Simply Abu Dhabi XX

2 2 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I 2+2 environment for two adults in the front and two children in the back. And like all cars from the factory, there is literally no limit to the imagination when it comes to bespoke offerings of interior trim and equipment. The model featured across these pages uses a combination of Mandarin and black hides against exquisite book-matched, herringbone-style open-pore Canadel wood that’s been liberally applied across the dashboard, doors, rear tonneau cover and the waterfall panel between the rear seats. Other interior highlights include wristwatch-style gauges, an audio system from Rolls’ Bespoke customisation outfit, and a Spirit of Ecstasy rotary controller with a touch pad rather than a touch screen so as to not leave those nasty fingerprints at eye level. Like the Wraith, the Dawn is aimed more at the driver than previous Rolls-Royce models as, together with the lowering of the average age of owners, come more customers who prefer to do the driving themselves. And in this regard the Dawn is expected to please. Whilst we haven’t yet been able to sample the Dawn on the road, having spent a lot of time behind the wheel of the Wraith both here in the UAE and around the back roads of the factory in Goodwood, UK, there should be no excuses not to love it from a driver’s perspective. The 6.6-litre V12 produces 563bhp at 5250rpm and 780Nm from just 1500rpm. Using the satellite aided transmission, it links with the navigation to automatically pre-select the next appropriate gear. Having tried this on the Wraith, it was eerily accurate. I approached blind corners on the British Goodwood B- roads, forcing my brain not to manually select on turn in, rolling through the corner – and when I planted my right foot it was already back two gears, unnoticed by me, with plenty of grunt under the right foot ready to go again.

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