Rolls-Royce: Farewell to the Dawn era

After the success of the Phantom, Phantom Coupé and Phantom Drophead Coupé models, an increasingly younger clientele was attracted to the noble brand. The new clientele demanded a car that, while representing glamour and romance, was in tune with contemporary taste and lifestyle.

La dolce vita on wheels

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös recognized that there was room in the product portfolio to meet the wishes of these customers. The vehicle was to be completely new. However, the designers also drew inspiration from earlier periods in the company's history. Between 1950 and 1954, Rolls-Royce built 28 examples of the Silver Dawn Drophead Coupé.

The elegant original embodied the spirit of the times, immortalized in the expression La dolce vita - as an invitation to enjoy every moment and reflect on the pleasures of life. The expression was also made famous by Federico Fellini's film. The pure, simple form was inspired by the fashion of the 1950s and 1960s, which evoked glamour by removing superfluous lines and textures.

Importance of the driving experience

In one respect, however, Dawn broke with an established convention in automotive design. Convertibles are often designed in a 2+2 configuration, with full-size seats for the driver and front passenger and two smaller seats in the rear. In contrast, the Dawn was a full four-seater with comfortable individual seats.

Rolls-Royce also recognized the importance of the driving experience for many of the younger customers for whom the Dawn was created. As such, the car featured a near-silent 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 engine with 563 horsepower, and the chassis provided the brand's signature Magic Carpet Ride. Beyond its desirability, the Dawn brought the spirit of la dolce vita to Rolls-Royce's contemporary brand promise by combining seductive design, modern materials and an emotional open-air driving experience.

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