First we had the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Wraith Black Badge, now the same stealthy black finish has been applied to the Dawn drop-top. This is what you get for all those many, many pennies.
The Black Badge, erm, badge was launched in 2016 and is the Rolls-Royce equivalent to Bentley’s Black Edition. It turns luxury cars into something younger buyers would find more palatable, thanks to the generous usage of the colour black.
In the case of the Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge, the interior’s usual posh wood panels have been replaced by a mix of aircraft grade aluminium and carbon fibre for a sportier, less ostentatious look.
Six coats of lacquer are applied to the top of the interior surface and subsequently left to cure for three days before someone at Rolls-Royce hand-polishes until it is so shiny you can use it as a mirror.
A unique interior colour scheme differentiates the Dawn Black Badge, too. Black leather is predictable, but the contrast orange highlights – said to mimic that of a sunset – will help keep the youths happy. More so than brown leather, anyway. The exterior, meanwhile, gets a lick of black paint.
Elsewhere, the Spirit of Ecstasy is now finished in a dark chrome and the canvas roof is, as you may have guessed, finished in black. As is the tonneau cover.
You get more power from the 6.6-litre V12, making the upgrade more than skin deep. An extra 30bhp takes the total to 593bhp, while torque is 15lb/ft better off.
Then there are the brake discs, which are larger, and the steering has been livened up to make the car feel less ‘stately’ and more spritely. As spritely as you can make a 2.5-tonne mass of metal, that is.
The ZF eight-speed automatic’s character has also been adjusted to propel the Dawn Black Badge along with more enthusiasm. Not that you would expect any less from a car that gives you all 619lb/ft of torque from just 1,500rpm and can achieve 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds.
You can have a look at the Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which starts on the 29th of June and runs until the 2nd of July, 2017. Maybe even put down an order, if your dad is an oil tycoon.
Now for the price. To commission a Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge (one does not simply buy a car of this magnitude, obviously), expect to part with more than the £265,000 needed for a standard Dawn devoid of any extras.
The scary lightning background and shady leather jacket man are not included in the price. The cheapskates.
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