The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed will celebrate the global debut of the Dawn Black Badge, the most uncompromising expression of open-top luxury in the world. This marks the next chapter in the brand's Black Badge story, as part of its permanent stable of Bespoke models.
Created to satisfy overwhelming demand from a new breed of Rolls-Royce patrons, the Dawn Black Badge stands as the most luxurious, social and sensual space from which to take in the night air.
This most glamorous, uncompromising expression of open-top luxury is given a new and darker sensual dimension through its suite of Black Badge engineering and design treatments.
The Dawn Black Badge at the Festival of Speed is presented in a deeply intense shade of black.
The roof is also only available in black canvas, whilst the rear deck is finished in black leather. In creating Black Badge, Rolls-Royce's Bespoke designers have sought to create true signifiers of this more assertive alter-ego for the marque.
The Dawn gets this same treatment. The Spirit of Ecstasy transforms into a high-gloss vamp, finished in a perfectly executed black chrome. This transformation to a darker aesthetic extends to certain chrome surfaces including the front grille surround, boot lid finisher, exhaust pipes and air inlet finisher. Finally, the 'Double R' signifiers on the Rolls-Royce badges are inverted in colour, confirming the creation of a true alter-ego of the marque.
This bold, edgy design ethos extends beautifully into the interior. A collaboration between the marque's design and engineering departments has seen the creation of a new luxury material. Inspired by Rolls-Royce's aviation heritage and echoing advanced production techniques for stealth aircraft.
Threads of aircraft grade aluminium are woven together and then bonded in carbon fibre. Surfaces are then finished with six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours and hand-polished to Rolls-Royce's hallmark mirror finish.
The result is a highly contemporary finish, perfectly attuned to the darker more menacing aesthetic today's patrons of luxury demand.
Reflecting the marque's Bespoke philosophy, the Dawn Black Badge also plays host to a new interior palette break-up. Higher levels of exquisite Black leather are accented boldly with Mandarin highlights, including a strip of orange highlight which encircles the cabin at hip-height.
A final touch, in a nod to one of Rolls-Royce's great pioneer patrons, Sir Malcolm Campbell, finishes the rear interior space. His famous 'Infinity' rating logo beautifully embroidered into the car's rear waterfall, gives a subtle nod to a man very much possessed of the restless spirit that so defines the Black Badge attitude.
Like its stablemates the Ghost and the Wraith, the distilled essence of the Dawn is amplified through the engineering that underpins the Black Badge philosophy. In the case of the Dawn, an entirely new exhaust system has been created, that when deployed by the press of the 'low' button, celebrates Rolls-Royce's hallmark V12 engine with a menacing bass baritone.
The exhaust tone adds an aural dimension to a suite of engineering enhancements. The engineers have exploited the flexibility of the Dawn's 6.6- litre twin-turbo V12 to generate an extra 30bhp, bringing the total to 593bhp, while also adding a further 20Nm of torque available from 1,500rpm, bringing the total to 840Nm.
