The Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn have been on a death watch of sorts for a while now, but especially after Rolls said they planned to no longer offer them in the U.S. last year. On Friday, Rolls confirmed that by the end of 2023, they will all be gone for good.
This is to make way for the Rolls-Royce Spectre, an electric coupé that makes the Wraith and Dawn redundant in a world that is hurtling toward electric. Rolls apparently considered making EV versions of the Wraith and Dawn, according to Autocar, but shelved those plans to go all in on Spectre. For the millions of you who had plans to buy a Wraith or Dawn, consider that dream dashed, as Rolls also said that Wraith and Dawn orders are closed. The company will now concentrate on building the last examples.
Get excited, instead, for Spectre.
While not a direct replacement for the Wraith, the Spectre would play the role of a coupé in the company’s range from now on, said Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
Rolls-Royce insiders say the firm could have made an all-electric version of one of its existing models for its first EV, but it was important that such a car had an identity all of its own and offered something unique to the Rolls range rather than being a powertrain option of an existing car.
The Wraith was introduced in 2013, and the Dawn came two years later, both cars starting at around $350,000 depending on who you ask, though customers likely pay a bit more because most opt for various customizations. The Wraith and Dawn are also Rolls-Royces for owners who actually want to drive their cars, given that one is a coupé and the other is a convertible. They also both have V12s under the hood, engines that are quickly on their way to extinction, and not just for Rolls. The Wraith and the Dawn, we hardly knew ye.