- After a seven-year production run, Rolls-Royce officially pulled the plug on the Dawn, its Ghost-based four-seater convertible aimed to replace the old Phantom Drophead Coupe.
- The Rolls-Royce Dawn is closely related to the Wraith Coupe, which also ceased production as of the 2023 model year.
- At the moment, the Dawn has no direct replacement, though we may see a new convertible (perhaps related to the electric Spectre) in due time.
It’s the end of the road for Rolls-Royce’s luxurious Dawn convertible.
On Tuesday, the automaker officially announced the end of the line for its successor to the popular Phantom Drophead Coupe. The Rolls-Royce Dawn first rolled onto the scene back in 2015, bringing common styling cues (including its rear-hinged doors) from its two-door, Ghost-based coupe, the Wraith.
As Rolls-Royce pivots toward its next generation of vehicles, including the fully electric Spectre, its twelve-cylinder droptop will join its coupe sibling (which also ended production in recent months) in the history books. In fact, order books for the Dawn and Wraith actually closed in March 2022, but the company kept production rolling through the end of last year to meet demand. At the moment, the Dawn is Rolls-Royce’s best-selling convertible ever.
Like the Wraith and the Ghost, the Rolls-Royce dawn packed a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine. It put out 563 horsepower in standard tune, or you could get up to 593 horsepower if you sprung for the ‘Black Badge’ model, which first emerged in 2017. Rather than opt for a hardtop convertible, Rolls-Royce also decided to keep a fabric roof blended with composite materials to give it more of a classic feel. With its noise isolation, the company dubbed this car “the world’s quietest convertible”.
For the time being, there’s no direct replacement in sight. Rolls-Royce is mum on what’s coming down the pipeline, but considering the Dawn’s success, it’s unlikely we’ll live in a world without a convertible Roller for too long. The Spectre EV seems like a perfect candidate for the droptop treatment, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
