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28th January 2015 |
The open-top version of the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupé has been spotted cold weather testing ahead of its likely launch in 2016.

A test mule was first spied near BMW's headquarters in Munich last year, and these latest spy shots give clues as to how development of the car is progressing.

The open-top baby Rolls shares a wheelbase with the Wraith on which it is based and the same two-door layout. Despite the heavy disguise, it is possible to make out Ghost syling cues, including the front-end design and gently sloping rear deck.

The test mule has a hard-top cover, but this is covering 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 that of the Wraith, with the two cars set to share the same 624bhp, twin-turbocharged 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.

It's likely that it will go on sale in mid-2016, with prices set to start at around £250,000.