BLACK BADGE BRINGS BOLD BRILLIANCE
Rolls Royce. One of the oldest names in the business and a byword for opulence, exquisite attention to detail and automotive grandeur that only a select few can afford. Think of a Rolls Royce owner and you might conjure up an image of someone past retirement age, has a nobility or title and who owns a stately home, or two. But not anymore, these days the average age of a Rolls Royce owner has dropped from 55 to 43, and to keep up with the times Goodwood’s finest have followed suit with the addition of their Black Badge range.
Noticing a large amount of aftermarket modifiers customising their Phantoms and Wraiths for well-heeled customers, largely of less senior years, with brightly coloured vinyl wraps, large wheels and de-chroming the exterior, Rolls Royce decided to take matters into their own hands. For those who make their money through binary trading, cryptocurrency investment, social media influencing or Tik-Tok dancing, a traditional Rolls Royce is far from the type of thing they would consider producing content with or looking to stream to their millions of followers. Too much chrome, rare hardwoods and focus on where to place your Arturo Fuente cigar, not such an issue for the youth of today.
The Black Badge is different. Rolls Royce have created a more aggressive and purposeful looking car by replacing the swathes of shiny polished chrome and rare wood finishes with Black chrome and technical carbon fibre composites. The exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail remains but it now involves cutting edge materials coupled with more dynamic performance and abilities to the car. It’s not quite a stripped out version, you can still opt for Lambswool floor mats, Comfort entry system and Night Vision assistance.
Rolls Royce would shudder at the thought of using words like ‘sporty’ or ‘handling’ but they manage to introduce a more driver focused set up without it spoiling the famous magic carpet ride quality. Reworked suspension, new drive shafts and steering set up ensures the Wraith responds quicker and sharper with greater body control than before. It’s not quite supercar sharp but that is not the point, despite the fact it actually outperformed a Aston Martin Vantage GT8, Jaguar F-Type SVR and McLaren 675 LT up Goodwood’s famous hill climb during the Supercar Shootout at the Festival of Speed.
The Wraith Black Badge may have the same 6.6 litre V12 as the ‘regular’ model also producing 623bhp, but an increase in torque of almost 10% and a gearbox that shifts higher in the rev range means that the acceleration, especially on a car with such a large mass, is seriously impressive. Even the addition of a sports exhaust to the Black Badge means that although the cabin remains amongst one of the quietest available, there are hints of a more aggressive note when exploiting the substantial performance.
Rolls Royce’ attempt at making a car for their increasingly younger customers has led to them producing their most dynamic models yet with the Black Badge editions. Realising that demand for a less ‘traditional’ Rolls Royce was sufficient they have created the perfect solution without diluting their brand image or ethos, and perhaps even more importantly, whilst creating an edition that even their most loyal customer would still be happy to be seen in.
Our 2021 Rolls Royce 6.6 V12 Black Badge is finished in Commissioned Collection Imperial Jade metallic with full Seashell hide interior and contrasting Black stitching. The car comes with an extensive list of features to include Driver Assistance Pack 3, Camera systems pack, Bespoke Interior module editing, Privacy glass, Comfort entry system, Rolls Royce monogram stitched to headrests, Contrasting stitching and piping, the Commissioned Collection paintwork and exterior trim finished in gloss Black.
All of this combined with the features exclusive to the Black Badge edition such as 21” carbon composite wheels, Sports exhaust, Dark chrome Spirit of Ecstasy, Dark chrome exterior trim, Black Badge technical carbon fibre interior trim, Full grain natural leather interior and Black Badge Infinity motifs to rear armrest, displayed on illuminated door sills and to the brushed steel clock case. This stunning delivery mileage car comes with the remainder of both a Rolls Royce manufacturer warranty and Rolls Royce service plan until May 2024. The car is also VAT Qualifying.
