Rolls Royce Wraith

There have been plenty of Phantom-based and Ghost-based derivatives, of course.
But the Wraith is a true ground-breaker – not only the most powerful car in Rolls’ history but also the closest thing to a sports car that it has ever attempted to produce.
‘Wraith’ was first used on a Rolls-Royce in 1938, but the company’s cars were making a name for themselves as world-beating racing machines decades earlier.
Founder Charles Rolls won the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in 1906 in a Light Twenty, for instance, and in 1913 Don Carlos de Salamanca won the first ever Spanish Grand Prix in a Silver Ghost. The current Ghost saloon — the car from which the Wraith is effectively adapted — was launched in 2010
Rolls-Royce describes this 624bhp, £230k two-door Wraith as a debonair gentleman’s GT – highly refined, luxurious and exclusive like its stablemates, but more dramatic and exciting than any of them.
In 110 years, there has never been such a thing as ‘just another Rolls-Royce’, but even in that rarefied context, the Wraith promises to be something very special indeed.

The 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith, like any recent vehicle with the Spirit of Ecstasy atop the front, is both brilliant and cavalier. It pampers and delights its owners, while utterly disregarding the well-being of the many cows whose hides grace its interior, the fate of the atmosphere, and the little matter of a buyer's wallet. As always, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.
Everywhere in the cabin, materials are intended to be the finest possible, and they are. Rich, soft leathers, finely crafted woods, and machined metal trim elements are found  throughout the cabin, front and rear. The roof is available with a special fiber-optic light system that mimics a star-filled night sky. If the Wraith doesn't come with a feature you want straight from the factory, you can order it installed. As well you should, for the Wraith's $289,000-and-up pricing.
Outside, from a head-on perspective, the Wraith presents at first glance like any other modern Rolls-Royce. Its tall, upright nose carries a large rectangular grille, flanked by rectangular headlights, and a relatively simple facade otherwise. Step to the side-view, and it gets much more interesting, with a long, gently sloped fastback profile, smooth slab sides, and a bluff, neatly sculpted tail. It almost gives the impression of being compact and sporty until you appreciate its scale: the Wraith is 17 feet, 3 inches long, 4 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs 5,203 pounds.

Powering the Wraith's stately progress is a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine rated at 624 horsepower. The potent engine is capable of accelerating the whole affair to 60 mph in a mere 4.4 seconds, according to Rolls' estimates, and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Further enhancing the Wraith's on-roadcapabilities is an innovative Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses satellite data to scan the road ahead, overlaid with terrain data and other key information to pre-select the ideal gear as you drive.
It promises to make sudden climbs and descents, as well as sharp turns, that much smoother. The satellite-aided unit is a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic. Gas mileage is undisclosed, but the conclusion to be drawn there is: don't ask. It's a heavy car powered by a massively potent engine. The figures won't be colored in anything approaching a shade of green.
A stately ride quality is as much a Rolls-Royce trait as the Spirit of Ecstasy on the car's nose, and it's achieved in the Wraith with an electronically-controlled air suspension. Seating is laid out in four individual positions, with comfort essentially at the maximum possible for a wheeled vehicle.
Crash safety, likewise, is untested, but here, the mass of the Wraith works in its favor, as does Rolls-Royce's very solid construction and inclusion of standard safety equipment like force-limiting seat belts, smart airbags that adjust to occupant size, and the Advanced Crash Management system, which uses sensors within the car to take 2,000 measurements per second, and, in the event of an accident, to deploy the appropriate pre-emptive safety measures.

luxury

Open the coach doors and step into an inviting interior that cocoons you from the outside world.
Every detail has been meticulously designed; from the finest Phantom-grade natural grain leather to the soft wool carpets. But this is a car made for driving. Just one look at the blood orange needle tips for the speedometer and power reserve gauge hints at Wraith's agility, speed and refined power.

craftsmanship

The spacious four-seat interior has been hand-built by skilled craftspeople and technicians. For the first time ever, you can choose to have Canadel Panelling in a beautiful open grain wood, throughout the cabin. The veneer is delicately curved around the contours of the door and each piece is orientated at 55 degrees, then carefully book-matched. This creates a perfect mirror image through the centre line of the car.
Touches like the chrome bullet tips to the recessed piping on the seat panel enhance the sense of a vehicle tailored for performance. Yet this is not at the expense of comfort; as you would expect, umbrellas are included in the door frames. Should you wish to add more glamour, 1,340 fibre optics can be sewn into the headliner to create your very own star-filled sky.

Wraith, the boldest expression of Rolls-Royce yet. The striking fastback silhouette exudes elegance and power. The aerodynamic lines and wide rear track reinforce the promise of athletic prowess and dynamism, which is further accentuated by the prominent shoulders.
The compelling design can be further enhanced by exclusive two-tone paint combinations, which add definition and provide even more opportunity for people to personalise the car to their taste.
Wraith pushes all the boundaries of Rolls-Royce. The vertical grille is deeply recessed to create an air of foreboding, while the twin exhausts are instantly dramatic. Frameless coach doors and the absence of a b-pillar add an elegant touch, and make stepping in and out of Wraith effortless.
Every detail has been considered - even the position of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Sitting further forward on the grille and angled by a few degrees, she has a more determined air to complement the power, style and drama of Wraith.
Wraith is a Rolls-Royce through and through. The classic 2:1 proportions of the wheel to body height remain, as does the long rear overhang, self-righting wheel centres and signature rear-hinged coach doors.
There is also the choice of three new exclusive wheel designs. A 20" seven-spoke design comes as standard, with 21" seven-spoke and five-spoke part polished, bi-colour choices available as an option.
Wraith debuts the most intelligent drivetrain ever to feature in a Rolls-Royce. This is a car that can see into the future.
Satellite Aided Transmission uses GPS data and the navigation system to predict the road ahead. It then automatically chooses the right gear on the eight speed transmission delivering power smoothly without any unnecessary gear changes.
Wireless Car Hotspot keeps you connected when you're on the move, whilst the new Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controller allows you to access music or directions with a simple swipe of a finger. All it takes to zoom in or out is a small pull or pinch movement. To make life even easier, you can scribe letters straight onto the touchpad and voice control has been refined to be even more intuitive, so you can simply say one sentence to call contacts. For added convenience you can also record and send audio notes.
Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Behind the deep set Pantheon grille sits a potent 6.6 litre, twin turbo-charged V12 engine. Delivering 624 bhp with 800 Nm of torque, it powers from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Even with this formidable power, Wraith is every inch a refined Rolls-Royce with electronically controlled air suspension that creates the signature 'magic carpet ride'.

 Rolls-Royce co-founder Sir Henry Royce once said “Take the best that exists and make it better; when it does not exist, design it.” The company took the final portion of that quote as inspiration for the Wraith, noting that nothing like it exists in its lineup. To be sure, a lot of things don’t exist in the Rolls-Royce lineup, and the Phantom coupe already holds the fixed-roof, two-door position. Rolls is instead referring to the Ghost-based Wraith’s fastback styling and its placement as the brand’s sportiest offering.
Chiseled lines flow back from the grille to the A-pillars and up and over the fast greenhouse, setting up the same two-tone body paint split as can be found on the Ghost. The Wraith, however, gets an aggressively raked backlight, the result of two of the longest C-pillars fitted to a road car since perhaps the 1966 Dodge Charger. The rest of the body is Ghost-like, with stately, slabby flanks and plenty of brushed aluminum and stainless-steel trim.