WHAT IT IS: The two-door version of the Ghost, Rolls-Royce’s most “accessible” model, assuming you have access to a bank account with more than 250 large in it. Intended to be a driver’s car, the Wraith is powered by a twin-turbocharged V-12. With a swoopy, low (for a Roller) roofline and a sportier design, it aims to broaden the marque’s appeal to a younger audience. Meaning those under 80.
WHY IT MATTERS: ”A Rolls-Royce can certainly be more dynamic than in the past,” Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told us last year, and this car tries to prove it. There are only so many ways Rolls-Royce can push the envelope without risking its status at the absolute top of the pyramid. There will be no SUV, and no car below the Ghost. But the Wraith is a logical and relatively easy expansion of the range.
PLATFORM: Like the Ghost sedan, the Wraith rides on a heavily modified version of the BMW 7-series chassis.
POWERTRAIN: Power comes from a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-12, closely related to the 6.0-liter V-12 found in the BMW 760i.
COMPETITION: Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-Benz CL600, a gently used Cirrus SR22 airplane, a condo in Vail.
WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG: The Bentley Continental GT is a lot cheaper. Also, the Wraith’s craftsmanship may not match that of the Bentley’s.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AND PRICE: Sometime in 2014, for around $300,000.
