The Rolls Royce Wraith is officially here, with the British firm revealing their new coupe in front of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show audience. Aside from the fastback body shape, it features the company’s most powerful engine ever, a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 with 624 hp (633 PS), as well as a number of interesting technical innovations.
Compared to the other turbocharged Rolls Royce models, the Ghost, the Wraith is three tenths quicker to 60 mph (96 km/h), reaching the speed in just 4.4 seconds – top speed has been kept secret, for now.
One feature of the Wraith, which James May would definitely not approve, is the slightly stiffer suspension and the recalibrated steering that supposedly gives the driver more feedback through the wheel and also weights up more at high speeds.
An interesting and rather clever feature (which would be more at home on an efficiency-oriented car) is the GPS-controlled, eight-speed gearbox, which uses satellite data to select and pre-select the appropriate gear, in order to make the best use of the engine’s power as efficiently as possible.
With toys like the fiber optic-infused headliner, endlessly-adjustable massaging seats covered in the finest leathers known to man, as well as the added exclusivity of the fastback coupe body style, the Wraith is very expensive – €245,000 ($320,000).
By Andrei Nedelea
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