Wraith to lift Rolls-Royce in Australia

ROLLS ROYCE’S Australian expansion plans get a shot in the arm this month with the arrival of the two-door Wraith before expected customer deliveries later this year.

As reported in March, pricing for the hyper-luxury coupe will mimic that of the four-door Ghost on which it is based, kicking off from $645,000, drive-away.

One of the Wraith’s key rivals, the 6.0-litre W12 Bentley Continental GT W12, starts from $408,870, almost $270,000 less than the Rolls. For the same price as the Wraith, buyers could buy a Continental GT and a base-model Audi R8 sports car.

The two-tone black and silver Wraith shares a platform with not only its four-door Ghost sibling, but German parent company BMW’s 7 Series luxury saloon.

Rolls-Royce calls the Wraith the “boldest, most dramatic and powerful Rolls-Royce that has played host to the famous Spirit of Ecstasy figurine” Powering comes from a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 matched with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, producing a massive 465kW of power and maximum torque of 800Nm between 1500-5500 rpm.

This is enough power to propel the 2360kg coupe from a standing start to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. This figure is identical to the W12 Continental GT and edges out the Ghost which can sprint to 100km/h in a very respectable 4.9 seconds.

Official fuel consumption for the rear-wheel drive Wraith is 14.0 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle.

At 5268mm long, the Wraith is 132mm shorter than the Ghost and despite maintaining the same front-end styling as its donor car, carries a sleeker, fastback-like shape from the A-pillar back.

The Wraith’s wide rear track, shorter wheelbase and lower roof height than the Ghost gives it a lower-slung appearance than the four-door sedan and huge 21-inch alloy wheels give the impression of a performance oriented offering.

Rolls-Royce has tuned the Wraith’s suspension to minimise bodyroll, but retained “waftability” (Rolls-Royce’s word), while steering weight adjusts with speed.

Rolls-Royce has upped the technology by including a smartphone-like mulitimedia screen that can be pinched or swiped like a phone, while drivers can use their hands to draw letters on a touch-pad to search rather than scrolling through menus on the screen.

A new intelligent voice control system can write and send emails and text messages as you drive and can accept spoken navigation directions.

Further enhancing the tech credentials of the Wraith is the addition of ‘Satellite Aided Transmission’ which uses GPS data to automatically select the correct gear for the road ahead at junctions and roundabouts.

General manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Asia Pacific Dan Balmer said he expects local buyers of the Wraith to take advantage of Rolls’ bespoke customisation options.

“Wraith is not only an exceptional car, but also the first product launched for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars where the Bespoke programme will be immediately available”, he said.

“In a market like Australia, we see this being particularly attractive due to a strong demand for highly personalised motor cars. For example, Sydney has the highest uptake of Bespoke for our Ghost family cars in the region.” As to be expected with a Rolls-Royce badged vehicle, the Wraith’s cabin is pure indulgent luxury, with swathes of “Phantom-grade” leather and a wood called Canadel Panelling, named after “the famous cove in the South of France where Sir Henry Royce and his design and engineering teams spent their winters”.

As well as sharing similar rearward-opening coach doors to its more expensive Phantom coupe stable-mate, the Wraith features 1340 fibre optic lamps that light up the cabin roof for a “starry night” effect.

Rolls’ decision to revive the Wraith nameplate after a 33-year absence was announced in January this year and after releasing a series of teaser images, the British marque finally revealed the vehicle in the flesh at the Geneva motor show in March.