When it comes to building the best luxury cars in the world, Rolls-Royce is in a class of its own.
Since its inception in 1906, the English automaker from West Sussex holds the title of “one of the most recognized icons in the world” according to the BBC. So, it’s no surprise the company is synonymous with the wealthy and affluent.
Surviving multiple mergers and demergers, the Spirit of Ecstasy finally found its forever home in Bavaria after becoming a subsidiary of BMW AG in 1998 — and hasn’t changed much since. With five different models that virtually all blend together, buyers are paying for a status symbol rather than anything truly groundbreaking.
This is where HotCars digital artist, Timothy Adry Emmanuel comes in. Known for his radical, performance-inspired styling, Timothy put his own spin on the company’s most underrated nameplate, the Wraith. Thus, giving birth to the world’s first Rolls-Royce ‘Hot Rod’ performance car.
A Meaner Face For The Rolls-Royce Hot Rod
Unlike most digital artists, rather than just adding a widebody kit, big wheels, and a lower stance, Emmanuel came out of the lab with an almost entirely new car.
First taking the Wraith’s bloated front end and shrinking it to its grille and the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament, Emmanuel then flipped the headlights in order to fit the Wraith’s new ultra-wide stance and massive P zero wheels.
Making our way up the hood, we come across the Wraith’s individual throttle bodies (ITB) — which make it obvious Emmanuel elected to keep the Wraith’s 6.6-liter V12 engine. Coupled with a massive side-exit exhaust, we can only imagine the throaty growl on this hot rod.
A Grand-Touring Rat Rod From Rolls-Royce
Normally, the BMW V12 that powers the Wraith is good for 623 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, however, we’d have to imagine it pushes closer to 800 hp based on the massive exhaust and ITBs.
However, unless you’re flush with cash — or like Jeremy Clarkson and his Bentley — chances are a Rolls-Royce hot rod build may never happen.
Fortunately, with RR’s long history of severe depreciation, a Wraith build might only be a handful of years away. Just ask the Hoonigan boys and their hellcat-swapped Rolls-Royce Aptly dubbed “Slay Poupon” and how much joy it’s brought them.
How Much Is The Rolls-Royce Wraith Today?
According to Classic.com, the Rolls-Royce Wraith is worth an average of $206,000, with the 2016 model being the cheapest at around $167,000, but values dance around as always, with the whole range oscillating between $130,000-$370,000. It’s not a cheap car to buy, but depreciation still runs its course with Rollers.
With model years running from 2014-2021, the car got discontinued due to impending regulations on the aging platform – the 6.6-liter V12 isn’t a great commercial for efficiency or climate consciousness, and new platforms and electric powertrains would soon render this awesome barge obsolete anyway.
The Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan and Spectre are the current models in the range, with the all-electric Spectre becoming the new 2-door coupe in the range following the departure of the Wraith.
The Cullinan is an SUV – yep, even Rolls-Royce succumbed to the SUV craze – and the Phantom and Ghost are four-door sedans.
