“
It is always darkest just before the dawn
In the most challenging times, the phrase
“It is always darkest just before the
dawn” – originally coined by English
Restoration preacher Thomas Fuller –
resonates as a beacon of hope. This early
morning darkness, where apparitions
such as phantoms, ghosts or wraiths
have been imagined, and where one’s
apprehensions lurk, is brushed aside
by an energising burst of early morning
sunlight as one awakens to a new dawn
and the endless possibilities of a new day.
Such was the feeling in 1952 as the world
was finally emerging from a period of
economic austerity following protracted
war. That year, the world looked forward
in hope as the world’s first passenger jet,
the British deHavilland Comet, made
its first commercial flight; the Big Bang
Theory of the creation of the Universe
was first propounded, and Queen
Elizabeth II ascended the throne of the
United Kingdom.
That very same year, the Rolls-Royce
Silver Dawn drophead, which became the
muse for the designers of the new RollsRoyce Dawn, was finished by Rolls-Royce
coachbuilders Park Ward and delivered
to its first customer, Colonel W.A. Phillips
in Canada.
A new beginning for Rolls-Royce at
the time, the original Silver Dawn was
the first Rolls-Royce to be offered with
a factory-built body. However, the
drophead Rolls-Royces that carried
the name Silver Dawn continued to be
coach-built for individual customers,
ensuring their uniqueness and rarity, and
embodied the optimism of the age as we
began to enjoy life again and pursue La
Dolce Vita.
This famous and rare Rolls-Royce name
was only ever applied to 28 very special
drophead bodies between 1950 and
1954.
Rolls-Royce’s new Dawn has taken
inspiration from the Silver Dawn, whilst
delivering a world first in super-luxury
motoring – a cool, contemporary
interpretation of what a super-luxury
four-seater convertible motor car should
be in 2015 – rare, refined and the most
social super-luxury car there is.
Much like the 1952 Silver Dawn
drophead, the new Rolls-Royce Dawn
stands apart from its stable mates,
featuring 80% unique body panels.
Indeed such attention has been paid
to ensuring this amazing new dawn for
super-luxury motoring delivers on its
promise, even the tyres that connect
the new Rolls-Royce Dawn to the roads
it will glide over have been specially
developed to deliver the pinnacle ‘magic
carpet’ ride expected of every RollsRoyce that leaves The Home of RollsRoyce at Goodwood, England.
And, specific engineering and
manufacturing attention has been
paid to the creation of the Dawn’s roof.
Unheard of anywhere in the modern
motor industry until now, the roof of the
Rolls-Royce Dawn delivers the silence of
a Wraith when up and operates in almost
complete silence in just over 20 seconds
at a cruising speed of up to 50kph.
It is safe to say that the new Rolls-Royce
Dawn is the quietest open top car ever
made.