Rolls-Royce Wraith

by Robert Gariano

Visiting Steve Foley's car dealership in Northbrook, a customer walks past the row of Cadillac sedans and sport utility vehicles to a special showroom where the Rolls-Royce automobiles are exhibited. Off to the left is the front room of the dealership with its select inventory of muscular Bentleys. The middle is reserved for the Rolls-Royce.

It is quiet and subdued in that room with mirrored walls that reflect the shiny vehicles on display. Even if a person is not interested in cars, they would want to stop and look at the new 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith Coupe in the showroom. It is a piece of rolling sculpture. In a world already filled with hyperbole, the Rolls-Royce Wraith (the name means specter or spirit) is an immediate classic.

The Wraith's numbers are astonishing, even if statistics hardly tell the whole story, any more than a chemical description of pigments describes the Mona Lisa. This vehicle weighs 5200 pounds and is over 17 feet long but can reach 60 miles per hour from standstill in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is governed at 155 miles per hour. With 624 brake horsepower generated by the 6.6 liter twin turbo V-12 engine, the Wraith is loafing along at that speed. The eight speed automatic gear box guided by a satellite interface and the intelligent four corner air suspension means that the four lucky occupants of the Wraith are treated to the legendary Rolls-Royce magic carpet ride.

The ZF eight speed transmission is the first to use a satellite uplink to provide the mechanism with information about the terrain and road configuration coming up. This allows the car to alter the shifting points to accommodate and predict torque requirements allowing an unprecedented level of ride quality and responsive performance. This is a car that can literally see around the next corner.

Larry Balkin, Foley's Rolls-Royce special accounts manager is responsible for helping customers specify and commission their new Rolls-Royce vehicles. Balkin met with me and showed me the stunning new Wraith. “My father died when I was five years old and my mother did not have a driver’s license. Growing up I fell in love with cars even though our family never owned one. I bought my first car, a Ford Mustang, when I was a teenager. After college, I became an accountant, but never had I stopped being a car enthusiast. Two years ago I met with Steve Foley, Jr. when I was returning a leased car. We talked about the dealership and the Foley family's commitment to luxury vehicles. I joined the dealership two weeks later."

The Wraith joins the other two Rolls-Royce platforms, the Phantom introduced in 2004 and the Ghost introduced in 2010. The Wraith is available only as a coupe (pronounced in the British fashion 'coo-pay"). Rolls-Royce introduced a whole new vocabulary in advertising the new vehicle. Balkin quoted some of that copy, "With the Wraith, it’s not how fast you go, but how you go fast." The words "power, style and drama" are prominent. Exclusivity should also be added. So far Foley has delivered four Wraiths that have been commissioned since the new model's introduction. The dealership has been allocated only five more Wraiths through the end of the year. The craftsmen at Goodwood are not targeting volume production, only to build the finest cars in the world.

Each Wraith is commissioned with a broad expanse of options so each vehicle must be custom built. The Wraith combines such contemporary technical advances as active cruise control, heads up display, night vision, and 360 degree awareness camera vision. That's not to say that the car ignores traditional Rolls-Royce craftsmanship. The Rolls- Royce tradition of excellence continues with 60 skilled workers lavishing 450 hours on each vehicle, fashioning the aluminum, steel, wood, and natural grain leather into a unique personalized vehicle.

The Wraith is the first modern Rolls-Royce to be designed as a driver’s vehicle and that means that the market is aimed at younger drivers. The four Wraith automobiles delivered by Foley this year all went to buyers under 40. These are affluent people who can afford the purchase price which, with options, usually amounts to more than one third of a million dollars. These are not vehicles that compete with any other cars. The buyer is usually adding to a stable of other vehicles and the Wraith becomes a keystone in that garage. To introduce such a driver's car, Rolls-Royce has allowed Foley to use several vehicles for driving tests this spring for potential buyers. These factory vehicles include a Wraith and a Phantom drophead coupe.

Standing in front of a new silver and black Wraith with its inimitable coach doors and iconic "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament, I was impressed with the fluid lines and the beautiful proportions of this latest Rolls-Royce. It is a vehicle that embodies a history of craftsmanship and design. The Wraith will make a statement of success and achievement for its new owner. Photos of the new Wraith and other vehicles at the dealership can be seen in person or at the Steve Foley website which is www.stevefoley.com.