It might be the day before press day at the Geneva Motor Show, but some of the show’s biggest cars are appearing online already.
First up was the 911 GT3, then the Lamborghini Veneno, and now this: the Rolls-Royce Wraith. And with a 624hp, 590lb ft V12 that’ll allow it to accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds, it’ll be the most powerful car the company has ever built.
It's a big car and there's a big buzz around it
That engine will be matched to the ubiquitous
ZF eight-speed gearbox
, which will use GPS mapping to aid it in its job. Whuh? That’s right – the gearbox will actually work out where you are, correlate that with your driving style, and work out the optimum gear for the road ahead, allowing it to pre-select that gear before you’ve even arrived at that section of road. Blimey.
Underneath, the floorpan’s derived from the Ghost saloon, but Rolls is quick to point out that the Wraith features stiffer suspension to make this a more driver-focussed car than the Ghost. To that end, the steering weighting has also been changed to make it heavier at high speeds, and lighter when driving more slowly.
The most notable feature of the Wraith, though will be its styling. That fastback body’s set to divide opinion, but Rolls Royce is hoping it conveys a combination of speed, power and agility. Interestingly, it seems the company will also be encouraging its customers to buy the Wraith in a two-tone colour scheme, as seen here.
Swing open those enormous suicide doors, and you’ll find there’s just as much opulence as you’d expect inside. Leather trim taken from the Phantom and wood panelling that’s inspired by materials more usually at home on superyachts will dominate, while the rather bling ‘Starlight’ headlining that debuted on the Phantom is also available, should you be that way inclined.
The Wraith will hit these shores in Autumn, with prices starting from around £215,000.
