Opulent Doors

Rolls-Royce has quite possibly the best naming convention of any auto manufacturer. The brand is synonymous with opulence, but unlike the elite-sounding Bentley Continental or Arnage, Rolls oozes cool. The Ghost and Phantom sound like the kinds of vehicles that Bond villains should drive, and the Wraith coupe shares a name with a 1980s Charlie Sheen movie about a spectral race driver who is back from the grave for revenge.

Coach doors, the term that Rolls employs in place of the popular slang “suicide doors,” are one of the most recognizable features of nearly every Rolls-Royce, after the classic slotted grille and distinct hood ornament. The Wraith takes these doors to the next level, with a rear-hinged design that opens at the A-pillar to provide a convenient and sophisticated exit to the driver and passenger. According to Rolls-Royce, the doors have been ubiquitous to the brand because of its legacy as a chauffeured vehicle. Female passengers in skirts can swing both legs out of the door together without having to compromise their elegance.

It has been said that a Bentley is a car which you drive, but a Rolls-Royce is a car in which you’re driven. Though this may be the case with the four-door models, the Wraith and its newer, smaller, convertible cousin, the Dawn, are certainly cars that beg to be driven. But there is no escaping the sense of presentation when you exit a Rolls-Royce at the valet. If great design hinges on the details, then the details and the hinges in the Wraith are greatness by design.

-Trey Fennell

2010 Rolls Royce Phantom Coco #53 Black & Taupe