You’re probably wondering if I know how lucky I am, driving a couple of new, often fancy, cars every month. The good news is I do. I don’t take it for granted and sometimes I can’t believe the cars I get to drive. But on a few occasions, I am incredibly lucky, because I get to do something special for those who are close to me.

You may recall a couple of years ago I reviewed the Jaguar XJ and drove my niece and her friends to their prom. Recently, I was able to once again do something special.

Some friends of mine were getting married – after three pandemic postponements – and the groom asked if I might be able to review something that I could also drive him to the church in. No pressure – getting the groom to the church! I hit the emails and was rewarded with the ultimate result for my friend – a Rolls Royce.

The Wraith is gorgeous. With sweeping GT looks and poise, you’d be forgiven for assuming the luxurious feel of the other models from the iconic luxury brand would be missing from the Wraith. But you’d be wrong.

I should mention a little about the Black Badge range. The story as I heard it was that RR executives were visiting showrooms in the USA and realised most of the cars they saw had customisations they didn’t recognise.

Comfort, space and the ability to eat up the road in big chunks

After buying a Rolls in the US, owners drive straight to a custom bodyshop and upgrade everything! All money that was walking out of the Rolls Royce showroom unspent. Black Badge was born, offering more power and agility, and every customisation you could dream of – literally.

With torque and power in abundance, the Wraith is at home on the track or the road. And considering this is still a two tonne plus car, that’s an impressive achievement on its own. A true Grand Tourer, it combines comfort and space with the ability to eat up the road in big chunks, spitting out the miles behind it.

While it may be the more ‘affordable’ Rolls Royce, it will still set you back upwards of £300k (plus local taxes, so VAT at 20%) depending on your choices. There’s no option list with a Rolls – you state what you want and they deliver; a custom fitting service such as you’d expect from a Savile Row tailor. The Wraith is very much a car tailored to you.

Highlights include the star field roof liner – which features random shooting stars that kept the kids amused – the thickest carpets ever and a driving experience like no other!

It is an incredible piece of engineering as you would expect and wafts along in unprecedented comfort – perfect for groom transport then.
All that remains is for me to wish the happy couple the very best for their married life. Congratulations Tim and Kelly Robertson and thank you for inviting me to be a small part of your fabulous wedding.