has less sporting ambitions than the Wraith, so it should make for a more accurate keeping of its promises.
As for the technical side, the Wraith is not a light car by any standards - 5,200 lbs or 2,360 kg. Thus, we shouldn’t worry about the extra weight that will be brought by the usual chassis stiffening measures.
Under the hood, we shall receive the same 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 unit as that on the Wraith. We’ll remind you that, compared to the Ghost, the engine was tweaked in search for extra power and a small toque premium. The unit now delivers 624 hp (632 PS) at 5,600 rpm, with a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), arriving between 1,500 and 5,500 rpm. That will be sufficient to provide elegantly quick progress towards the 155 mph (250 km/h) Rolls-Royce obeys.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith Drophead Coupe should come to the world in Spring 2015, probably at the Geneva Motor Show. This will be one flower that can bring spring.
The main visual change will take place precisely in the are where the Wraith uses a special approach, the roofline. While the Wraith comes with a fastback line, the open-top version is set to bring its own visual charms.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith Drophead Coupe appears to use a decklid element that brings a more classic look. Then again, it is only normal for the decklid to be at the same height with the rear wings, so that the rear visbility is not affected.
The big question here is if Rolls-Royce has any special plans for the canvas roof. During our Wraith review, we were a bit disappointed by the panoramic roof - the headliner was a tad noisy in operation and the fit and finish underneath, which is visible from the cabin, wasn’t quite top class. Still, we are expecting nothing short of perfect thermal and aural isolation from the Wraith Drophead Coupe’s canvas top.
Since we started comparing the Wraith and its Drophead Coupe sibling, we have to explain we see the latter as much more desirable. Once again, we weren’t exactly pleased with the Wraith’s behavior and we are referring to the massive bofy rolls here. Rolls-Royce itself talks quite a lot about the sporty nature of the coupe, but, due to the aforementioned roll, this isn’t quite there. The same roll was present on the Ghost and it was totally acceptable, since that was a luxury sedan marketed as... a luxury sedan. In this respect, a Drophead Coupe has less sporting ambitions than the Wraith, so it should make for a more accurate keeping of its promises.
As for the technical side, the Wraith is not a light car by any standards - 5,200 lbs or 2,360 kg. Thus, we shouldn’t worry about the extra weight that will be brought by the usual chassis stiffening measures.
Under the hood, we shall receive the same 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 unit as that on the Wraith. We’ll remind you that, compared to the Ghost, the engine was tweaked in search for extra power and a small toque premium. The unit now delivers 624 hp (632 PS) at 5,600 rpm, with a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), arriving between 1,500 and 5,500 rpm. That will be sufficient to provide elegantly quick progress towards the 155 mph (250 km/h) Rolls-Royce obeys.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith Drophead Coupe should come to the world in Spring 2015, probably at the Geneva Motor Show. This will be one flower that can bring spring.
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