Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge revealed

The stealthy Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge has been revealed for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.

Designed in response “to the more demanding lifestyle requirements of a younger, more dynamic patron of luxury”, the Black Badge line, which already includes the related Wraith coupe, Ghost limousine, and now the Dawn convertible, is somewhat of an alter-ego to the more ‘regular’ versions of the Rolls-Royce family.

In line with the theme of ‘increased urgency’, the Dawn Black Badge gets an uprated version of its 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12, which now produces a meaty 442kW of power at 5250rpm, and 840Nm of torque at just 1500rpm – up 22kW and 60Nm respectively – mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic.

Performance-wise, the Dawn’s 0-100km/h is reduced by 0.1 seconds to 4.9 seconds, on its way to an electronically-governed top speed of 250km/h – not bad for a 2560kg convertible.

Fuel consumption, on the other hand, is rated at 14.7L/100k on the combined cycle – though fuel bills are the least of your worries if you’re buying one of these.

As with all Rolls-Royce models, buyers can option and specify numerous bespoke exterior and interior treatments, though the main changes between the Black Badge and its more regular counterpart include black chrome highlights throughout the exterior, black badging, a new multi-mode exhaust system, revised transmission and steering systems, and brakes that are one inch larger in diameter.

The British marque says these changes help to give the Dawn a “more spirited manner”, while the recalibrated steering allows drivers to enjoy an added sense of security and feel derived from increased steering weight at higher speeds.

Australia

We’re waiting to hear back from Rolls-Royce’s local arm regarding pricing and timing for the new Dawn Black Badge, and will update when that information comes to hand.

However, expect the Black Badge to cost a little more than the $749,000 starting price for the standard Dawn.

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