It’s a heavy door. You have to lean against
it. If you don’t, it won’t move. When it does, it swings with a smooth, silent
authority. Opening it is like entering a bank vault. The reward is opulence,
permeated by peace, silence and tranquility. You’re transported to the
ensconced half of a world that’s divided between those inside, and those on the
outside. Entry is for the anointed only.
Wraith
packaged as a gentleman’s coupe version of the Ghost, but with coach doors and
sleeker aesthetics
Welcome then, to Palais Coburg, an
impressive neo-classical building on a ring wall that once formed the outer
perimeter of Vienna. It’s exactly the type of place, or palace, that
Rolls-Royce customers would choose as a home from home; a sanctuary steeped in
royal European history. And yes, fortress-like doors guard this palatial
sanctity where vast luxury suites await the rich. Appropriate then that
Rolls-Royce has chosen Coburg to host the launch of the new Wraith.
It’s a chip off the old block, this car,
and the old block is all impenetrable metal, as we know. The Phantom is
massively big and the Ghost ain’t a whole lot smaller at 5.3m and 2400kg. The
Wraith, in turn, is shaped and packaged as a gentleman’s coupe version of the
Ghost, but with coach doors: twice as thick as Palais Coburg’s, but swinging –
at the push of a button – through extra-wide front-to-rear arcs.
The
Wraith is bedecked in reams of piping, expensive metals, top-notch woods and
soft leathers
It’s pure theatrical drama, of course. Yet,
the real custodian of the Wraith’s coupe character is a long, flat, fast back.
Optically, it pleases the eye’s 3D reality a lot better than a camera’s 2D
receptors. And get this: the shape harbours just the faintest hint of a
secretive soul. The challenge is to grasp its essence before the car slips
away. The Wraith isn’t necessarily sexy or sporty, yet elements of both are
present – plus a touch of the noir. This is a Rolls for younger limbs and
looser attire, then. Its coupe character perfectly suits that brisk transcontinental
jaunt to Nice and Monaco, yet its spirited automotive zest will eagerly embrace
the midnight hours, too.
Built around a steel monocoque body with a
double front bulkhead, also from steel, the Wraith is a mobile bank vault on
wheels. Yet, the car is decked out in true Spirit of Ecstasy opulence sporting
the Royal double-R: refinement and restraint. Rolls has clearly initiated a
move towards the rustic and the cosmic, too, respectively with matte-finished,
open-grained wood inlays – called Canadel paneling (with not a layer of
lacquering in sight) – plus a roof lining called Starlight Headliner, utilising
1,340 little fibre-optic lights to imitate the night sky.
You'll
be dazzled with abundance of comfort and luxury - be it whether you're facing
the screen from the back seat or just meddling with the controls and rotary
knob from the front
The rest is all sumptuously bedecked in
reams of piping, expensive metals, top-notch woods and soft leathers wafting
along on a classic, air-suspended Rolls ride (air springs by Continental,
dampers by Sachs). Settings are slightly firmer than the Ghost’s, but still
yield a magic carpet ride. That’s the Wraith’s soft side, then. The hard metal
punch comes courtesy of a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 pushing 465kW and 800Nm to
the rear wheels via a super-smooth eight-speed ZF self-shifter guided by
satellite navigation to automatically select the right ratio for the roads and
current terrain. Decent steering and surprisingly agile on-road behaviour,
given the car’s bulk, round off a superlative package.
Power is easy and torque arrives like a
tsunami, moving the Wraith around like a match box. For the first time ever,
Rolls has also allowed a growl to permeate the cabin when the V12 gets burned.
The
Wraith's giant doors open suicide-style, as if to flip a diamond-ring-bejeweled
middle finger at vehicular convention
Yet, how to capture and project all of this
visually? Rolls director of design Giles Taylor and I marvel at the Wraith’s
fastback profile, the strength of the tip-to-tip shoulder line and vast
expanses of supporting metal. With small lights – both front and rear – punched
into the full metal jacket, the Wraith is clearly defined by strength, not
jewellery, which leads Giles to this immortal line: ‘Metal is king.’
And yes, it sure is. A Rolls-Royce is
simply the most valuable piece of rolling estate in the world. It’s precious
metal. And in this fast back form, it is automotive gold, codenamed Wraith.
The Wraith will arrive in SA this month,
for a sticker price in the order of $618,000 - $665,000.
