Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
GHOST SERIES II: THE MOST ADVANCED, DRIVER-FOCUSED V12 ROLLS-ROYCE EVER CREATED
08.10.2024 Press Release
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents Ghost Series II, a powerful, driver-orientated and elegant rendition of the most popular Rolls-Royce nameplate in history. In line with client requests, the subtle evolution of Ghost’s monolithic and self-assured external appearance serves as a potent stage for Bespoke commissions.
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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
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- Rolls-Royce presents Ghost Series II: the most technologically advanced and driver-focused V12 Rolls-Royce yet
- New exterior styling is an impactful evolution of Ghost’s foundational design
- Built with driving at its heart: includes uncompromising twin-turbocharged engine
- Incorporates Planar Suspension, Flagbearer, and Satellite Aided Transmission systems that underpin the driver-oriented chassis
- Integrates advanced digital interface, SPIRIT, and private members app, Whispers
- Enhanced audio system, internet connectivity, and video streaming functions
- Ghost Extended Series II represents an even greater canvas for creativity
-
Black Badge Ghost Series
II available to commission from launch
“Ghost is renowned as a uniquely expressive, agile, and
self-assured representation of the Rolls-Royce brand. At our
clients’ request, this new Series II iteration remains faithful to
these principles, incorporating a potent and uncompromising engine
and the essential potential for Bespoke. Meaningful exterior and
material updates make an even more expressive and impactful
statement. This new generation of Ghost also has extraordinary
handling capabilities based on a number of advanced chassis
innovations. This secures Ghost Series II’s status as the most
technologically advanced and driver-focused V12 Rolls-Royce ever
created — a side of Ghost’s character that our clients increasingly
and enthusiastically embrace.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
“Ghost Series II represents the fundamental tenets of Rolls-Royce
— serenity, effortlessness and elegance — distilled into an
expressive, monolithic form. Our clients asked for a design that
would provide a stage for their Bespoke colour and material choices,
whether quiet and restrained or bold and expressive. In line with
their requirements, Ghost Series II is characterised by meaningful
refinements that further enhance the motor car’s standing as a
potent canvas for creativity.”
Juliane Blasi, Head of Exterior Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presents Ghost Series II, a
powerful, driver-orientated and elegant rendition of the most popular
Rolls-Royce nameplate in history. In line with client requests, the
subtle evolution of Ghost’s monolithic and self-assured external
appearance serves as a potent stage for Bespoke commissions. To extend
their choices, clients now have access to interior finishes and
features never previously available on Ghost, as well as advanced
software technologies that see Bespoke enter the digital world.
BACKGROUND
Ghost is one of the most important Rolls-Royce motor
cars of the Goodwood era. The first generation was introduced in 2009
to meet the needs of what was then a completely new category of luxury
consumer. These clients, who were predominantly younger than those the
marque had spoken to with its initial motor car, Phantom, requested a
model that was more approachable and versatile. They also sought a
more distilled expression of the Rolls-Royce brand – and crucially,
one that would allow them to make their own statements through Bespoke
that they would relish driving themselves.
The second-generation Ghost, launched in 2020, advanced these
principles significantly. An object lesson in design purity, its
surface simplicity hid underlying design, engineering, and
craftsmanship of extraordinary complexity – and power. Indeed, it was
the most technologically advanced V12 Rolls-Royce ever created when it
was introduced. This was based on a number of impulses: to give
clients a pure, yet self-assured canvas for Bespoke commissions,
underpinned by a uniquely agile, driver-orientated chassis.
Ghost clients immediately recognised the impact that they could
make with Bespoke. This heralded an era of experimentation and
expression – from the ‘quiet luxury’ codes later popularised by the
fashion industry, to fearless and bright celebrations of colour.
Consequently, Ghost clients invest, on average, 10% of the purchase
price of their motor car in Bespoke.
Alongside its aesthetic treatment, the 2020 Ghost also took the
crown as the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce ever created.
