Wraith Ganer Valley
Mid-way through the road trip, taking a break at Garner Ranch in Garner Valley. (Photo by Freddy Sherman)
Wraith in palm Desert
I pulled over on CA 74 to admire the view over the Coachella Valley (Photo by Freddy Sherman)





The 2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge, with its semi-angry, 624 hp V12 engine is the most powerful Rolls ever produced. That 6.6L engine also gives you 641 lb-ft of torque propelling this massive coupe from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. It’s a thrilling experience to drive the Wraith, that V12 provides an amazing powerband that never seems to end. It does start a bit slowly, as if it’s unsure you really wanted to jump on it then just throws you back into the bespoke three color leather seat. Once launched, the Wraith’s special Black Badge exhaust offers a louder, more angry note than your average Roller.

Rolls Wraith rear view
The coupe has a swooping rear end (Photo by Freddy Sherman)

Rolls Wraith
Although huge, the Wraith has a dramatic profile (Photo by Freddy Sherman)





What is Black Badge?

Black Badge is Rolls-Royce’s new performance designation. The cars are more extreme, with special styling touches, special interior trim features and a more performance-oriented experience. The engines and suspensions are tuned for a more thrilling driving experience, compared to a “standard” Rolls-Royce.

Wraith dashboard
This Wraith has a primary interior color of Selby Grey, a secondary color of black and a tertiary color of Turchese (turquoise)
Wraith back seat
The sumptuous rear seating area (Photo by Freddy Sherman)
Rolls Royce monogram
Having the RR monogram on your headrests is a $1,450 option (Photo by Freddy Sherman)

The Wraith Black Badge

The Wraith is the two-door, four-seat coupe, paired with the Dawn which is the two-door convertible. The Black Badge Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever produced, offering up 624 hp and 641 lb-ft of torque from a 6.6L, 48-valve 60-degree 12-cylinder powerplant. You have a more sports-oriented suspension and special carbon-alloy composite wheels.

Rolls Royce Wheel
The Black Badge cars have Carbon-Alloy composite wheels (Photo by Freddy Sherman)





 

I took the Black Badge Wraith on a Southern California road trip, starting in the desert outside Palm Springs and ending in the mountains of Idyllwild. I drove the Wraith up the incredible CA 74, known as the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. It’s 50 miles of curving, two-lane mountain road that rises about 5,000 feet. On one side you have a cliff and on the other there’s a rock wall, so there is no room for error. It’s one of the country’s great driving roads whether you’re on four wheels or two.

Rolls ROyce Wraith Black Badge
The Wraith is a joy to drive (Photo by Freddy Sherman)
Rolls Wraith on side of road
Arriving at the Pines part of the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway aka CA 74 (Photo by Freddy Sherman)
Rolls-Royce Wraith
The Black Badge cars can easily be spotted with their black Rolls-Royce grill and black chrome Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament (Photo by Freddy Sherman)

The base price of the 2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith is $330,000. The Black Badge package is $50,000 and this car had another $75,900 in options, bringing the total to $461,250 (RR destination and handling is $2,750 and gas guzzler tax is $2,600).

Wraith window sticker
The window sticker of this Wraith Black Badge, showing all the bespoke options

You can see a vlog I did of the trip here on my YouTube channel.