This limited edition of 12 units marks the end of an era and the beginning of an all-electric future. It is also the last coupé with a V12 engine to be produced by Rolls Royce. A sad day, no doubt.
If you are the lucky future owner of one of the 12 Rolls Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow you can be sure that you will have a very special vehicle in your hands. Launched in 2013, the Wraith profoundly changed the image of the British brand and gave it a more sporty connotation.
The Black Badge version of the Wraith was already a spiced up version of the normal version that has now been taken to the extreme in terms of customization. And you may wonder why add the Black Arrow part to the name? Well, that's easily answered by Rolls Royce and it comes from an episode that happened many years ago.
In 1938, Captain George Eyston – whose bold, brave endeavours encapsulate the Black Badge spirit - set a world land speed record of 357.497 mph (575.335 km/h) with Thunderbolt, a seven-tonne, eight-wheeled leviathan equipped with two Rolls-Royce V12 'R' Series aero engines. The outbreak of the Second World War in the following year ended Eyston’s endeavours; all subsequent records have been set with different engine types and configurations, enshrining Thunderbolt in perpetuity as the fastest V12-powered motor car ever built.
Thunderbolt’s record attempts took place on the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Against the glare of the brilliant white surface, and under a blazing desert sun, the reflections from the car's polished aluminium body made it almost impossible to tell precisely when it passed the timing equipment. Eyston's simple but ingenious solution was to paint a large black arrow on the car's sides, incorporating a yellow central circle motif that could be seen clearly even at high speed. This is what gives today’s Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow Collection both its name and unique historical context.
There you go. But what makes today's car special?
First, there's a full colour graduation between two tones (Celebration Silver and Black Diamond) with a A glass-infused ‘Crystal’ paint over layer. Sounds fancy? continue reading, please. This over layer is beneath a high gloss lacquer that was polished for more than 12 hours to achieve a glass-like finish. And all it took was 18 months to develop this technique. To provide a much needed contrast, a Bright Yellow bumper inserts and Bespoke wheel pinstripes were added.
Inside, this yellow color is also used on the front seat leather and steering wheel giving a striking contrast with the black ‘Club Leather’ used on the rest of the interior. Other fancier elements include the clock inspired by the analogue instruments of the 1930s and the engine plaque was machined from a single piece of polished metal, inscribed with the V12 monogram in Bright Yellow, and the legend ‘Final Coupé Collection’ in Black. Finishing all of this is a headliner with over 1000 fibre optic cables giving the impression of a starry sky.
All 12 units are sold and no price was given.
