Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn Black Badge Landspeed Collection celebrates a record-breaker

The new Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn Black Badge Landspeed Collection is a limited-run offering celebrating Captain George Eyston’s record-breaking exploits.

Ever heard of Captain George Eyston? No, neither have we, but by all accounts he was a bit of a lad, and something of a genius – a sort of Rolls-Royce take on a Bentley Boy but with added smarts – a gifted inventor, engineering genius and racing driver.

In the 1930s he broke the world land speed record three times in his Thunderbolt car powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce R V12 Aero engines on Bonneville Salt Flats. And now Rolls-Royce is commemorating his memory and exploits with the Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn Black Badge Landspeed Collection.

Taking the Wraith and Dawn Black Badge – the ‘driver’s RR – as the starting point, Rolls-Royce has added a two-tone finish of Black Diamond and Bonneville Blue reflecting the skies over Bonneville and the salt flats, with two-tone yellow and black bumper inserts to reflect the black and yellow symbols Eyston used on Thunderbolt to heighten his visibility at speed for accurate timing.

There’s also the same yellow and black theme for the instrument dials, a starlight headlining in the Wraith with 2,117 fibre-optic stars recreating the heavens over Bonneville on 16 September 1938 when Eyston set his third and final land-speed record of 357.497 mph, a dashboard engraved with the Salt Flats’ fissured texture, the Thunderbolt’s silhouette and record achievements and more.

Rolls-Royce boss Müller-Ötvös said:

Rolls-Royce has been synonymous with adventure, daring and pushing boundaries throughout its history. We are delighted that with the Landspeed Collection, we can add another hitherto unsung hero to the illustrious roll call of pioneers associated with our great marque.

With his vision, boldness, determination and genius for innovation and invention, George Eyston embodies so much of what makes Rolls-Royce unique. These cars are a fitting and long overdue tribute to a truly inspiring character.

There will be just 35 Dawns and 25 Wraiths in the Black Badge Landspeed Collection.