I'm not a fan of the song, but I'm not a fan of the song. Since I left just a bit of time like a leader, I've got to fall, I am a lawless ninger. You went online to feel the wind and get a hitter. The work that I was on the verse looking back, We had all the reasons to split, And the leader final went to forever. The DK was double, a four, Went from up until us, went to forever. Yes! Welcome to the Rolls-Royce Don, In typical style, they have delivered me a drop head in the middle of February, on the one day that we have been hit by a storm known as Doris. So yeah, perfectly timed to drop the roof on this, but it is what it is. And if anything, it'll be allowed for doing it in 90 mile an hour ahead winds. Good times. Anyway, this is a car that I've been meaning to get hold of for quite a while. I had the incredibly fortunate experience of being able to drive the Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, It was just before the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year. And when I was in that car, I was pleasantly surprised by how dynamic it was. Now, don't get me wrong, that was the Black Badge. And as the name suggests, It was mildly pimped compared to your standard roller. Now, the dawn is based on the race architecture. So this does actually have the engine in it from the race. It is the same, 6.6 liter V12. However, because the ethos of the dawn is a little bit more chill, a little bit more cross-continental cruiser, a roof down, the engine is actually detuned somewhat. So the race is running 624 brake horsepower, incredible. Whereas the dawn is pushing out 563. So, needless to say, it's not hanging around, but it is of the ethos that is designed to chill a bit more. You are floating, wafting along on a bed of air. And I'm here today to experience what it's like. Truth be told, I am this year shopping for new cars. Now, I'm not saying that the dawn is going to be it, but it is new car year. There are some new cars coming, but I thought, you know what, this is the kind of vehicle that I've never owned. I've had very small amount of time in a Rolls-Royce, and my first flavor of the occasion was very enjoyable indeed. So I thought, you know what, we do have summer coming up, there's some road trips happening, and I am partial to a bit of top-down action. So let's check out what this thing's all about. Hit the beautiful windy blistery roads of the UK. When the 624-Military's family were low and low, I drove to collect the dawn in the 675-LT. Stepping out of that into this is like stepping out of a go-cart into a truck. You forget, when you see these things on the road, okay, you're aware that they have road presence and they're a big car, it's not until you're in it that you are piloting a road yacht. Its proportions are colossal. And even its ride height now, it doesn't look like an SUV, but when you're passing conventionally normal cars, you're like, yeah, I say, how does it down that's up? And you sort of, yeah, you sort of tower over them, you're a good yacht, you're a good yacht. You assume this very chilled demeanor you get in it, and if I could just take your attention for one minute and just listen, exactly, nothing. It is so beautifully tranquil in here. This is running a 6.6-litre V12 petrol engine, and when I started it up, I wasn't aware that it started up. That's not a bad thing, that's what's known as ultimate luxury. It is so subliminally quiet. You get in it, and right now, I'll plant my foot a bit. You're aware it's pulling, and by the way, it pulls. But it still wafts along in relative silence. It just gives you a nod that, yes, you are unleashing all 563 brake horsepower, sir. And here's the talk to massaging. And of course, unlike the supercars that I spend most of my time in, the power delivery in this is like, they've packaged up all of those horsepower, sent them to finishing school, and repackaged them with eloquence. So when you depress your right foot, yes, you're very aware that it is surging on, but it masks and disguises its power with this undertone of sophistication that I've honestly not felt in anything else. I always thought that a sense of occasion from a car mostly came from the sound, the sheer brute acceleration, its grip, its handling. As you've quite readily seen, I am very happy for regular pedestrians to drive past me as I wafed a line in my cloud of bliss. Because when you're in this going slowly, it's still an amazing sense of occasion. That's a range over there, for example. I would normally class as a car that I would drive steadily. Right now, I am the slowest car on the road, and I reckon I'm having the best time. And that brings us to the main point of this car, the fact that you can take the roof off. Now, earlier on, I was referring to this car as a road yacht, but when this happens, it is game-changingly awesome. And behold, this vast cave of legroom that is the rear of the dome. Let's hit it. Game changed. Now, don't get me wrong, driving bright coloured supercars, I'm fairly used to being looked at and potentially judged. But in three degrees in the middle of a nationwide storm, people are probably looking up and thinking, what's up? So, the other thing that's really cool about this car, of course, is for CETA, which means when you're born and about what you're made, they can all come along. There's nothing like the camaraderie of a bunch of you in an awesome car, dropped up down. So, straight away, I have to say that this thing, even though it's the least dynamic version of what rolls off of, I'm sure at some stage they'll do a black badge version of the dawn, which might be more my thing, but I am incredibly pleasantly surprised with just every turn of the wheel of this thing as well. I'm analysing just to see how plush it is, and you're going over part holes and ruts and bumps, it just glides over them. It's almost as if they aren't there. Earlier on, by accident, I went over a speed bump, a little bit too quickly. It was like it wasn't there, it just sort of skipped over it, and I thought, what's that speed bump? Just an amazing setup. So, complete opposite from what I used to, it's still fantastically more than. I'm not sure if the drop head dawn is right for For England, then maybe it's just a case of doing a season in it, potentially in Europe. I believe I could put the roof up on this, while I'm doing around 30 miles an hour, so let's try that. Yes, things are happening. Look at the roof. It's pretty fairly quick. So, if it was raining, there it is. Also, you guys might have picked up, that I have never owned a spider a convertible. I've never really been interested in them, and funnily enough, that was actually when I was younger, as I'm growing up, I'm not sure it's because I missed out, or again, I'm looking to expand my driving experiences. But back in 2011, I did the Gumball Rally in a Bentley Continental convertible, and when I approached that car, I was like, yeah, it's not really me, but Gumball, and it's cool. After doing that rally for a week, the sense of occasion that it adds to a car by taking off the roof, connecting your head with the sky, is such a beautiful thing, and it really adds to your whole driving experience. Now, I'm not sure if I should be looking for something like this, where I'm chilling, and just taking in the view, or do I want to connect myself with the visceral experience like I had in the 675LT back in Tenerife last year. Well, I think it's up to me to do a few more test drives at various things to see what's what, and I'm also aware that there are a few convertibles launching this year, which I might hold out for. So, let's see. Anyway, guys, as always, thanks for watching. See you next time. Ciao!