The problem with outdoor evening events in Beverly Hills is that its hard to see the stars in the night sky. That lack of celestial illumination was made up for, however, by the two stars that graced the lawn of the Montage Hotel yesterday evening: a 1939 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and the 2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn Drophead Coupè.
Rolls-Royce had pulled out all stops for the North American debut of their new droptop, finding one of two Silver Dawns in the U.S. and having it shipped to Los Angeles for the event. The the contrast of the stately red and black vintage roadster to the sleek and modern Dawn was both informative and inspiring.
Dawn, which was introduced to the world in Frankfort last month, is clearly a close sibling of one of our all-time favorite GT cars, Wraith. Sharing the same chassis, transmission, and basic engine configuration with Wraith (though it makes 40 fewer horsepower), from the exterior Dawn is different beyond its convertible top. Seventy percent of the body panels are new which is most evident in the fenders that have a bit more curve to them, making Dawn just a little sexier than a Wraith.
Having seen it in person, it’s clear that Dawn was made for a city like Los Angeles where sunshine and roads made for cruising meet a high profile celebrity culture. I wouldn’t be surprised if 30% of the cars sales happened in this town. Especially after the reaction from those gathered on Tuesday night.