The Rolls-Royce Dawn has earned BBC Top Gear Magazine’s coveted 2016 ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ award, just days after the international launch of the car began in the winelands around Cape Town, South Africa.

The most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world, Dawn has won plaudits from some of the most highly respected international commentators, with many declaring that the new Rolls-Royce redefines the notion of a true super-luxury drophead.

The Rolls-Royce Dawn which has been named 'Luxury Car of the Year' by Top Gear magazine.
The Rolls-Royce Dawn which has been named ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ by Top Gear magazine.

Dawn, the fourth distinctive model in the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars family, is powered by an effortlessly smooth 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine and features a multi-layer foldaway fabric roof that, when in place, makes the Dawn the world’s quietest convertible car. Addressing the desires of a significantly younger customer base, Dawn delivers timeless refinement and is the most social car the marque has ever produced.

Naming Dawn its Luxury Car of the Year, Top Gear Magazine wrote:

‘Take the world of high-end goods. Sure, you can splash a few grand on a posh smartwatch if you’re suitably inclined, but the market for intricate, mechanically wound chronometers that are less accurate is worth millions more.

Would you rather wear shoes tailored by a hyper-sensitive 3D printer or a Jermyn Street cobbler? That’s why the Dawn is 2016’s finest example of automotive opulence. Why should every car be kneecapped by its cold, hard numbers? “Quality remains long after the price is forgotten.” Quite right, Sir Henry.’

“To be recognised by Top Gear and the rest of the world’s media in such glowing terms is truly gratifying to everyone concerned with our marque.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, commented, “Dawn represents the most glamorous expression of Rolls-Royce luxury in history. It is the product of the uncompromising commitment to delivering perfection that informs every one of the 1,600 highly skilled men and women employed at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex. To be recognised by Top Gear and the rest of the world’s media in such glowing terms is truly gratifying to everyone concerned with our marque.”

BBC Top Gear Magazine is on sale now.