Here’s Rolls-Royce’s last hurrah to its glorious twin-turbo V12 coupe.
With the upcoming all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre replacing the big old Wraith, the Spirit of Ecstasy bids farewell to the V12-powered coupe with one final special edition, the Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow. Essentially, it marks the end of the internal combustion era for the brand’s coupe lineup, with the Black Arrow being the last to adopt Rolls-Royce’s glorious V12.
This edition took inspiration from the land speed record car powered by two Rolls-Royce V12 aircraft engines named the “Thunderbolt,” which ran 357.497 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, a record held for almost a year. To this day, it remains the fastest V12-powered car ever made.
Interestingly, the splash of bright yellow paint on the bumper inserts, wheels, and V-Brace behind the grills was also inspired by the Thunderbolt. Indeed, Bonneville’s white salt and glaring desert sun made the Thunderbolt’s fully polished aluminum body hard to see. Thus, the driver got around this problem by painting huge black arrows with yellow circles on the side of the car, explaining the yellow bits on the Wraith Black Arrow.
And as you can see, the last Wraith’s gradient color scheme is quite astonishing, with Celebration Silver paint at the front end blending into Black Diamond at the rear. Beyond that, the top lacquer has been infused with glass and polished for more than twelve hours to ensure a glass-like finish.
This nifty paint job took Rolls-Royce 18 months to develop. And while unique paint jobs are a common occurrence for the luxury brand, this has been one of the most complex to make.
In addition, the Thunderbolt theme continues to the interior with the presence of yellow/black ‘Club Leather.’ The British luxury marques added small details to the clock with Thunderbolt’s top speed engraved. And the wood veneers on the coach doors are designed to mimic the rough surface of the Salt Flats, consisting of over 320 layered pieces.
The Thunderbolt’s V12 is also engraved on the dashboard, and not to forget, the star headliner showcases the constellations on the date when the Thunderbolt set its record — Rolls-Royce at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.
As for the engine, the Black Arrow coupe uses the same powertrain as the standard Black Badge Wraith’s 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 producing 624 hp and 642 lb-ft, an engine famous for its silky smoothness and delivering power in such mannered ways. Still, to make the engine a touch more unique, the top is fitted with a special yellow V12 plaque to mark the end of the era.
Sadly, we have no idea how much the Black Arrow will cost, but it doesn’t matter much since all twelve units are already sold — probably to collectors who knew about this project well before the release. Still, a standard Black Badge Wraith costs $380.000 before options, so we can only assume this limited-run exclusive model must cost an arm and a leg more.
Nonetheless, there’s no denying the fact that the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow is nothing short of a masterpiece. And what better way to say goodbye to the brand’s legendary V12-powered coupe than by paying homage to the out-of-this-world Thunderbolt, right?
Gallery: 2023 Rolls Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow
