Dawn Black Badge joins Rolls-Royce’s noire collection

It’s the least powerful, but the most beautiful of the three

After the Wraith and the Ghost, Dawn is the third Rolls-Royce model to receive the Black Badge treatment. As we have learned from the previous two models, this implies black coating and a power boost.

Regarding the exterior color, this is, as the press release describes, the “deepest, darkest and most intense black to ever grace a production car surface,” as a result of the “most exhaustive painting and polishing process ever used for a solid paint color.” You’ll never, ever read a more profound text about paint than Rolls-Royce’s. The foldable roof is also black, and the shining chrome ornaments are blackened as well.

The (black) leather upholstery features black stitching, and the dashboard’s metallic bits are darkened; just to brighten things up a bit, Mandarin orange accents are used on the seats, dashboard, and door panels.

Dawn’s 6.6-liter bi-turbo V12 engine has been upgraded to 593 hp (601 PS) and 620 lb-ft (840 Nm) from the stock 563 hp (571 PS) and 575 lb-ft (780 Nm) of torque. Despite the power bump and re-tuned eight-speed gearbox, Dawn Black Badge’s 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint time remains unchanged: 4.9 seconds. Still impressive, though, for a 5,644-pound (2,560 kg) opulent barge on wheels.

Oh, one more thing: the Black Badge sans-roof Royce comes with a dual-mode exhaust, whose “Low” setting will create a “menacing bass-baritone” sound.