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Rolls Royce Wraith: Why Is It The Best Of Them All?
ROLLS ROYCE WRAITH
BLONDES, CIGARS AND THE BEST ROLLS ROYCE OF THEM ALL
Words by Andrea Balti
A few weeks ago – don’t ask me how – at the end of a meeting organized by a well-known Supercars Club, I found myself sitting at a table in the middle of a group of Rolls Royce owners. After having timidly tried to avoid too personal questions, the one sitting at the antipodes asks me – What Rolls do you have? – silence and embarrassment have opened the doors to improvisation. Legitly. I started talking about my second-degree uncle owning an immaculate Corniche for several years, but I soon noticed that among these rather contemporary RR drivers, the youngest one seems hardly satisfied by his 2011 Ghost, besides a horde of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. This is the point, if you have a RR, in 99.9% of the cases you have a more luxurious garage than a penthouse in center Milan, but above all full by the best performing supercars around today, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t have time to put 5,000 km on each clock before getting bored and move on to the next model. It’s all part of a specific lifestyle.
After the first embarrassment and focusing on sympathy, the evening continued with refined food with such long names that the whole article would not be enough to bring back half of the menu, while the after dinner was decidedly more relaxed, by the pool, with a series of cocktails and a few cigars, apparently more expensive than my brand new Audi TTS. In the midst of more or less restrained chatting, comments on wives and/or lovers and the ever-present high-end watches subject, we returned to our beloved Rolls Royce, needless to say the ideal argument to make friends with the one sitting next to you at the lounge. There are even those who own a Phantom and decided to couple it to the gigantic SUV, the Cullinan (which we tested a handful of months ago), but when it comes to real fun, everyone ends up quoting the Wraith. According to every single person in the room, the Wraith is the best Rolls Royce of the last few decades. And this is because all the people present, with the exception of me and the bar waiters, have owned or still own one, even preferring it to more traditional sports cars. At that point, after witnessing a series of pseudo-competitions on who had managed to grab the most exclusive Franck Muller at their wrist, the Wraith really seemed to be the only true meeting point, the only one able to make everyone agree, although hot blondes in their thirties were close, just a few minutes earlier.
Ask one of these people what the Wraith represents and they will answer the same thing. – It is an incomparable experience, the maximum in terms of luxury still wearing a sexy dress. When you start driving it, you don’t want to get off anymore – Exactly, the Wraith is one of the very few models of the luxurious English brand that puts the driver first, although there is still enough space on the back seats to be comfortable and pampered by such exclusive options that you probably wouldn’t miss, a bit like the 1,340-point fiber optic system on the inner surface of the roof, thus creating your own private constellation. What more could you ask for? If something comes to mind, know that Rolls Royce is ready to fulfill your wishes and make your Wraith unique.
And then, thanks to a biturbo 6.6cc V12 and 632 horsepower, the Wraith doesn’t care about weighing 2,300kg and its extra-large dimensions, despite the sloping line and the only two doors make it racy, while maintaining the immense and inevitable grid on the front. Transmitting the beauty of 800Nm on the rear axle through an 8-speed automatic transmission, it can move from 0 to 100 kph in 4.6 seconds and reach 250 per hour, all in the most incredible souplesse guaranteed by a fantastic acoustic isolation of the cabin. As for its media, there is everything that BMW was able to put into one of the most extravagant cockpits you could ever see, with the traditional suicide doors, lots of leather, wood and other embellished details, like the knob of the infotainment, which is made out of crystal.
No half terms here, as in this prestigious and elite millionaire club, the moments spent talking about cars are the best ones to understand what these wealthy clients really are looking for, mainly because outside of these situations will always be buttoned and perfectly diplomatic. So that’s how I decide to take advantage and jump on the opposite side of the barricade, insisting. – But why the Wraith? – Sometimes, the most obvious answer is the correct one and in fact all those who at that moment were not sipping a glass of brandy shut me up like – Because it combines the pleasure of driving, with the elegance of a comfortable coupe suitable for every occasion. And then because it’s a Rolls! – Being a Rolls is really a plus point, it’s not just a fact and I challenge anyone to argue the opposite. Owning a Rolls Royce is not like simply owning any car, which does not only depend on the zeroes that you’ll have to add to your bank transfer. It is not so much if it’s the best sports car – it is not, for this reason everyone here have ordered the new F8 Tributo – or the most comfortable coupe for your St.Tropez – Courchevel run without having to take the chauffeur along. The Wraith is able to maintain the exaggerated luxury of the Phantom and the Ghost, but manages to give a grand tourer dynamism, thanks to ballistic performances that will not really make you want other people’s car. It is the so-called answer to all the questions, the unanimous chorus that brings everyone together, even after too many glass of whiskey. It is the car that you would prefer when you do not have a clear idea of where and how, but you want to make sure you do something in the best way.
ROLLS ROYCE WRAITH
Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine – V12 cylinder 6.592cc – twin-turbo
Transmission – 8-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 632 hp @ 5.600 rpm
800 Nm @ 1.500-5.500 rpm
Weight – 2.360 kg
Acceleration – 4,6 sec.
Top Speed – 250 kph
Price – from € 300.000
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