ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

Facelifted junior Rolls gains the sporting flavour of a Black Badge fettling

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With this week’s road test, we check in on the latest developments concerning two of Rolls-Royce’s more popular modern inventions. The Ghost limousine - now on sale asa facelifted Series II take on its second-generation form ~is the first of them and the antitraditional Black Badge derivative phenomenon is the other.

The Ghost first arrived in 2009 as aslightly smaller, more usable and less formal foil for the traditional Phantom. It broadened RollsRoyce’s customer base significantly and also attracted a significantly younger audience.

That car became one of the first to receive a Black Badge design treatment, in 2016. Intended as an effective counterpoint to the more traditional luxury design idioms of the firm’s ‘mainstream’ models, Black Badge variants adopt subversive, alternative materials and features to appeal to buyers less enamoured of the ‘age of grandeur’ that Rolls-Royce has typically catered to and more motivated by contemporary design trends.

The Black Badge Rolls-Royce has proven a commercial success and now accounts for 25% of the firm’s sales volume. With this Ghost Series II, ittakes a subtle but significant development step in sporting character and engineering scope. The resulting car has been described by its maker as the most agile and driver-focused limousine the firm has created. Stand by to find out what, precisely, that means.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

★★★★★

PROS Subversive-looking but not OTT; some hardware and chassis mods lift the application of ‘Black Badge’ above the cosmetic.

CONS No more power than the pre-facelift Black Badge.