Take a bow and exit stage right.
Rolls-Royce has officially confirmed its Dawn convertible and Wraith coupe models are all spoken for as the order books close worldwide.
Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told Autocar that orders for the two-door Dawn and Wraith are fully booked until early 2023, which is when the final models will roll off the Goodwood production line in the UK.
Until the all-electric Spectre grand tourer arrives in the fourth quarter of 2023, that’ll leave Rolls-Royce without a two-door vehicle. Orders for the Spectre have already opened though.
“It is not in any way the successor of the Wraith,” said Mr Müller-Ötvös to Automotive News Europe in October 2021 in regard to the all-electric Spectre.
“It’s a different proposition for our clients. It will feel very different, it will look very different.”
Rolls-Royce Australia previously confirmed in February 2022 the Dawn and Wraith couldn’t be ordered anymore locally. This followed their withdrawal from the US market in 2021.
In other words, we knew this was coming.
The new electric two-door coupe will use a version of Rolls-Royce’s new aluminium ‘Architecture of Luxury’, which also underpins the current Phantom, Ghost and Cullinan.
The Dawn and Wraith are related to the first-generation Ghost mechanically, which in turn was derived from the platform of the fifth-generation BMW 7 Series that launched locally in September 2009.
They also use an older 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, related to the V12 engine used in the BMW M760Li which is ending production in June 2022.
For context, newer Rolls-Royce models use a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12.
Spectre prototype
Rolls-Royce recently announced that it’s going all-electric by 2030. It’s no stranger to electric power though.
Co-founder of the original Rolls-Royce Limited company, Charles Rolls, explored the possibilities of electric vehices back at the start of the 20th century.
“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged,” said Mr Rolls in an interview with The Motor-Car Journal in April 1900.
“But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.”
The Wraith coupe arrived here in 2013, while the Dawn convertible followed in 2015.
Combined, the Dawn and Wraith were Roll-Royce’s most popular vehicle in Australia during 2021 with 20 sales. The company sold 15 Cullinan SUVs and 13 of its sedans.
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