Rolls-Royce Wraith review: now a discontinued classic-in-waiting, and the driver's choice of the range
4.1/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The Wraith is the Rolls-Royce for someone who actually wants to drive, not be driven — a genuinely quick, tight-handling grand tourer wrapped in the usual isolation and craft. With production ended in 2023 and no direct successor, a well-kept example is arguably the most collectible modern Rolls-Royce on the Bahraini market today. The two-door body limits its everyday practicality and its long doors need real clearance in a tight car park, but as a weekend car for causeway runs, nothing else in the range is this good to drive.
Pros
- Most powerful and engaging Rolls-Royce to actually drive
- Production ended in 2023 with no direct successor — genuine collector appeal
- Satellite-aided gearbox is a real, usable piece of engineering
- V12 refinement copes effortlessly with Gulf heat
Cons
- Long coach doors need real clearance in tight Bahraini car parks
- Two-door body limits everyday practicality
- Same thin regional service network as the rest of the range
- Sedan-low ground clearance at unmarked speed bumps
At launch the Wraith carried the most powerful engine Rolls-Royce had ever fitted to a production car, and the tuning showed in how it drove rather than just how it accelerated: a genuinely eager, tight-turning fastback that felt closer to a grand tourer than the limousine-derived Ghost it was built on. The satellite-aided transmission reads upcoming corners and gradients from GPS data to select the right gear before you ask for it, which on the sweeping curves of the causeway approach is a genuinely useful trick rather than a gimmick.
Bahrain reality: heat, doors, parking
The V12 shrugs off 45°C without effort and the cabin cooling matches the rest of the range, but the coupe body brings its own Bahraini quirks: the rear-hinged "coach doors" are long and heavy, and need genuine clearance either side in Seef Mall or Manama valet parking — owners quickly learn which car parks to avoid. Ground clearance is standard-Rolls-Royce-sedan low, so the same speed-bump caution applies as a Ghost.
Production ended in 2023 with the Spectre taking over as the brand's electric coupe flagship, which means the Wraith is now a closed chapter rather than a car with a direct successor to chase resale against — a genuine collector dynamic that the Ghost and Cullinan do not share. Service reality is unchanged from the rest of the range: routine work is manageable, anything major needs the regional Rolls-Royce network and patience.
Buying used
Look for full main-dealer service history and check the satellite-aided gearbox software has had its updates; beyond that, the checks are the same as any modern V12 Rolls-Royce — air suspension, electronics and the usual attention to a car that has sat idle in the heat.