Rolls-Royce announced the name of the upcoming convertible version of the Wraith today, and in what was perhaps not a surprise at all, the company chose to resurrect a historic name. The Rolls-Royce Dawn will go on sale during the first quarter of 2016 and will use the same platform as the Wraith coupe.
"Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date," said Torsten Muller-Otvos, Rolls-Royce chief executive officer. "Dawn is a beautiful new open-top motorcar with a name that suggests the fresh opportunities that every new day holds -- an awakening, an opening up of one’s senses and a burst of sunshine."
A convertible version of the Wraith has been discussed since before the debut of the Wraith itself in 2013, with the company hinting at the addition of another drop-top model to complement the Phantom Drophead Coupe. Prototypes have already been spotted undergoing testing this year, with the Dawn expected to use the turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 from the Wraith, good for 624 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque in the coupe.
PHOTO BY ROLLS-ROYCE
The name Dawn itself was first used by the company in 1949, but was applied very sparingly, as only 28 examples of dropheads were completed between 1950 and 1954. You may better recall the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn sedan which was in production between 1949 and 1955, sharing its chassis and body with the Bentley Mark VI. The Silver Dawn was the first shared model between the two companies with Vickers later reviving that nameplate for a Silver Spirit-based sedan in the mid-1990s, just before the debut of the Silver Seraph-based Corniche cabriolet in 2000.
Even though Rolls-Royce shared the news during a dealer convention in Los Angeles -- that's where a big chunk of the potential buyers are located -- the company shared a photo of one of the original Dawn convertibles at its home in Goodwood.
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