Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke Design Studio has introduced a new one-off model called Wraith – History of Rugby. The coupe’s launch coincides with the rugby world cup that is currently taking place in eleven cities across England.
The History of Rugby was designed and built as a homage to William Webb Ellis, the man who allegedly invented rugby in 1823. As Rolls-Royce tells it, “with a fine disregard for the rules of [soccer] as played in his time, [Ellis] first took the ball in his arms and ran with it.”
The coupe gets an English White paint job that matches the color of the British team’s jersey, a subtle deep green stripe right below the belt line and a decorative rose — the symbol of the British team — on both fenders. It rides on 21-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.
The interior has been spruced up with piano black trim on the top of the dashboard and on the steering wheel, seats upholstered in an off-white leather called Seashell and rose emblems embroidered into the headrests. Model-specific sill plates round out the updates.
Rolls-Royce has not made any mechanical modification to the History of Rugby, meaning the sport-inspired coupe is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 engine that makes 624 horsepower and 590 lb-ft. of torque. The twelve-cylinder sends the 5,200-pound Wraith from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
What the future holds for the Rolls-Royce Wraith – History of Rugby is anyone’s guess at this point. However, envious rugby aficionados who aren’t the lucky new owner of this custom-built model are invited to pick up one of the limited-edition balls that Gilbert has manufactured using the same Seashell and Hotspur Red leather that’s found in the cockpit.
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