The British marque has introduced the latest iteration of the Ghost at a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 6.95 crore. The new-generation Ghost is the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet and is based on the rigid aluminium Rolls-Royce spaceframe architecture. The new Rolls Royce Ghost reflects the ‘Post Opulent’ design philosophy, rejecting the superficial expression of wealth.
Exterior
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost gets an ethereal front-end character with 20 LEDs underneath the top of the radiator grille. The down lit Pantheon grille discreetly illuminates Rolls-Royce iconography. The overall length has grown by 89mm, compared to the first Goodwood Ghost, to 5546mm, and its overall width has grown by 30mm to 1978mm. Owing to the hand-welded aluminium body structures, the main structure of the car appears as one fluid canvas, uninterrupted by shut lines, recalling the coach-built Silver Dawn and Silver Cloud. The lower ‘waft line’ borrows from boat design and uses reflection to lighten the surfacing and create a pure, uncomplicated sense of motion. The new Ghost strikes a balance as both a driver-oriented and a chauffeur-driven car. A subtly arched roofline gently proclaims its dynamic intent. The rear end follows this sense of movement and resolves in a taper.
Engine
Under the hood, the new-gen Rolls-Royce Ghost is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine that produces 563bhp of power and 850Nm of torque that powers all-four wheels. The vehicle also gets all-wheel steering system. The vehicle gets world’s first Planar suspension system that is created through physical engineering developments as well as sophisticated scanning and software technology. It incorporates the upper wishbone damper unit above the front suspension assembly to significantly increase agility and effortlessness. The Planar software also manages information that requires new Ghost to proactively adapt to intrusions in the road ahead. The technology consists of a stereo camera system integrated in the windscreen to see the road ahead, adjusting suspension proactively rather than reactively up to 100km/h. The second is Rolls-Royce’s Satellite Aided Transmission system, which draws GPS data to pre-select the optimum gear for upcoming corners.
Interior
Interior components are tuned to specific resonant frequency to create a sense of serenity. The vehicle gets electrically open and close door function for easy ingress. each of the 20 half hides used to create the interior suite of new Ghost are subject to the automotive industry’s most exhaustive quality control checks to ensure that each of the 338 panels used is of the very best quality. Wood sets for new Ghost are available in an open-pore finish, such as – obsidian ayous and dark amber.
Developed over the course of two years and more than 10,000 collective hours, this remarkable piece brings an ethereal glowing Ghost nameplate, surrounded by more than 850 stars, into the interior suite of the motor car. Located on the passenger side of the dashboard, the constellation and wordmark are completely invisible when the interior lights are not in operation. The Bespoke Collective has chosen not to use simple screen technology to achieve the desired effect. The illumination itself comes from 152 LEDs mounted above and beneath the fascia, each meticulously colour matched to the cabin’s clock and instrument dial lighting. To ensure the Ghost wordmark is lit evenly, a 2mm-thick light guide is used, featuring more than 90,000 laser-etched dots across the surface.
Extensive engineering work was undertaken to ensure the Illuminated Fascia remains completely invisible while not operational. To achieve this, three layers of composite materials are used. The first is a piano-black substrate, which is laser etched to allow light to shine through the wordmark and star cluster. This is then overlaid with a layer of dark-tinted lacquer, hiding the lettering when not in use. Finally, the fascia is sealed with a layer of subtly tinted lacquer before being hand polished to achieve a perfectly uniform, 0.5mm thick high-gloss finish, matching other high-gloss accents incorporated into the interior.
Features
The company claims that the new Ghost is the most technologically advanced motor car Rolls-Royce has ever produced. Further equipment includes - LED and laser headlights with more than 600m of illuminated range, vision assist, including day and night-time wildlife and pedestrian warning; alertness assistant; a four-camera system with panoramic view, all-round visibility and helicopter view; active cruise control; collision warning; cross-traffic warning; lane departure and lane change warning; an industry-leading 7x3 high resolution head-up display; Wi-Fi hotspot; self-park; and the very latest navigation and entertainment systems.
