Rolls-Royce Dawn Silver Bullet lands in Oz

One of the most exotic and expensive Rolls-Royce cars of recent times, the Dawn Silver Bullet, is now in Australia.

It was snapped up by its new owner within days of landing Down Under for display in Brisbane, despite a price tag of $893,000 before on-road costs and taxes.

As fans of the famed British brand continue to buy big, Rolls-Royce sales hit an all-time high of 55 cars in 2019, only dropped by 26 per cent amid the COVID pandemic in 2019, and are now tracking for another record after 12 deliveries in the first three months of this year.

It’s not just the raw numbers, but also the type of cars that demonstrate the popularity of Rolls-Royce among Australian buyers.

“Australia is a driver’s market. And it’s the third-largest in the region, after Japan and Korea,” Rolls-Royce Asia-Pacific spokesman Hal Serudin told carsales from Singapore.

“Australia is very much becoming a destination of highly-bespoke cars for Rolls-Royce. What that means is that the customers are luxury cognoscenti. They are picky, they want a special car.

“Every time I talk to people it’s about Bespoke. Almost every Rolls-Royce we deliver now has some sort of Bespoke element.”

According to Serudin, the Silver Bullet is one of only 50 in the world and the result of a heavy development program to create a sporty two-seater package based on the Dawn. One of the key elements is the aero cowling behind the seats and the car also has a special silver paint.

The Silver Bullet name comes after a series of models – Silver King, Silver Silence and Silver Spectre – that track back to the 1920s.

Some of the elements of the Silver Bullet are familiar from recent work on Rolls-Royce’s Black Badge cars, including darked bumpers and headlights, as well as part-polished alloys.

Mechanically, the car is unchanged from the Dawn, but the aero cowling is unique – incorporating a pair of lockable leather-lined storage bins – and the cabin includes open-pore carbon-fibre panels and a quilted transmission tunnel.

According to Serudin, demand for future limited-edition cars is reflected in the purchase of a Wraith Kryptos coupe and strong interest in the Tempus Collection version of the flagship Phantom.

“[In another example of] what’s been happening in Australia, we’ve just sold a Wraith Kryptos – also one of 50 – out of Sydney,” he said.

“There is a growing trend for two-door cars. And Black Badge has been very successful.”

Production of the all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost is ramping-up in Britain and Serudin says there is a considerable waiting list for Australia.

“Ghost production is chock-a-block. We are not seeing availability until the end of the year,” he said.

“We’ve got orders for Ghost Extended. And the first order for Ghost was for a Ghost Extended.

“It’s an interesting mix at the moment. Ghost is coming in, Phantom is niche, and overall Black Badge is one of the strongest.

“We are hearing about all manner of things that people want. And then delivering a car to them three to six months later.”