Rolls-Royce Motor Cars this morning revealed the next-generation version of its Ghost sedan. The new Rolls-Royce Ghost carries over nearly nothing from the current model in a move designed to bring the automaker to the height of bespoke luxury while maintaining a heaping helping of brand identity.
The most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet reflects the company’s “Post Opulent” design philosophy. It’s a new take on what it means to have wealth, coming into fruition on a car that bears one of the oldest monikers in the company’s lineup.
The car comes with all-wheel drive.Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
“The first Goodwood Ghost was a response to a whole new generation of clients, both in age and attitude. These men and women asked us for a slightly smaller, less ostentatious means to own a Rolls-Royce,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in a statement. “The success of the product we created for them fulfilled our most ambitious expectations. Over its ten-year lifespan, which began in 2009, Ghost has become the most successful model in the marque’s 116-year history.”
The design is simpler and more narrowly focused for the client. A Ghost owner isn’t looking for the over opulence that a Phantom owner is, nor are they seeking the off-road prowess of the Cullinan. There’s a certain simplicity and elegance to the design that maintains and builds on the expected super luxury experience.
Underpinning the new model is Rolls-Royce’s aluminum Architecture of Luxury – the same as the Phantom and Cullinan. It has the world’s first Planar Suspension System, which is designed to increase the car’s agility while delivering an effortless drive experience. The Planar Suspension System replaces the traditional Magic Carpet Ride experience, advancing the achievement of a stable and serene ride after 10 years of development. The technology is reserved for Rolls-Royce despite the fact that the company is part of the large BMW Group family.
Rolls-Royce has achieved perfect 50:50 weight distribution in the model.Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Some of the car’s easy maneuverability is down to the car’s 50:50 weight distribution. Rolls-Royce has made the Ghost longer and wider than before. These changes allow for all-wheel drive.
The Ghost’s body is crafted from one piece of aluminum meaning there are no seams in the bodywork. One hundred percent aluminum laser-welded doors are in place on the model. The door structure saves weight compared to steel and keeps out more noise than steel would.
At its front is the company’s signature Pantheon grille. In the new Ghost, it is down lit by 20 LEDs to illuminate Rolls-Royce iconography. LED and laser headlights flank the grille. The Spirit of Ecstasy has taken her traditional place on the hood.
The model is powered by the company’s hallmark twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12 engine. It delivers 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Larger intake porting has allowed the engine to breathe better and pass along less noise to the cabin.
Effortless isn’t just for the drive experience. The car’s electronic doors now open and close (before they just glided shut with the press of a button).
Rolls-Royce has tuned the car’s interior components to a specific resonant frequency to increase the feeling of serenity for occupants. That tuning has led to a near-silent interior. Engineers toyed with a completely silent interior but found the result “disorientating” so a soft undertone was added.
Uniquely, the car is the first application of Rolls-Royce’s Illuminated Fascia, which features the Ghost nameplate surrounded by over 850 LED “stars”.
Rolls-Royce has given the car a Micro-Environment Purification System. The system channels all cabin air through a nanofleece filter.
Drivers sit behind the wheel and in front of a 7×3 high-resolution head-up display. The car also has a Wi-Fi hot spot, self-parking capability, navigation, and an entertainment system.
The car retains the available Starlight Headliner.Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce has given the car a bespoke 18-channel 1,300-watt audio system. The system features exciter and cone-type speakers, all bonded to the surface of an object.
It has a 17.9 cubic foot trunk giving the model more space than a Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, and most versions of the BMW 5 Series.
The car comes with a number of safety features including vision assist with day- and night-time wildlife and pedestrian warning, alertness assist, a four-camera system with panoramic and helicopter view, adaptive cruise control, collision warning, cross-traffic alert, and lane departure and change warning.
