This is not just a facelift or reskin. Rolls Royce has completely redesigned this second-generation Ghost from the ground up, claiming that only the Spirit of Ecstacy bonnet emblem and door-mounted umbrellas have been carried over from the original model.
GOODWOOD, ENGLAND – The first-generation Rolls Royce Ghost, announced back in 2009, was aimed at a new generation of customers that were seeking something smaller and less ostentatious than a Phantom. 11 years later, the prestigious British carmaker is looking to indulge this more youthful clientele for the next decade with what it calls the most advanced Rolls Royce ever.
This is not just a facelift or reskin. Rolls Royce has completely redesigned this second-generation Ghost from the ground up, claiming that only the Spirit of Ecstacy bonnet emblem and door-mounted umbrellas have been carried over from the original model.
‘Post opulent’ is how Rolls Royce refers to the cleaner and more minimalist design philosophy employed here, which aims to reject “superficial expressions of wealth”. And while this might be the ‘compact’ Rolls Royce, it’s still a gigantic motorcar, measuring 5546mm in length, making it 89mm longer than before, while overall width grows by 30mm to 1978mm.
Power, agility and comfort
To make it as agile as can be expected for something of this size, the Ghost has an advanced all-wheel steering system, while the revised 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine pushes its 420kW and 850Nm to all four wheels. Furthermore, the car’s transmission uses GPS data to predict corners ahead and pre-select the most appropriate gear.
Of course, it’s comfort that matters the most in this waft-mobile, and to keep its well-heeled occupants riding on a cloud, the Ghost comes with a brand new ‘Planar’ suspension system that aims to create a “sense of flight on land never before achieved by a motor car”. It employs cameras that read the road ahead and prepare the suspension system for any changes in road surface.
Doors that open at the push of a button
Rolls Royce already introduced self-closing doors on the Phantom, but the Ghost takes things further with doors that can also open automatically following a pull of the interior handle. The car even has G-force sensors on each door, which allow for the same speed of operation regardless of the gradient.
There is a wide array of advanced driver assistance and entertainment features, and customers can look forward to the finest selection of leather and wood that money can buy. Rolls Royce also aims to delight occupants with a ‘star lit’ headliner as well as a new dashboard decoration that uses hundreds of LEDs to create a star pattern around an ethereal glowing Ghost nameplate.
This car had to be whisper quiet too, so engineers interrogated every single component and those deemed to be making an “unacceptable” noise were completely redesigned and this even included some drivetrain components.
However, to ensure that it makes the right kind of noise when called upon, Rolls Royce has a bespoke 1300W audio system, featuring advanced optimisation technology and high-precision magnesium-ceramic compound speaker cones, which are said to enable infinitesimal changes in sound with an outstanding frequency response.
IOL Motoring
