The grille and bumper focus attention on the horizontal lines of the car rather than the traditional vertical lines of the other members of the Rolls-Royce family. The bumper now incorporates the number plate surround and a new focused lower air dam. The mesh in the lower valance is recessed and black in colour, helping create a sense of depth, which supplements the depth in the grille. Also, chrome ‘blades’ act to plant the car while also complementing the horizontal lines and accelerating the flow of the eye around the car thus increasing the impression of power and width. When viewing the Rolls-Royce Dawn in side profile, one’s eye is instantly drawn to the elegant profile of the car. The soft-top shape is completely harmonious and homogenous without the ugly concave areas or sharp struts seen in other manufacturers’ soft tops. In addition, new 21” polished and 21’’ and 20” painted wheels ensure Dawn remains a perfectly executed, contemporary expression of Rolls-Royce luxury. The rear end of the car, having swelled over the feminine ‘hips’ of Dawn, tapers in towards the rear, echoing the elegant design of early ‘boat tail’ Rolls-Royce drophead coupés and indeed the beautiful motor launches of the early 20th Century that inspired them. The silent lowering of the soft top transforms the Rolls-Royce Dawn, delivering a true Dawn moment. In hero specification of Midnight Sapphire exterior and Mandarin leather interior, night becomes day as rays of sunshine burst forth, bringing the inside out, joining this social space with the wider world of possibilities. Roof down, the sexiness of the Rolls-Royce Dawn is even more apparent. From the side, the steep rake of the windscreen, the swage line that flows over the rear haunches plus the high beltline that rises along the profile give the impression of effortless swiftness. The very same rising beltline wraps around the rear passenger cabin akin to the collar of a jacket pulled up to protect the neck. The stainless steel waistline finisher that wraps around the cabin encompasses the deck that covers the soft top when stowed, and integrates the high-level brake light. This beautiful metal feature works in harmony with the stainless steel door handles, polished wheels, visible exhausts and front and rear bumper jewellery, to create a priceless look and feel. The deck itself is an amazing work of modern craftsmanship. Clothed in open-pore Canadel panelling that traces the horseshoe shape of the rear cabin, it demonstrates the great advances that the craftspeople in the Woodshop at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood have made in wood crafting technology and techniques. The wood on the deck, chosen by the customer to suit their individual taste, flows down the ‘Waterfall’ between the rear seats, and around the cabin clothing the interior door panels and enticing the owner to enter Dawn. Interior design Once again Rolls-Royce’s unique coach doors come into their own in a drophead format. The coach doors are impressive and graceful. The doors complement the long front wings and relaxed waft line, creating a long body profile and a cosseted cabin. Evocative of the classic sports car profile, they add considerably to the easy entry and egress of rear passengers from Dawn’s luxurious embrace. The rear passengers do not merely ‘get out’ of a Rolls-Royce Dawn, but rather stand and disembark as if from a Riva motor launch onto a glamorous private jetty in Monaco or on Lake Como. Of course as one would expect of a Rolls- Royce, the coach doors also serve a more fundamental purpose than simply a means of access. Perhaps just as importantly, they also add significantly to the overall strength and stiffness of the body as they allow the construction of an uninterrupted A-pillar. The first impression upon entering Dawn is of the four separate bucket seats set in the midst of a sartorial slingshot of wood and leather. The slingshot concept runs from the driver’s A-post towards the rear of the car, around the rear seats before returning to the passenger A-Pillar. The slingshot form is reminiscent of a barchetta, pulled back, poised and ready to launch the occupants of the car to the horizon, even whilst stationary. This design complements the accelerated tension seen in the exterior of the car. The interior complements the exterior, a place of opulence, security and presence. The Rolls-Royce Dawn offers four very individual, cosseting seats. The vehicle is a full four seater and so there is no compromise in comfort wherever you sit. The seats have been designed to help emphasise the energetic, yet elegant intent and sense of purpose of the car, complemented by an intersecting full-length centre console. The upper seat back houses the seat belt harness, which together with the pillarless bodywork enhances and emphasises the slingshot of wood or leather with no breaks in the flow-lines. The wood on the surfaces of the trays is also book-matched down the centre console in a chevron pattern pointing forward providing an accelerated feel. The instrument dials have also undergone subtle enhancements with individually applied polished metal chaplets around the dials evoking the precision design of hand-made, luxury wrist watches, whilst the matt chrome centres ‘float’ in the middle of each instrument. In addition, a new clock design featuring the new motor car’s name has been introduced. 80 Pindara Magazine 2016
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Eight
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