Rolls-Royce Wraith convertible in the works

An open-top version of the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupé is being readied ahead of its likely launch at the Geneva motor show next March. Rolls-Royce boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös confirmed to our sister magazine Autocar UK late last year that the model would launch in 2015.

The open-top baby Rolls is expected to have the same two-door layout and wheelbase as the Wraith on which it is based.

The Wraith convertible will come with a hard-top cover, there will be a soft-top that will appear on the production car, something that also appears on the Phantom Drophead Coupé.

The mechanical make-up is expected to be almost identical to the Wraith coupé, with the two cars set to share the same 624bhp, twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 engine. The new open-top model is likely to offer a less focused drive than the Wraith, which is billed as the most dynamic Rolls-Royce model available.

The new model is provisionally known as Wraith Drophead Coupé, which would follow the naming convention of the larger Phantom family. However, Rolls could look to give the model its own bespoke name, with Corniche one possible option, a badge that is understood to appeal to senior BMW and Rolls-Royce management.

Giving the open-top model its own distinct name would also fit in with the naming strategy of the Ghost family; the Wraith was given its own bespoke badge rather than taking the name Ghost coupé, after the model on which it is based.

This model is expected to get its first public unveiling at the Geneva Motor show in March 2015.