The next model to be introduced to the growing line-up of Rolls Royce Motor Cars will be called the Rolls-Royce Dawn.
Likely to be first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the new model will be a drophead, which is Rolls-Royce nomenclature for convertible. It is based on the Wraith and in keeping with British carmaker's tradition will use a fabric roof.
Thus far, there has been no mention of performance figures but it should use the same BMW-sourced 6.6-litre V12 engine that powers the Wraith. Rolls-Royce hasn't divulged any other aspects but we expect it to be very similar to the Wraith upon which it is based. A 0-100km/h time of around 4.8 seconds is expected and its top speed is likely the same or close to the governed 250km/h of the Wraith. The added structural support required for a convertible along with the roof mechanism should see the car tip the scales at around 2,550kg.
Anything else?
The introduction of the Dawn will hopefully buoy sales figures for Rolls-Royce, which has recently posted a 12.9 per cent drop in sales during the first quarter of 2015 according to a BMW report. Parent company BMW were at haste to add that these declining figures were in line with expectations and within the company's planning cycle. Given how the Wraith has been received globally to date, the addition of a drophead variant could well boost sales figures.
Images are of the 1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn - one of the rarest cars in the world, and muse for the new Rolls-Royce Dawn.