Rolls-Royce has unveiled the Dawn convertible, which the company says is the sexiest car it has built.
   While some Rolls-Royce cognoscenti might be able to think of some classic models that deserve that title, the Dawn is a well balanced, well designed convertible in the modern range.
   Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös​ tells model and TV host Jodie Kidd in the launch video below that the Dawn will appeal to a younger, more social customer than the Phantom Drophead, which it sees as the last word in glamorous, open-top motoring. Like the Phantom, it seats four properly.
   In a release, he said, ‘Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date, and begins a new age of open-top, super-luxury motoring. Dawn is a beautiful new motor car that offers the most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world. It will be the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world’s most exclusive social hotspots.’
   Rolls-Royce design director Giles Taylor says the chrome line that rises from the A-pillar is meant to convey a sense of protection and a convivial atmosphere for its occupants.
   Rolls-Royce engineering director Philip Köhn insists that it is not simply a convertible version of the Wraith, but a model line in its own right, with its own character, with 80 per cent of the exterior body panels unique to it.
   However, mechanically, it shares a great deal with the Wraith, which itself is a highly engineered sports car, including the twin-turbo 6·6-litre V12. Where the Dawn differs under the skin is with its suspension and active roll bars, while the tyres are also not shared.
   The roof, which Köhn says is the engineering highlight of the Dawn, rises in 22 s and can be operated while the car is travelling up to 50 km/h.
   The new car takes its name from the Silver Dawn, a range which included a very rare convertible that the company made from 1949 to 1955. The earlier convertible served as inspiration.
   Rolls-Royce says the Dawn is the most torsionally rigid four-seater convertible available, and that it is the quietest one ever made.
   Retail price is expected to be over £250,000.