Dawn gets darker with Rolls-Royce Black Badge trim
If you want the wind in your hair and the (lack of) sun in your face, this brooding aesthetic is sure to be a hit.
The Rolls-Royce Black Badge lineup takes some of the automaker's hallmark stuffiness and flips it upside-down, offering better dynamics and a menacing aesthetic. Now, the darkness is coming for the Dawn.
Rolls-Royce introduced the Black Badge treatment on the Ghost and Wraith at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Now, more than a year later, it's coming to the drop-top Dawn. It has the same aesthetic as before -- the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament sports a dark chrome finish, which complements the extensive use of black throughout the vehicle, including the canvas roof and the leather tonneau cover.
You can order it in a color that isn't black, but why would you?
The interior is much the same story. Black leather's monotony is broken up with orange trim highlights, like the last little hint of a sunset disappearing over the horizon. The trim, which is usually some sort of high-end wood, is instead a mixture of aluminum and carbon fiber. The trim requires six coats of lacquer that must dry for 72 hours before being hand-polished to perfection.
How much more black can Rolls-Royce fit in here? None. None more black.
As with other Black Badge creations, Rolls-Royce isn't afraid to let drivers engage in some spirited antics. A new exhaust system features a Low setting that emits a bassy rumble. Its 6.6-liter V12 makes 593 horsepower, 30 more than the regular Dawn. There's another 15 pound-feet of torque on offer, as well. Rolls-Royce also added 1-inch larger brakes, and the steering has been sharpened for a livelier feel.
You can go and commission a Dawn Black Badge right now, but as with all Rolls-Royce products, its exclusivity comes at a high price. Rolls-Royce didn't say how much the Dawn Black Badge costs, but considering a standard Dawn starts north of $340,000, it's not going to be cheap in any sense of the word.
