Rolls-Royce Wraith, a 624-hp fastback coupe, thunders into Geneva

Oligarchic automaker Rolls-Royce introduced an all new car in Geneva today, a muscular grand tourer. Though this vehicle is christened the Wraith, the appellation is not pronounced in the traditional manner, rayTH, but is rather intended to sound something like, Bentley Continental GT.

Tired of watching Crewe drive away with the profitable six-figure gran turismo market, Rolls has crafted its own handsome fastback in a similar mode. And it works quite beautifully. Though Rolls’ designs generally tend toward the assaultively upright, the Wraith’s appearance is much more Streamline Moderne, invoking the triumph of mechanical speed working in concert with nature, like a French locomotive.

The typically vertical grille has been recessed and relaxed, giving it the kind of jaunty, under-bite that James Mason might employ in playing a debonair villain. The pillarless profile has the elegant muscularity of a long distance runner (though the distended trunk cut at the base of the nearly horizontal rear windscreen looks a bit mini-mall laser surgeon.) Even the signature Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament has been canted eagerly five degrees, as if about to taunt Tantalus with a delicious drop of nectar.

The doors pivot from rear hinges, as if the Spirit herself was enveloping her cargo. Inside, four riders are surrounded by the usually perfect bombardment of polished natural materials—though in this case, the requisite wood arrives veneered into something called Canadel Paneling. This name has absolutely nothing to do with our neighbors to the north, signifying a treatment that is both breathtaking and peculiarly imposing.