In 1913, Rolls-Royce sold its first Wraith in Belgium. Now 100 years later, the bespoke British brand has crossed the pond to officially debut the all-new Wraith, selling the first of the breed to a Belgian.
Speaking at the launch event Stephane Sertang, owner of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Brussels, the sole dealer in Belgium, said in a Rolls-Royce press release: “We are delighted to welcome the latest Rolls-Royce to Belgium. It’s not often that a new Rolls-Royce is launched, and we are especially pleased to present Wraith for the first time.”
Indeed, the all-new Wraith is stunning to behold. While it glimmers brightly in photos it is best experienced in the flesh. We recently had a chance to poke around the Wraith and were absolutely in awe of its beauty.
The interior of the Wraith is what enraptured us. Starlight Headliner, composed of over a thousand hand-sewn fiber-optic lamps, was absolutely stunning, even though it sounds sort of Disney and hokey on paper. In person it’s anything but.
Another fantastic design piece was the wooden door panels. Again, not a feature we though we’d be all that impressed by, but the care and craftsmanship with which it was completed was astonishing. The wood has a slight concave bend do it and has been finished off subtlety and not with a gaudy high-gloss finish like some automakers use.
Under the hood of the Wraith is something equally sumptuous as the wood and light accents: the twin-turbocharged V12, which will push the Wraith from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds.
We didn’t think we’d like the Wraith as much in person as we did. We imagined it a bit stodgy, a bit stilted. While it is very much an imposing presence, it’s also very welcoming and accessible.
Frankly, we’re a bit jealous of our Belgian friend who got the first one.