Key Points: Urban Automotive Conversion, Bespoke Interior Theme, Rear Theatre Configuration, Starlight Headliner
The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a luxurious British saloon named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced by Rolls-Royce in 1906. Internally known as the ‘RR04’, it was designed to be a more measured and ‘realistic’ car than the Phantom, with a smaller frame and a slightly lower price point.
Following the departure of the first-series Ghost, the second-generation car was unveiled in September 2020. Built around Rolls-Royce’s ‘Architect of Luxury’ chassis, shared with the Phantom VIII and the Cullinan SUV, it provides a more comfortable ride than the BMW platform used on the first-generation car, while making significant weight savings.
The latest Ghost iteration features all-wheel steering and Rolls-Royce’s ‘Planar’ suspension, which incorporates additional dampers designed to address high-frequency vibrations. It has a new illuminated grille, the first of its type to appear on a Rolls-Royce, as well as the marque’s signature ‘Starlight’ headliner, which was previously exclusive to the Phantom.
The Black Badge is a high-performance variant of the Ghost, unveiled in October 2021 with additional black detailing, including darkened chrome plating on the Spirit of Ecstasy and Pantheon grille. It has exclusive 21-inch wheels made from carbon-fibre, while the cabin features a new carbon weave with diamond-pattern metallic fibres, an aluminium Black Badge symbol between the back seats, and a blacked-out clock with only the tips of the hands and the quarter-hour markers brightened in chrome. More voluminous air springs help to reduce body roll around corners, while the braking bite point has been raised slightly and the pedal travel decreased.
Under the bonnet is the same 6.75-litre V12 as seen on the standard car, tuned to produce 592bhp (up from 563bhp) and 664lb-ft of torque (up from 627lb-ft), driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The ‘low’ button on the gear selector stalk amplifies the Black Badge’s exclusive exhaust system, unlocks the full 664lb-ft of torque from 1,600rpm, increases gear shift speeds by 50%, and sharpens up the throttle mapping. The car accelerates from 0 to 60mph in 4.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 155mph.
This particular car has been fitted with some eye-catching modifications by the bespoke British tuning house, Urban Automotive. In addition to the standard ‘Black Badge’ specification, it features carbon fibre on the front and rear bumpers, front splitter, integrated rear diffuser, lower door sills and rear lip spoiler. Other enhancements include milled billet aluminium exhaust finishers, 22-inch Urban Automotive x Vossen UV-6 wheels in Gloss Black, and an Urban tailgate badge.
