On the road with one of the smallest Rolls-Royce in the model range. Small is relative because the Ghost measures 5.5 meters long. So it can't really be called small. The Ghost has been around since 2009 and has been tightened a number of times since then. The current generation is also due for an update that will come later this year. Still, we went out with the Ghost Black Badge 2021. If only to be able to see the color in real life.
Perfecting the best even further. Rolls-Royce says it is possible and is now testing the Series II of this generation Ghost. This generation has been running since September 2020 and that was already a major update on both a technical and optical level. The Ghost was equipped with four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, a so-called "Planar" suspension and a new illuminated grille. The "Planar" suspension includes additional dampers and mass designed to absorb high-frequency vibrations. The illuminated grille, the first of its kind to appear on a Rolls-Royce, features spokes illuminated by lamps located in the upper triangular portion of the traditionally shaped grille. With the arrival of this new generation in 2020, the end of the first generation was of course concluded, but not before a number of compliments were paid to this model. The first Ghost was a response to a whole new generation of customers, both in terms of age and attitude. These men and women asked Rolls-Royce for a slightly smaller, less flashy way to own a Rolls-Royce. The success of the product that Rolls-Royce created for them met the most ambitious expectations. Over its ten-year lifespan, which began in 2009, Ghost has become the most successful model in the brand's 116-year history.
Now four years later, here we are with the Ghost Black Badge. Not in black, red or silver. The PR department of Rolls-Royce loves extreme colors and what if you have the option to choose the color 'Forbidden Pink'. If the word forbidden appears in something, it is provocative and so it happened. Customers are free to select one of the brand's 44,000 ready-to-wear colors or create their own completely unique, bespoke shade. However, the vast majority of women and men who requested this darker expression of Ghost opted for the signature black. Rolls-Royce's PR department clearly does not, so we get into a pink Rolls-Royce Ghost at CITO Motors in Eindhoven and zoom towards the Rotterdam region. It is clear that the less desirable way of owning a Rolls-Royce has been completely thrown overboard in this way. People don't know what they are experiencing and the thumbs of young and old cannot be counted on one hand.
Driving around in a Rolls-Royce is like taking a warm bath. Step inside and everything is immediately recognizable. This may be due to the influences of a certain German brand, but that is beside the point. Rolls-Royce does everything it can to get rid of that by throwing its own sauce over it. More luxurious and better, that's what the Ghost is all about. Large comfortable chairs. A large but narrow steering wheel and lambswool floor mats. However, with the introduction of this generation, an option was also added that was only available on the Phantom at the time. The roof with the starry sky! And development is not at a standstill here either, because Rolls-Royce has not only been offering beautiful lights for some time now. It is also possible to watch a shooting star pass by. It's really details that the people at Rolls-Royce pay attention to and this is just one of them. We already wrote it, the interior feels like coming home. The touchscreen works intuitively, and the air conditioning is still controlled with large chrome buttons. No digital screens on which you set the temperature, but buttons on which you have to take a chance. It has some merit, but it also takes a while before you finally find the right temperature while driving.
Driving with the Ghost Black Badge is pure enough. Don't expect to be able to string together corners like a Porsche 911 or McLaren, but thanks to the addition of the steering rear axle, it has become a much more agile car. The turning circle has been reduced considerably, but more daily actions have also become easier. Consider parallel parking or maneuvering through smaller parking garages. With the arrival of this generation, the Black Badge package was also revisited. The drive and chassis were redeveloped, making the car even more reactive. This was achieved by changing the suspension to larger ones to reduce body roll. No worries about the damping. Every bump is smoothed out to continue offering the feeling of ultimate comfort. Not only that, the power of the V12 was boosted to 600 hp and 900 Nm of torque. 29 hp and 50 Nm more than normal. Not that you notice a sportier character with the V12. This releases power like a knife through warm butter. In addition to the technical upgrades, the Black Badge also gets a number of optical features. You can recognize it by the (illuminated) Dark Chrome Spirit of Ecstasy, illuminated Black Badge door sills, 21" Carbon aluminum wheels and black brake calipers.
Driving a Rolls-Royce Ghost comes with a price tag. The Specter is the cheapest at just under 400,000 euros and the Ghost shown here costs 420,658 euros excluding taxes. You can increase that price by visiting the Bespoke department of Rolls-Royce and, for example, having your seat belts covered with alpaca wool. Whatever you imagine, the professionals and women in Goodwood can make it happen. If you have the well-known yellow plates mounted on this Ghost Black Badge, you can be sure that you will spend more than 500,000 euros. This leaves the Ghost in a lonely class. You can dress up a BMW 7-Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class as much as you want, but you will never get these prices. However, you will not have Spirit of Ecstasy on the front and you will be limited to a smaller palette of colors than what Rolls-Royce has to offer.