In particular, its Planar Suspension System, which took engineers 10
collective years to perfect, produced a sensation of ‘flight on land’
never previously achieved in a motor car. With a 6.75-litre
twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine, plus all-wheel steering and
four-wheel drive, Ghost quickly became recognised as the most dynamic,
driver-focused model in the Rolls-Royce family and the perfect touring
machine. Indeed, clients frequently describe Ghost not as a saloon,
but a superlative four-door grand tourer.
When the time came to update Ghost, Rolls-Royce spoke to its
clients about their requirements. For them, Ghost’s potential as a
platform for personal, as well as engineering dynamism, was central to
its appeal. Respecting their wishes, Rolls-Royce made subtle but
meaningful design enhancements when forming Ghost Series II, and
incorporated the remarkable, uncompromising powertrain that wrote this
motor car into Rolls-Royce legend.
GHOST SERIES II: EXTERIOR
Ghost Series II is more closely aligned to
Rolls-Royce’s sheer, monolithic design approach than ever. The front
end has been distilled into a clean and contemporary showcase for the
illuminated Rolls-Royce Pantheon grille – an element of Rolls-Royce’s
design iconography that continues to be celebrated by clients
worldwide. Ghost Series II’s modern presence is captured in its
updated headlight and daytime running light graphics, which flow from
the lower section of the grille to the edge of the front wings,
dropping down to emphasise the motor car’s generous 2148mm width. The
lower portion of the front end provides a foundation for the grille,
augmented by new chrome embellishments that form a ‘floating’ visual
plinth for the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.
In rear view, Ghost Series II benefits from a new tail lamp
configuration, harmonising the side and rear surfaces. This treatment
was inspired by Spectre, each featuring two expressive, vertical light
panels flanked by a curved chrome element, discreetly inscribed with
the double ‘R’ monogram.
Clients can choose from two new 22-inch, 9-spoke wheel designs,
one fully- and one part-polished. Both treatments are an elegant and
modern complement to Ghost Series II’s contemporary yet timeless
design, and subtly reflect its underlying potency.
GHOST SERIES II: A NEW MOOD CREATED THROUGH COLOUR
For Ghost Series II, designers have also created a
new exterior colour, joining the marque’s existing palette of more
than 44,000 prêt-à-porter hues and Bespoke colour service, where
clients can craft their own shade and reserve it for their exclusive
use. Named Mustique Blue, this metallic finish captures the hues and
glamour of the Caribbean island it is named after, using glass and
mica flakes to create a shimmer that evokes sunlight reflecting from a
tropical sea.
The colour is also a reference to one of the earliest
driver-focused Rolls-Royces – a lightweight 1929 Phantom II
Continental prototype, which was finished in a similar blue hue. This
motor car was created for Henry Royce’s personal use and was one of
the first motor cars in history to use pearlescent paint, which at the
time was created using ground fish scales. It went on to win the ‘Prix
d’Honneur’, at the prestigious Biarritz Concours d’Elegance in 1930.
GHOST SERIES II: INTERIOR
The interior of Ghost Series II celebrates
craftsmanship, both analogue and digital. Housed in the new
pillar-to-pillar glass panel, the Central Information Display
incorporates the marque’s advanced operating system. This enables
clients to extend their Bespoke commission from hardware to software
as the colour of the digital instrument dials can now be tailored to
complement the motor car’s interior palette or exterior finish,
aligning with Ghost clients’ fascination with new and contemporary
ways to make Bespoke statements. SPIRIT also integrates Whispers, the
Rolls-Royce private members application, allowing owners to send
destinations directly to their motor car, view its location and manage
vehicle locking remotely, highlighting that clients increasingly view
their Rolls-Royce as central to a wider lifestyle experience.
Entertainment and connectivity functions have been significantly
upgraded for Ghost Series II. Rear seat passengers can now connect up
to two streaming devices to the rear screens, stream independently on
each screen, and select their preferred entertainment from a newly
developed interface, which also manages seating functions such as
massaging, heating and cooling. Bluetooth® headphones of any type can
be paired with the rear seat infotainment system, and all occupants
benefit from an upgraded Wi-Fi® hotspot and USB-C® charging ports
hidden discreetly in the centre console.
