motoring
MAJESTIC ROLLS ROYCE BLACK BADGE DAWN DROPHEAD REVIEW
By Yves de Contades
The limited edition Black Badge Dawn is obviously aimed at a younger audience with a sleek, rounded, modern design. A car for those that wish to drive themselves rather than be chauffeured. It has 593bhp, does 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds, and weighs just over 2 1/2 tons. Its momentous black bonnet conceals a humongous V12 engine, so even at that hefty but reassuring weight there is plenty of power, but of course the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Dawn is not about power, but about the glide, supreme well being and luxury. Don’t worry though, it still has a limited top speed of 155mph. It drives like a celestial colossus, with soft brakes and acceleration, so as not to disturb passengers with unseemly movement. Though put your foot down and it bounds skilfully forward, emitting a gorgeous deep throaty rumble.
“A Rolls is about driving a refined, luxury environment on wheels”
So what’s special about this car? Well, it’s a Rolls Royce and developed with that rich history in mind. The very spirit of Rolls-Royce has always been about creating cars that embody the best tried and tested technology, luxury and engineering currently available, offering the highest level of craftsmanship with the greatest reliability, safety and comfort possible. Whilst the Black Badge Dawn may be a step forward for Rolls Royce in terms of design, the build ethos is still classic luxury, style, and comfort.
Now in my opinion all cars should be convertible. What’s the point of having this glorious, glamorous interior if only the people sitting inside the car can see it. You need to put the roof down to really expose the leather Mandarin and black interior. I know the purists will say that the car’s lines are ruined by a convertible top, but the advantage in being able to drop the roof beats any aesthetics, it’s
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a small price to pay for beauty. And here’s a tip for putting the roof down on the Rolls-Royce Dawn, there is a small box extension in the boot that needs to be pushed into the upright position before the roof will move, once that’s done you just press the button and the roof goes up or down very quickly. It’s a delight to watch all the butterfly pieces move as the roof folds in on itself to completely disappear into the boot, still leaving ample room for your luggage.
Once open the Black Badge is at its very best, visibility is superb and the car’s dimensions are just right, Goldilocks, not too big, not too small. Large enough so it has real gravitas and stature, yet small enough to drive along country roads with total ease. The width of this car is exact to the millimetre, you never worry about being too big to park or about colliding with oncoming traffic. So we arrived at the glorious Stoke Park Golf and Spa supremely relaxed and prepared to get even more laid back. As we pulled up to the main entrance a pair of immaculately suited Chinese businessmen started snapping selfies of the car and extolling their appreciation of this superb British motor. The Rolls seemed perfectly at home next to the golf course and yes it does have room for golf clubs in the boot. There are no paddles to change gear, clearly these have been considered and dismissed
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