By: BRANDON RANDALL
The Rolls-Royce Wraith answers the question, ‘if you had limitless funds, what could your money really buy?’ This car delivered on what you would expect from a Rolls-Royce, and then delivered more and more with every moment you spent with it.
It’s wrapped in opulence and incredibly refined— but the astonishing, turbo-charged V12 still delivers incredible power and acceleration at a moment’s notice. It’s this strange juxtaposition of performance combined with so much luxury and beauty inside and out that makes this car so fascinating. In true Rolls Royce fashion, every detail is obsessively meticulous as every square inch commands your attention to the smallest of features.
The car compels you to sit still and look around once nestled inside. With every feature your eye falls on you appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail more and more. From the finest natural grade leather, breathtaking open grain wood paneling with meticulously matched seams and plush wool carpets— this car feels like a perfectly tailored suit that should only be worn on the most special of occasions.
A favorite feature had to have been the individually cut and angled 1,340 LED lights fill the roof liner to create the effect of a star filled night sky overhead. For those seeking a truly customized constellation in their Wraith, you can give Rolls Royce a specific date and location and they will replicate that evenings star-cluster with a price tag of 20k.
The list goes on and on. Still, with all of its rich heritage and prestige as a luxury vehicle, Rolls-Royce has deeply set roots in auto racing. The Wraith is happy to remind you of it when driven aggressively. It’s fast. For a car of its size and weight it’s even fairly agile.
Any power is delivered in the most refined and put together way. There’s no punishingly stiff suspension or overly-eager gearbox. A new feature that is being introduced in the Wraith is the Satellite Aided Transmission. The “technology uses GPS mapping data to ensure the correct gear is always pre-selected for the road terrain ahead,” said Rolls-Royce in a statement.
The power comes on smooth and even across a flat power band. It’ll push you way back into your soft leather seat, 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds, but it’ll do it in the nicest way possible. It might not set any records on a racetrack, but as a highway cruiser and car about town, there isn’t much better money can buy. The car was immediately surprising, but the more time you spend with it the more surprised you became.
Cost as tested: $332,500 USD
(Check-back often for Brandon Randall’s auto column ‘Stick Shift’)