GHOST SERIES II: AN UNRIVALED SOUNDSTAGE
The peerless refinement of Rolls-Royce motor cars
creates the ultimate auditorium for sound reproduction within the
Ghost cabin. The marque’s decorated 18-speaker audio system further
evolves for Ghost Series II – it now incorporates an upgraded
1400-watt amplifier. This powers the marque’s peerless speaker design,
wherein cavities within the motor car’s aluminium sill sections are
used as resonance chambers for low-frequency speakers, essentially
transforming the lower section of the motor car into a generous
floor-standing speaker placed on its side.
For Bespoke Audio, this is further enhanced by two ‘speakerless’
exciters that, instead of using a cone, are bonded directly to the
inside of the Headliner, transforming it into an expansive overhead
sound stage. When a Starlight Headliner is selected in combination
with the Bespoke Audio System, the fibreoptic cables used to create
the celestial effect are compressed with a special acoustic membrane.
This prevents the cabling from reverberating, and also channels sound
down into the cabin. Two active microphones in the cabin constantly
monitor the balance of frequencies and automatically adjust the
amplifier to optimise the sound.
GHOST SERIES II: NEW EXPRESSIONS OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Ghost Series II benefits from bold new expressions of
contemporary craft, meticulously conceived by the marque’s artisans.
Alongside the Central Information Display, on the passenger side, is
the new Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet. This vitrine houses an
analogue timepiece and an up-lit, mirror-polished, solid
stainless-steel Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. She is placed on a stage
with a matte black back panel and high gloss side panels to create a
reflection effect. On entering the motor car, the Spirit of Ecstasy is
initially illuminated from below, as if she is being lit by a
spotlight, before her stage lighting settles to a soft glow.
Alongside this exquisite detail, and spanning the full width of
the passenger side, is the Illuminated Fascia – an advanced craft
feature that debuted with Ghost in 2020. With Ghost Series II, the new
Illuminated Fascia design looks to the stars for inspiration,
capturing the movement of the night sky in a design reminiscent of
time-lapse celestial photography. Clients are also able to create
their own Illuminated Fascia motif in collaboration with the marque’s
Bespoke designers.
A new interior material named Grey Stained Ash has been crafted
to complement Ghost Series II’s elegant design enhancements. Like so
much of Rolls-Royce’s artisanal expressions of luxury, this
extraordinary new material represents the coalescence of traditional
master craftsmanship and innovation. This richly-grained, natural
open-pore wood is stained by hand and enriched with microscopic
metallic particles to create a unique and highly contemporary
shimmering effect – a technique that took more than four years to develop.
Ghost Series II also continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration of
textiles with Duality Twill, a new rayon fabric made from bamboo.
During a research trip, members of the Rolls-Royce design team visited
Le Jardin des Méditerranées on the Côte d’Azur, which
neighbours Sir Henry Royce’s former winter home, Villa Mimosa. One of
the botanical garden’s defining features is an extensive bamboo grove,
which Sir Henry would have seen, that inspired this innovative fabric.
The twill textile is embroidered with a ‘Duality’ graphic, an abstract
interpretation of the interlinked initial R of the marque’s founders'
names. In another allusion to the French Riviera, the design hints at
the interweaving rope lines found on sailing yachts.
Duality Twill spent more than a year in development, in
collaboration with a master weaver now based full-time at the Home of
Rolls-Royce in Goodwood. Creating a full Duality Twill interior is a
highly complex process incorporating up to 2.2 million stitches, 11
miles of thread, and can take 20 hours to complete. Each panel is
individually prepared before being cut using a specially developed
laser that seals the edges to prevent individual threads from coming
loose. Once all panels are carefully positioned and stitched together
to create a seamless whole, they are used to upholster the seating.
The base twill textile is available in three colours – Lilac,
Chocolate and Black – and the thread is available in 51 different
hues, allowing clients to tailor their design according to their
character, creating a bold contrasting effect or a subtle monochrome.
