Rolls-Royce Dawn gets Black Badge treatment

Rolls-Royce has revealed a new Black Badge version of its Dawn convertible that it plans to officially unveil this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

As with the recent Wraith coupe and short-wheelbase Ghost sedan, the Black Badge lends a meaner look to the drop-top boulevard cruiser and engineering tweaks aimed to improve the driving experience.

The biggest change is the engine output hike for the Dawn's twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V12 to produce an additional 22kW/20Nm.

That means total power is now a towering 442kW/840Nm and the Rolls-Royce convertible is capable of sprinting to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds.

To help deal with the extra urge, the eight-speed ZF-sourced auto is said to be more responsive to the throttle. It also upshifts later in the rev range for a sportier, more urgent feel.

The Dawn Black Badge comes with revised suspension settings that are thought to comprise stiffer more reactive dampers, to reduce body roll for flatter cornering.

Ride comfort, engineers claim, has not been compromised.

Reigning in all that extra urge are uprated brakes that include discs an inch bigger (25mm) in diameter for more powerful braking power to deal with the Black Badge owner's more enthusiastic driving style.

Reflecting its sporty emphasis, the Dawn also bags a quicker speed-sensitive steering rack. The rack is not only more responsive than the standard car’s, but offers more weight at speed, boosting driver confidence at high speeds.

Stab the 'low' button on the transmission wand and it activates a valve in the Black Badge's new sports exhaust for a more menacing, deeper V12 soundtrack.

Externally, the Dawn Black Badge show car that Roll-Royce will reveal comes in deep black paint with a matching black roof. Instead of using wood, the show car gets a leather-wrapped rear deck.

Inside, wood is ditched for a carbon-fibre dash that boasts aluminium threads woven through it, while black leather is combined with orange highlights to brighten up the cabin.

The final touch is the smoked Spirit of Ecstasy – a mascot standard for all Black Badge models.

Rolls-Royce hasn't announced pricing for the Dawn Black Badge but the $695,000 Ghost Black Badge commands a $100,000 premium over its donor model, so expect a significant increase over the standard Dawn's eye-watering $749,000 (plus on-road costs) ticket price.