Details of Cars

Rolls-Royce Dawn: the convertible built on the Ghost platform

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Rolls-Royce Dawn at Geneva 2018
Rolls-Royce Dawn at the Geneva Motor Show 2018. Photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Rolls-Royce Dawn is a convertible luxury grand tourer made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It was announced at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show and built to replace the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé.

Rolls-Royce Dawn at a glance

Rolls-Royce Dawn key facts
Maker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Announced 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show
Replaced Phantom Drophead Coupé
Platform Rolls-Royce Ghost (the Drophead was on the Phantom VII)
Weight 2,560 kg (5,644 lb)
0–100 km/h 4.9 seconds
Top speed 250 km/h (155 mph), limited
Wheels 20 inch, polished
New panels 80% compared with the Wraith
Designer Andreas Thurner
Status the last open-top combustion Rolls-Royce

English Wikipedia is the only source used here; the page gives no engine details and the figures are the maker’s.

History of the Rolls-Royce Dawn

Overview and design

Rolls-Royce Dawn at Retro Classics
Rolls-Royce Dawn at Retro Classics 2018. Photo by Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Dawn was built on the platform of the Ghost, unlike the earlier Drophead, which was based on the seventh-generation Phantom. It is the last open-top combustion-engined car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and the Spectre is confirmed to replace the Wraith coupé while the Dawn’s own replacement has yet to be announced. Rolls-Royce says 80% of its body panels are new compared with the Wraith. The front grille is recessed compared with the Wraith, the front bumper is 53 mm longer and the car has 20-inch polished wheels. Andreas Thurner designed it together with the Ghost Series II and the Wraith.

Editions

The Black Badge Dawn is a performance-oriented edition with black exterior details, including the Spirit of Ecstasy, a new rim system, carbon-fibre applications and black leather. The Landspeed Edition, unveiled online with the Wraith Landspeed in June 2021, is a limited Black Badge edition honouring Captain George E. T. Eyston, with yellow exterior parts and his decorations on the interior. The Silver Bullet is a special edition inspired by the roadsters of the 1920s.

Design and features

  • Platform: the Ghost, not the Phantom.
  • Roof: a fabric convertible top.
  • Black Badge: darker, sportier edition.

Rolls-Royce Dawn versions

  • Dawn (2015).
  • Black Badge.
  • Landspeed and Silver Bullet editions.

More Rolls-Royce cars are in our Rolls-Royce collection and more supercars in Exotic Cars.

Sources

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