On the face of it, the new Rolls-Royce Dawn is a pointless car. If a big Roller with a huge engine and a quiet ride is what you want, what’s the problem with the Phantom Drophead? But when you get up close and personal with this exquisitely crafted machine that you start to realize why it is not only better than the Drophead, but could very well be the finest luxury drop-top in the history of cars.

Join AutoExpress’ News Editor Richard Ingram as he sails asphalt a light blue Rolls-Royce Dawn while discussing what makes this car tick:

Rolls-Royce Dawn is powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 powertrain which is the same unit they use in the Ghost and the Wraith. Here it is tuned for extreme smoothness and quietness, and makes 563bhp and 80Nm or 575 lb ft of torque. The fabric soft-top on this car has a very quiet movement as well, so much so that it’s called a ‘Silent Ballet’. The roof opens electronically in 22 seconds and can be operated at cruising speeds of up to 50km/h.

Despite everything the Dawn has going for it, if we were in the market for a four-seater luxury droptop, we wouldn’t spend £265,000. We’d save a hundred grand and get a Bentley Continental GTC.