Rolls-Royce Launches Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow To End The V12 Era

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today unveils Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow to mark the end of production of one of the most transformative motor cars in the marque’s history. This Bespoke masterpiece, limited to just 12 examples worldwide, is also the last V12 coupé Rolls-Royce will ever make, as it embarks on its bold new electric era.

Launched in 2013, Wraith is one of the most important and influential models ever designed and built at Goodwood. More performance-focused than its predecessors Phantom and Ghost, Wraith fundamentally altered perceptions of Rolls-Royce and brought new, younger customer groups to the brand for the first time. Its wider cultural significance is underlined by countless references to the Wraith in music, cinema, art, and fashion.

What does an affluent buyer get with this special vehicle, aside from a name nearly as long as its production run? It’s impossible to miss the gradient exterior finish, transitioning from silver in front to black at the rear and highlighted with yellow trim. Specifically, the colors are Celebration Silver and Black Diamond, with a glass-infused topcoat then applied to the black portions for added effect. The colors and application techniques were refined over 18 months, making this one of the most complex paints ever created by Rolls-Royce.

Move inside and you’ll see considerably more yellow. It covers the front seats, and the steering wheel, and serves as trim on the dash and doors. The special clock on the dash features yellow trim, along with the Thunderbolt’s record-setting speed from 1938. Yellow trim is also found on the rear seats, and a yellow dot within an arrow is seen on the special door sills identifying the car as one of 12 Wraith Black Arrow models.

Other unique touches include the door panels, which are made from 320 marquetry pieces that form a tactile surface, and the placement (by hand) of 2,117 fiber-optic lights in the headliner mimicking the Milky Way and its constellations as it all would have appeared over the Bonneville Salt Flats on the night of the Thunderbolt’s record run.

Rolls-Royce said all 12 build slots for the Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow are already sold out.

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