When you think of a V12-powered car priced similarly to a Ferrari 812 Superfast and coming from the UK, you don’t necessarily think of a Rolls-Royce, do you? Understandably, you might think about an Aston Martin even though they too are about to drop V12 engines. Well, that’s what living legend Tiff Needell thought as well but he was surprised for his latest review to be invited to drive a Rolls-Royce Dawn.
Admittedly, these two cars don’t really have a lot in common. One is an ultra-expensive drop top that’s meant to get you and three other friends to the South of France in a hurry, with the top down, catching some sun in the process. The other is a proper hypercar, with probably the last naturally aspirated V12 ever to be made by Ferrari, screaming in your ears while you’re holding on for dear life.
The guys do make an interesting point though. As different as they may seem, these two cars actually end up appealing to a similar demographic and they both have their own shortcomings. For instance, the Ferrari doesn’t have rear seats but comes with more boot space than the Dawn, surprisingly. That’s because unlike other Rolls-Royce cars, with huge boots, the Dawn has to fold its roof in there and that, obviously, cuts into luggage space.
In the end, there’s no winner here. It’s obvious that, even though they do both have a V12 engine under the hood, they are serving different purposes while aiming at similar demographics. It may sound weird, I know, but people buying a Rolls-Royce Dawn might want to go a bit faster from time to time and for that, the Ferrari 812 Superfast is a very good choice. So while these two cars might both be purchased by similar customers, they serve different purposes. But they do combine to make a near-perfect dream garage.
