Unveiled for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show, the Wraith is the fastest and most powerful Rolls-Royce ever to roll out of the factory at Goodwood ? that's really saying something for an automaker whose engines almost exclusively displace more than six liters.
In the case of the Wraith, power comes from a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 — the same engine as you'd find in the Rolls-Royce Ghost on which it is based, only more powerful. Instead of the Ghost's 563 horsepower, the Wraith offers 624, and instead of 575 lb-ft of torque, the Wraith twists out 590. That's enough to launch the new luxury fastback from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds.
Of course, the Wraith is not only about power and speed. Rolls-Royce has fitted its new coupe with all the upscale accouterments you'd expect of one of its fine motor cars...and then some. Open the rear-hinged Coach Doors and you'll step inside a world of leather and wood that would make even the most prestigious of private clubs seem downright spartan by comparison. The Starlight Headliner from the larger Phantom is there, as are the textured wood veneers — which Rolls calls Canadel Panelling after the South of France cove where Sir Henry Royce and company would winter.
The British automaker has even fitted the Wraith with a new Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS mapping data to select the most suitable of the eight available gears for the road conditions ahead.
Deliveries will begin in the last quarter of this year, with European pricing already confirmed at €245,000 (that's around $317,985).
