By Roshan P Cherian/Staff Reporter


Rolls-Royce unveiled its Dawn drophead to the Middle East market at the recent Dubai Motor Show.
The car meets the demand for a “true four-seater” Rolls Royce coupe and the firm has responded to customers with its customary “uncompromising attitude to design”, according to officials.
To go with the magnificence of the Rolls-Royce two-door and controlled exposure to good weather, one also gets four full seats.
Rolls-Royce sought to get past the conventional “2+2 configuration”, which in its view “favoured the driver and passenger and left two smaller seats for children and occasional passengers”.
Getting into the rear seats past the coach doors is a breeze, and one can walk right into a place where astounding comfort and luxurious detail are standard.
With the roof up, the car is a fortress of solitude and silence, even in the hustle and bustle of the motor show’s main event area.
Rolls-Royce considers the development of the roof a signal achievement. The soft top “operates in almost complete silence and deploys in just over 20 seconds at a cruising speed of up to 50kph”.
The Dawn’s roof is the second largest fabric roof applied to a current production car, second only to that of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.
Rolls-Royce also sought to differentiate this car from present models: “Contrary to media speculation, the new Rolls-Royce Dawn is not a Wraith drophead. Eighty per cent of the exterior body panels of the new Dawn are newly designed to accommodate and encapsulate the four-seat drophead architecture.”
Regional director for Rolls Royce Motor Cars Brett Soso spoke to this reporter about the new Dawn.
“The focus is a true four-seater as called for by customers. The clients also wanted something with a boot they could actually use,” said Soso. “The Dawn is one of the most social super luxury vehicles built.
“The aim from a design standpoint was to build a car that is magnificent with the roof up and gorgeous with the roof down.
“A key element of the design was to create a car that is dynamic in nature. To bring out that aspect, it features very large doors and a small window - giving it a hot rod feel,” Soso elaborated.
“The car also needed to be as silent inside as a hardtop car. The noise levels are indeed equal to that of a hardtop.
“The biggest challenge for a firm like Rolls-Royce is making a customer’s dreams come true, which is achieved through our unrivalled bespoke programme.
“Our clients are incredibly successful people. Making their dreams reality and making something rare is critical.”
One customer had a request that a tree on his estate, which had ‘died’, be integrated into the car’s interior, he recalled. “Now, that tree, which was dear to him, lives on in his car. Now, somebody has a car that is a one-off in every respect.”
“Another client had a request to make a car for his wife in her favourite shade of pink nail varnish. Creating the exact colour was another challenge,” said Soso. “Rolls Royce also has something special in its ‘unmatched magic carpet’ ride - which is something I would mark out as making its vehicles different.
“A certain CEO famously said there are only two cars you could step into blindfolded and know where you are - a Rolls-Royce and a Ferrari.”
Soso said customers in the Middle East are “incredibly humble, incredibly focused and know exactly what they want.”
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha is the sole distributor of Rolls-Royce vehicles in Qatar.