Search the price lists for 拢235,000, 5.3-metre long coupes and you鈥檒l find the Rolls-Royce Wraith is a unique proposition. Saloon cars of the Rolls-Royce Ghost鈥檚 stature are few and far between in the first instance. Coupes based on them, like the Wraith, fewer still. The Bentley Continental GT, you could argue, is on the same theme, only offering lesser quantities of space and price and luxury. The Ferrari FF is another alternative that could be used for the same job: a car that鈥檚 an event in itself, which can seat four over a long journey. Sporty, however, the Wraith is not. Rolls won鈥檛 even use the word. This is the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever made, and Rolls alludes to it being the most dynamic car it produces. But look at the figures: length, 5269mm; width, 1947mm; weight, 2435kg. It鈥檚 no FF. Yes, the engine makes 624bhp, but it鈥檚 ostensibly the same unit as used in the Ghost, which means it鈥檚 a stroked version of an already large BMW V12, enlarged to some 6.6-litres and equipped with two turbos. There鈥檚 only so much dynamism you can have with those numbers.
This being a Rolls-Royce, there鈥檚 only so much dynamism you鈥檇 want: Rolls says it might be the easiest car in the world to drive quickly, that it offers unstressed pace. The vehicle might be in a hurry, but you won鈥檛 be. Our drive is of a pre-production Wraith, so interior fit and finish might not be up to a final scratch that is, we know from experience, usually from the uppermost drawer. But even in this early Wraith鈥檚 cabin, not much inside isn鈥檛 right. Carpets are thick and deep, the leather is apparently of 鈥楶hantom grade鈥?and feels it, and the wood is as wooden as wood should be. Coach doors opened wide, and with the driver鈥檚 seat moved, it鈥檚 no chore to climb into the back, and no chore to stay there. This is a full four-seater, no question. At 5.3m long, even with the generous boot length it has, it would be scandalous if it weren鈥檛.
You鈥檒l probably know the Ghost is, however loosely, based on the architecture of the BMW 7-series, and the same applies to the Wraith. It鈥檚 a steel monocoque rather than an aluminium spaceframe like the Phantom, and a lot of the unseen systems are from BMW. Nothing wrong with that, mind. Inevitably, there is more noticeable BMW-sourced content in the Wraith鈥檚 cabin than in the Phantom: but the Wraith feels as classy as it ought to at the money. There鈥檚 nothing wrong with the action of any of the hardware - and there鈥檚 sufficient bespoke Rolls stuff to rub along with: vents and heater controls are as sweet as they come. So, it feels like a Rolls-Royce? Yes, unequivocally. The driving position is high, the seats are amply sized and generously padded, as you鈥檇 expect. The high seating position aids visibility, which is useful in a car this large, but unlike in the Phantom, you can鈥檛 see the edges of the vast bonnet, which makes the Wraith slightly trickier to manoeuvre and place.
Bristol, a manufacturer which, under better stewardship, might still be thriving today making cars to rival the Wraith, knew that - if you can see the edges of the bodywork, you know how much room you鈥檝e got to play with. The first few yards behind the Rolls-Royce Wraith鈥檚 wheel - marginally more thickly-rimmed than a Ghost鈥檚 - are occupied with deciding just how big it is. Manageably big, is how it turns out. Some 18cm has been lost from the Ghost鈥檚 wheelbase to create the Wraith, and while agile it ain鈥檛, you can tell there鈥檚 less volume on the move here. It鈥檚 quick too, no question: the figures suggest it鈥檒l hit 60mph in 4.4sec and go on to a limited 155mph, but it鈥檚 the quality of the performance, rather than the quantity of it, that matters. Drive at 40mph and you鈥檒l be steering a car that feels as quiet as any in production.