For a fleeting moment, an air of silent and rarefied civility descended upon the super-car paddock at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last Sunday as a Rolls-Royce Wraith, resplendent in Ensign Red with contrast Jubilee Silver coachwork, settled into its starting position at famous Hillclimb.

There was nothing more to disturb the reverential hush of one of the weekend's most hotly anticipated moments than an appropriately ethereal puff of smoke from the rear tyres as Hillclimb legend Joerg Weidinger summoned all 624 BHP to effortlessly urge the most powerful Rolls‑Royce in history up the famous course.

Even at speeds well in excess of 140 mph, the loudest noise you could hear was, for once, not the ticking of the electric clock, but the sound of gasps from the awestruck crowd as Weidinger expertly piloted the world's most supremely luxurious Gran Turismo with staggering pace and poise.

Wraith crossed the line at 106mph, completing the 1.16-mile course in 57.21 seconds, placing it ahead of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale Centennial Edition (59.00), the Bentley Continental GT (60.65), the Maserati GranCabrio MC (60.66) and the Porsche 918 Spyder 'Weissach' (61.37)..