This unusual looking fella used to be a Rolls-Royce Wraith but has had a full redesign by Dutch coachbuilder Niels van Roij. It’s called the Rolls-Royce Silver Spectre. A Bond-esque name, but he car itself is…well, it’s fair to say it’s a polarising design.
Seven of these will be built for an ‘if you must ask… sort of price. A standard Wraith costs £250,000. You can make your own guess about how much Niels van Roij Design will charge for one of these, but here’s what the man himself has to say about it:
“With this dramatically styled vehicle we subtly link back to the hay days of shooting brakes in the 1930s, whilst embedding the iconic, soft and creamy visual cues from classic British automotive icons – all without being constrained by these motorcars in the execution of the modern styling.
“The outcome is not only a highly original design, but also a historically relevant car. The new bodywork springs from the base of the A-pillar and stretches all the way towards the tailgate. Silver Spectre Shooting Brake boasts breath-taking, athletic proportions, a delicate, silky smooth skin and sophisticated, purposeful details. The coac built motor vehicle is a startling and authentic design statement, engineered methodically and constructed entirely by hand.”
It retains the two-door layout of the Wraith but of course adds a significant amount of practicality by way of an extended roofline and new tailgate. The boot actually looks relatively small by volume, and the wheelbase itself isn’t extended, but the luggage floor does at least look long enough for a couple of golf stick bags.
This is less about the outright space and more about the showiness, though, with the tailgate opening up to reveal padded leather sidewalls, like the most opulent prison isolation chamber ever.
“We envisioned a daring, three-box rather than two-box shooting brake aesthetic and with that a convention-challenging design. The car features very English proportions inside and out, and uncompromised levels of luxury,” enthuses van Roij.
“Starting at the front the richly sculpted lines lusciously sweep backwards. The roof has been hand-made out of one the largest singular pieces of ultra-strong and light carbon fibre composite.
“One of the first benefits of the carbon fibre roof to the design of Silver Spectre Shooting Brake was the ability to conceive the unique roofline silhouette, giving Silver Spectre Shooting Brake an immediate sense of occasion and pedigree. The elongated lines signal master craftsmanship and exquisite style. A manifestation of grand touring in its purest form.”
As a bonus, if you buy one of these it’ll have a little more power than a standard Wraith, up from 632bhp to 700bhp. Torque from the 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine is 900Nm. We’re not given any performance figures, but the extra weight probably means that the Silver Spectre is no quicker than a standard Wraith, which goes to 62mph in 4.5 seconds.
Keyword: Rolls-Royce Wraith shooting brake: ultimate Rolls-Royce estate or aftermarket horror show?