2014 Rolls-royce Wraith on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Rolls-Royce Wraith looks rad in red [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post called this car the "St. James Edition," which is incorrect. It's not a full-on special edition, rather a bespoke color. And an awesome one, at that. Of all the cars that would look right in red, and of all the colors you could specify for a new Rolls-Royce, ordering up a bright scarlet Wraith might not seem like the first choice to many. Fortunately there are plenty of other options available in the Rolls-Royce catalog. But for those who disagree, the British luxury automaker offers St. James Red, the bespoke color seen here. The color is offset by chrome brightwork on the grille, window frames, and door handles. The wheels are done up in a two-tone silver and gloss black, while the interior is swathed in what we're sure is only the softest, most supple black leather known to man. Of course, since it's a Wraith, there's power to match that racy exterior. This coupe is, after all, the most powerful vehicle Rolls-Royce has ever offered, packing a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 with 624 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, propelling over 5,000 pounds of luxury to 60 in a scant 4.4 seconds. More than adequate, indeed. If there was ever a Rolls that could get away with the bright red approach, surely it's the Wraith.

Navigating the road time forgot in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan glides evenly over the rutted single-lane dirt road, barely unsettling its passengers. Nobody is speaking in the lush cabin, not even my normally chatty 7-year-old.  All eyes are turned to the Delaware River gliding by, a dozen feet away, through a skim of skeletal hardwood trees. There’s no sign of humanity or habitation. ItÂ’s almost a scene in a movie. The Last of the Mohicans, perhaps.  Today we are exploring the Old Mine Road, and it is making us think of ghosts. Its 104 miles of asphalt and dirt make up one of the oldest continuously-used roads in America, stretching from New YorkÂ’s Catskills to the Pennsylvania Delaware Water Gap. The Lenape are thought to have first threaded a path here in the 1300s.  It is also a pathway wending its way through the NortheastÂ’s violent history, from bloody skirmishes between the original Native American inhabitants and European settlers to the Americans and Brits in the Revolutionary War. Little wonder that out here in the quiet, that history — and those ghosts — feel close. Amazingly, the 40-mile section in New Jersey that follows the eastern banks of the Delaware looks much like it did a hundred years ago. There are million-dollar views, but as part of the Delaware recreation area, no development is allowed.  Instead of the gated McMansions youÂ’d expect less than 1.5 hours from New York City, we are greeted by silent forest and twin lanes of bumpy or shattered asphalt. ThereÂ’s a section of dirt and gravel, narrowing to a single lane. Easy to imagine hundreds of years of horses and mules stamping down the thin path.  It is early spring and like everyone else, we have cabin fever. My wife, son and mother-in-law are sheltering-in-place at our country house in the Poconos. America is locked into a struggle with an invisible enemy. It seems a good time to get some historical perspective. If our ancestors lived and endured under harsh conditions, so can we.  There is nothing inherently unsafe or socially unacceptable about taking a short road trip on a virtually unused road, so we pack a lunch of cold pizza and snacks, and pile into the leather-bound, environmentally-controlled cocoon of the Rolls. We make our way to Kingston, N.Y., where the road begins. IÂ’m finally going to drive the entirety of the Old Mine Road.   Our Barney-purple Cullinan is a rolling sanctuary, a movable fortress of social isolation.

2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn debuts [w/video]

"It expresses this notion of opening up and the light coming in." Rolls-Royce officials said this of the new Dawn convertible during a private showing in Beverly Hills back in May. It was quite a coincidence, then, that the Friday I saw the Dawn in person was the first clear day in southern California after a stretch of unseasonable rain and clouds. I already told you many details about Rolls-Royce's new convertible Drophead, but now, ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, we have the official release. And while the Dawn shares its underpinnings with the Ghost sedan and Wraith coupe, Rolls sees this new model as different enough to warrant a separate name. "It speaks of fabulous places and beautiful people." "Given its character, [the Dawn] deserved a name that was not ethereal," Rolls-Royce said. "It speaks of fabulous places and beautiful people. It's a lot sexier [than the Phantom]." And while the design seems like a convertible Wraith at a glance, nearly 80 percent of the Dawn's body panels are new. The doors carry over, but the chin is pulled forward by 2.1 inches compared to the Wraith and the grille is recessed by 1.7 inches. The beltline arches up around the back of the cabin, "how you turn a collar up on a jacket," according to one designer. The Dawn is a very pretty car, and the effect of the dark blue exterior contrasting with and orange interior stunning in person, if muted in the photos. The six-layer canvas top retracts in a silent operation, stowing neatly behind the open-pore wood deck just aft of the rear seats. In yet another breathless passage, Rolls says passengers should not be "inconvenienced by noise." With the top up, the profile of the Dawn is more three-box hot rod than the fastback look of the Wraith. A choice of 20- or 21-inch polished or painted wheels round out the exterior. Inside, Dawn is fitted with the same luxurious appointments and technology as Wraith and Ghost, with seating for four. Accessing the rear seats is easy, and there's ample legroom for tall passengers – I watched several six-foot-plus journalists nestle themselves back there without issue. That said, on planet Rolls-Royce the Dawn is not a 2+2. "In the world of Rolls-Royce, day-to-day mathematical norms don't always apply. That's why I say in the case of the new Rolls-Royce Dawn, 2+2 does not equal 4." But it holds four people. So, yeah. Rolls-Royce says the Dawn is its "most versatile canvas" yet.