Alternatively, clients may choose Placed Perforation – an
innovative contemporary craft technique in which small perforations
are made in the seat leather to create unique artworks. The
perforations vary in size to create the perception of depth, allowing
detailed and seemingly three-dimensional graphics to be created. The
initial pattern is inspired by the shifting shapes and shadows of
clouds over the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. It is composed of up
to 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimetre perforations, each individually
examined to ensure absolute uniformity.
GHOST SERIES II: ENGINEERING
At the heart of Ghost Series II is the marque’s
uncompromising, potent and near-silent 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged
V12 petrol engine and hallmark eight-speed gearbox. This powers the
all-wheel steering and all-wheel drivetrain. Maximum torque is
available from just 1,600rpm – only 600rpm above tick-over, creating
the perception of one, endless gear and the unique ‘waftability’
associated with the Rolls-Royce experience.
The celebrated Planar Suspension System of Ghost Series II
incorporates the unique Upper Wishbone Damper unit above the front
suspension assembly. This acts in concert with the continuously
variable, electronically controlled shock absorbers and
self-levelling, high-volume air strut assemblies to create an even
more stable and effortless expression of the marque’s effortless
‘magic carpet ride’. The five-link rear axle benefits from the same
self-levelling high-volume air suspension technology.
The suspension and chassis systems are augmented with the
marque’s Flagbearer System, which uses cameras to read the road ahead
and prepare the suspension for any changes in the road surface. This
is supplemented with the marque’s Satellite Aided Transmission, which
uses GPS data to select the optimum gear for exiting a corner
depending on the extent of its curvature. These technologies work as
one, allowing Ghost to anticipate and react to the most demanding
roads effortlessly, marrying peerless serenity with remarkable
dynamism and agility.
GHOST SERIES II: EXTENDED SERIES II: AN EVEN GREATER CANVAS
FOR CREATIVITY
Clients who seek the inherent agility and scope for
Bespoke that Ghost Series II represents, but require the indulgence of
superlative rear seating space, are invited to commission Ghost
Extended Series II. The motor car offers 170mm more space in the rear
suite, enabled by extending the rear doors and apertures only, which
preserves its elegant silhouette.
Clients seeking the most elevated expression of Ghost Extended
Series II can also commission the marque’s reclining Serenity Seating,
which recalls a private aircraft cabin experience. Like Ghost Series
II, a Champagne cooler can also be requested. Rolls-Royce specialists
consulted with a Master Sommelier and learned that the optimum serving
temperatures of non-vintage Champagne is, on average, six degrees
Celsius and for vintage Champagne, is broadly 11 degrees Celsius.
Accordingly, the cooler operates two cooling modes, chilling to six
degrees and 11 degrees Celsius.
These enhancements come at no cost to the motor car’s
exceptional dynamic capabilities. Indeed, Ghost Extended clients
almost unanimously commission this motor car for self-driving with the
benefit of enhanced rear seating space, rather than retain the
services of a chauffeur.
GHOST SERIES II: POTENCY AND INFINITE BESPOKE POTENTIAL
Since its launch in 2009, Ghost has captured the spirit of
Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood era, which is defined by clients’ desire to
express their connoisseurship through increasingly complex and diverse
Bespoke commissions. To satisfy this demand, Rolls-Royce is expanding
its global network of Private Offices, offering clients around the
world the experience of interacting with Designers and Bespoke
specialists based in their region, to bring their visions to life.
Furthermore, the marque has secured planning permission for a
significant extension of its Home at Goodwood in West Sussex with the
express aim of creating more space for Bespoke craft and technologies
to grow.
Alongside this desire for increasingly complex Bespoke, many of
today’s Rolls-Royce clients demand a driving experience that is as
potent and agile as it is composed, effortless and serene. This is a
balance that Ghost Series II strikes perfectly, at no cost to either
character –and without ever compromising the motor car’s standing as a
superlative and powerful super-luxury product.
CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.
- Ghost Series II: WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 357-346 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18-18.5 mpg / 15.7-15.3 l/100km.
- Ghost Extended Series II: WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 358-348 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.9–18.5mpg / 15.8–15.3 l/100km.