Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Series II: Opulence with attitude
The Ghost model name is as old as Rolls-Royce itself. Or so the story goes. In fact, the car revealed by Charles Royce and Henry Royce in 1906 was called the 40/50 hp, but managing director Claude Johnson – who described himself as “the hyphen in Rolls-Royce” – nicknamed his 40/50 hp the Silver Ghost due to its “extraordinary stealthiness”.
The car in question was Rolls-Royce’s publicity vehicle, wearing the registration plate ‘AX 201’ and painted silver with an aluminium dashboard and silver-plated fittings. During 1907, it was subjected to a series of gruelling reliability trials that captured the public’s imagination, such as driving between London and Glasgow a total of 27 times – or 14,371 miles – without any mechanical issues.
Five years later in 1913, a team of works Silver Ghosts dominated the Alpine Trial, covering more than 1,600 miles in eight days at speeds of up to 100mph. Rolls-Royce had established its reputation as ‘the best car in the world’ and the Silver Ghost was already a legend in its own lifetime. Yet it would be nearly a century before the name made a comeback.
Real life with a Rolls-Royce
The first modern Ghost arrived in 2010: now an official title, as presumably ‘Rolls-Royce 563 hp’ wasn’t very catchy. Smaller and more agile than the flagship Phantom, it was designed for owners who liked to drive, rather than be driven, and quickly became the British marque’s best-seller.
The current, second-generation Ghost debuted in 2020 and recently received its ‘Series II’ facelift. All of which brings us, somewhat circuitously, to the car pictured here: a new Series II Ghost Black Badge. Hand-built in Goodwood, West Sussex, it’s yours for £325,800.
Now, I’d love to say that I recreated the Alpine Trial by taking the Ghost on an epic road trip across the mountains. Or even that I drove to Glasgow and back a few times. But the Ghost arrived a few days before I was due to move house, so it was given the unglamorous tasks of running errands, doing school runs and carrying boxes back and forth. Real life with a Rolls-Royce? Something like that.
Inside the Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge
The cosmetic changes for the Ghost’s midlife makeover are modest. The most obvious is the redesigned ‘Pantheon’ grille, now illuminated and framed by new headlights and eyebrow-like daytime running lights. At the rear, the tail lamps are inspired by those on the electric Rolls-Royce Spectre, while the car rides on a choice of 22-inch polished alloy wheels.
Inside, the Spirit infotainment system – a reskinned version of BMW iDrive – has been updated, the 18-speaker audio system is more powerful, the dials are now digital and there is a miniature Spirit of Ecstasy beneath the analogue clock. The passenger side of the dashboard also features a backlit artwork designed to represent a time-lapse photo of the stars. You don’t get that in a Ford Focus.
The Ghost’s 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine is unchanged, but Black Badge specification means power is increased by 29hp to 600hp, with torque up 37lb ft to 642lb ft. A ‘Low’ mode also increases automatic gear shift speeds by 50 percent and opens the exhaust baffles for a sportier sound. Let’s load up those boxes and hit the road…
Making it your own
Despite being the ‘junior’ Rolls-Royce, the Ghost is still an imposing car: already longer than a Range Rover before you even consider the stretched EWB version. In profile, it’s a classic three-box saloon (so much more dignified than the Cullinan SUV), with a strong shoulder line and rear-hinged ‘coach doors’ for your passengers.
I rather like the Black Badge’s darkened metal trim – think of it as a Ghost without the ‘silver’ – which looks less outré than gleaming chrome. However, with a palette of 44,000 paint colours, plus the option to create your own one-off shade, the rest of the car can be as subtle or showy as you like. ‘Valivian Lime’, seen here, is certainly at the bolder end of the spectrum.
Climbing aboard, the Ghost’s driving position is loftier than the norm, placing you on a level with many crossover SUVs. Your thighs rest on buttery-soft leather as your feet sink into deep-pile lambswool carpet. Switch on the seat heating and both the centre and side armrests warm up, too. Cold elbows will be a thing of the past.
Those in the back are even more sumptuously accommodated. Hold down a button on the C-pillar and the huge, heavy doors gently swing shut, sealing you off from the outside world. You can opt for a three-person bench or two reclining, airline-style seats, while options include TV screens in the front seat-backs and a champagne cooler.
Darker and more daring
On paper, the Ghost Black Badge, with a 0-62mph time of 4.7 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph, could be a rival for super saloons such as the BMW M5. In reality, it exists in a rarefied stratosphere all of its own, costing almost three times the £111,905 that BMW charges for its newest M car, and indeed £100,000 more than Bentley asks for a Flying Spur Speed.
That extra outlay can’t be justified objectively, yet there is something ever so special about driving in a Rolls-Royce: the smoothness, the serenity, the velvet-glove potency and the sight of Eleanor Velasco Thornton – the model who inspired the Spirit of Ecstasy – gliding elegantly above the road ahead. Even on the most mundane of journeys, it seemed to soothe my senses and lower my blood pressure.
Lest we forget, though, this Ghost is a Black Badge: a ‘uniquely driver-focused motor car’ that is designed to ‘make the most daring and self-confident statements’. So surely it’s capable of more than merely wafting around?
Well, yes. Selecting Low mode encourages the eight-speed automatic transmission to kick down earlier and hold onto gears for longer, accompanied by a hard-edged snarl from the twin tailpipes. Those 600 horses also mean the Black Badge can keep pace with sports cars in a straight line, but reach a corner and even the combination of air suspension, four-wheel steering and an active rear anti-roll bar can’t fully overcome its 2,490kg heft.
Verdict: Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge
While Black Badge specification gives the Ghost a more contemporary look and a shot of extra attitude, it doesn’t fundamentally change the car’s character.
Even if you remove price from the equation, this isn’t a factory hot rod like the BMW or even overtly sporting like the Bentley. For all its speed, its strength is still in covering ground in total comfort and with “extraordinary stealthiness”.
Nearly 120 years on, I suspect Charles Rolls, Henry Royce and Claude ‘hyphen’ Johnson would be pleased with how things have turned out.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
PRICE: £325,800
POWER: 600hp
0-62MPH: 4.7sec
TOP SPEED: 155mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 17.9mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 359g/km