Sleep well, sweet prince. Your electric successor is coming.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith was already discontinued for the North American market with no more orders available, and now the two-door coupe is ready to bow out of the European market with a final special edition. It's called the Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow Collection, and it will likely be the last gas-powered Rolls-Royce coupe ever built. The Wraith's replacement, the all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre, recently completed more than one million miles of testing before it goes on sale later this year.
Rolls-Royce will only build 12 examples of the Black Badge Black Arrow, each powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine producing 624 horsepower. Having driven the drop top Dawn with this same V12, we can say it's a fantastic engine that will be remembered fondly when Rolls goes fully electric. An exclusive badge under the hood commemorates this as the last-ever V12 Rolls-Royce coupe.
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The Black Arrow comes finished in a bespoke gradient paint scheme that combines two colors: Celebration Silver and Black Diamond. To achieve a “motion blur” between the two hues, the paint contains a glass-infused “Crystal” layer, which is polished for 12 hours to achieve a glass-like finish. Rolls-Royce says the paint mimics the crusted surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Captain George Eyston set a world speed record of 357.497 mph with Thunderbolt, an eight-wheeled car powered by two Rolls-Royce V12 R Series aero engines. This unique look took 18 months to finalize before it reached Rolls-Royce quality standards.
That sleek silver/black paint job is contrasted with Bright Yellow bumper inserts and bespoke yellow wheel pinstripes. This is also the first time Rolls-Royce has painted the V-struts behind the grille, a look that looks odd to see on a Wraith. Finally, there is a yellow ring under the Spirit of Ecstasy with the Collection name written on it.
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Inside, the Wraith Black Arrow debuts a new “Club Leather,” which has a greater sheen and deeper black coloration than other Rolls-Royce leathers. In typical Black Badge fashion, the Black Arrow has bold accents inside, in this case yellow. The front seats are bright yellow, while the rears are black. Unlike some other Black Badge models, which use carbon fiber, this car has open-pore Black Wood on the dash.
There are several nods to the record-breaking Thunderbolt, including the Starlight Headliner, which shows the stars that would have been over the Salt Flats in Utah on September 16, 1938, when the record was set. There's also a reference to the 357.497 mph top speed in the analog clock and a graphic of the V12 engine engraved in the wood.
All 12 cars have already been allocated to customers around the world.
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Keyword: Rolls-Royce Wraith Bows Out With Black Badge Black Arrow Model