Rolls-Royce vehicles are generally crafted from materials like steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. In other words, plebeian scraps. For the Palm Edition 999, German tuner Mansory decided to add something something far more opulent: pure gold.
The Palm Edition 999 starts out in life as a run-of-the-mill $300,000 Wraith, but Mansory’s addition of 24-karat gold on the badges, door handles, and sill guards bring it to the next level. The wheels, hood, mirrors, roof, and bumpers are also accented with a gold-like metallic finish, as are multiple pieces of the downright stunning interior. If you’ve got the cash, though, the brand says it will gold plate any surface you like.
In true Mansory fashion, aesthetics are just one part of the equation. The Wraith’s 6.6-liter biturbo V12 has been retuned from the stock output of 624 horsepower to a lofty 730 horsepower, and torque has been similarly increased from 590 pound-feet to 738 pound-feet. With these improvements, 0 to 60 mph now comes in just 4.4 seconds. Top speed has been bumped up as well, because with the removal of the 155-mph limiter, the Palm Edition 999 tops out at 186 mph.
Just nine of the gold-laden Wraiths will be built by Mansory, and although pricing information is on a strict need-to-know basis, we’d bet the MSRP is high enough to make even King Midas blush.
In “standard” Rolls-Royce news, the automaker is currently testing a new aluminum platform that will underpin all of its future models. The lightweight design — appropriately dubbed Architecture of Pure Luxury by Rolls-Royce — has been developed completely in-house by the British automaker and is expected roll out on the brand’s first-ever SUV.
Tentatively named Cullinan after the world’s largest gem-quality diamond, the vehicle is expected to go head-to-head with the Bentley Bentayga when it arrives somewhere around 2018. Read more about the Cullinan here.
