By AZLAN RAMLI
ROLLS-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur hosted an exclusive South East Asian preview of a Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith “Landspeed Collection”, last Friday.
The special two-door ultra-luxury coupe, destined for a Malaysian client, is one of only 35 in the world – and it is the only one in Malaysia.
Company director Anas Zawawi Khalid said: “As with many of the cars I bring to Malaysia, I try to make them unique. Not only do we have some of the most discerning customers here who appreciate true luxury, I also believe in the mantra: Rolls-Royce is Bespoke, Bespoke is Rolls-Royce.
“The Landspeed Wraith is Bespoke Luxury of the finest order, craftsmanship and an unwavering dedication to achieving the very highest levels of excellence.”
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Muller-Otvos, in a press release on the Landspeed Collection, stated: “The Landspeed Collection car is a celebration of human endeavour and fearlessness. Throughout history, Rolls-Royce engines have been used to power record-breaking vehicles – on land, water or in the air. It’s human nature to want to go further, do more, be greater than ourselves.
“The innate desire to extend horizons and define new limits is an instinct we’ve always understood at Rolls-Royce; and we have acted upon it once again with our new Landspeed Collection.
“The Collection, which includes both Wraith and Dawn Black Badge, celebrates someone with exactly that dauntless, fearless, pioneering spirit. His name was Captain George Eyston, a Cambridge University graduate, racing driver, gifted inventor and engineering genius.
“In the late 1930s, he broke the world land-speed record three times with his car Thunderbolt, powered by two Rolls-Royce R V12 aero engines. He was a true hero from an age of epic endeavours; yet both he and Thunderbolt have been all but forgotten for more than 80 years.
“With this Collection, we have revived Eyston’s memory and retold his remarkable story. Throughout Wraith and Dawn Landspeed, clients will find numerous subtle design elements and narrative details that recall and commemorate his amazing achievements, grand vision and exceptional courage.”
The Thunderbolt’s two engines had a combined capacity of 76 litres and 5,000hp. In it, Eyston set some land speed records in 1935-1938 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US, with a recorded top speed of over 575km/h.
The Black Badge Wraith Landspeed Collection presented to the media last week was in a two-tone finish – Black Diamond Metallic and new bespoke colour Bonneville Blue.
Explaining the car to the media last week, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited (Asia Pacific) product and sales operations manager Sven Grunwald said that the blue was an effect the sunlight had on Eyston’s silver aluminium-clad Thunderbolt.
There are other interesting design elements inspired by the Thunderbolt and its land speed record achievements, such as:
- Bonneville Salt Flats’ fissures on its dashboard and centre console wood veneers.
- Starlight Headliner with 2,117 fibre optic-lit “stars” recreating the celestial arrangement in the night sky above the Bonneville Salt Flats on Sept 16, 1938 – the day Eyston achieved his final land speed record.
- Landspeed Collection clock engraved with Eyston's top speed record: 357.497mph (575.335km/h).
- The three records and speeds achieved by Eyston in the Thunderbolt in 1937-38 etched near the control knob on the centre console.
- Silk inserts on the driver’s side door representing the ribbons of the three medals and honours awarded to Eyston.
- Faint dark streak along the middle of the driver’seat and top-middle of the steering wheel inspired by the similar streak along the Thunderbolt’s straight-line path on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
- Yellow highlights on the Wraith’s front bumper, its 21-inch rims and elsewhere around the car. Parts of the Thunderbolt’s exterior were painted yellow for Eyston’s team to measure the vehicle’s speed, back then.
While the Black Badge Wraith Landspeed Collection car is not made to achieve any speed record, it is still attractively powered – a 6.6-litre V12 engine producing 624hp and 870Nm of torque, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Together, they smoothly propel the 2.4-tonne luxury on 21-inch wheels from standstill to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Any Rolls-Royce representative will tell you that a Rolls-Royce – even this one that commemorates a land speed record-setter – is not about speed or outright performance, as it is about luxury, comfort, style and opulence. This one simply happens to have a very nice story to tell.
All 35 units of the Black Badge Wraith Landspeed Collection (plus 25 units of Black Badge Dawn Landspeed Collection) have found owners globally.
Also, with this Landspeed Collection, the Wraith model line has come to its end as Rolls-Royce has closed its order books. Yes, they are those things where you can’t buy one even if you have the mountain of $$$ for it; unless, of course, you are super-buddies with their owners!
