Rolls-Royce Ghost: First Look

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars New Rolls-Royce Ghost
Today Rolls-Royce debuted the next-generation Ghost — the most technologically advanced car ever from the luxury marque, and successor to the first Ghost built at the Goodwood production facility in West Sussex, England. With this new Ghost, Rolls-Royce continues to pursue the brand’s standards of perfection in design, engineering and craft in a more approachable model.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience Rolls-Royce Ghost
When the Ghost debuted in 2009, it revived and derived its name from the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost introduced in 1906 and produced through the 1920s. The Ghost was an all-new car that Rolls-Royce created for a buyer who was looking for a slightly smaller, more modest model than the flagship Phantom. That formula worked, and the Ghost became the most successful Rolls-Royce model ever during the last 10 years.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars New Ghost Design
Rolls-Royce describes the new Ghost as reflecting a pure and minimalist design aesthetic, interestingly dubbed “Post Opulence” early in its design and development. And yet with this focus on purity of design, the front end of the next-gen Ghost displays a larger Pantheon grille — and it is even lighted for more prominence. Twenty LEDs are tucked under the top of the grille to illuminate the veins from above, with special attention paid to materials and finish to create a subtle glow that highlights the iconic Rolls-Royce grille design.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ghost Profile
In profile, a single line emphasizes the length of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost — a lower line borrowed from boat design uses reflection to lighten the surface and create a sense of motion. The roof has a subtle arch and the window openings for the front and rear doors are nearly equal. At the rear, the flanks taper into the nearly square taillights — a hallmark of recent Rolls-Royce designs.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars New Architecture
The new Ghost gets built on Rolls-Royce’s aluminum spaceframe architecture, first used for Phantom and then the Cullinan SUV before becoming the platform for the second-gen Ghost. Adopting the new architecture allowed engineers to place the engine behind the front axle. The new design also adopts all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering and a new suspension system.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Planar Suspension System
To deliver the signature Rolls-Royce “Magic Carpet Ride,” the Ghost’s redesigned suspension — called the Planar Suspension System — features a world-first Upper Wishbone Damper Unit for the front suspension, developed to further improve the continuously variable, electronically controlled shock absorbers. The self-leveling high-volume air strut assemblies combine with what Rolls calls the Flagbearer system, which use cameras to read the road ahead. At the rear, a five-link axle benefits from the same self-leveling high-volume air suspension technology, as well as rear-wheel steering. Both axles are managed by Rolls-Royce Planar software.

Under the Hood
The new Ghost is powered by a 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 engine producing 563 horsepower and 627-lb-ft of torque at 1600 rpm, delivered to all four wheels through a satellite-aided transmission that uses satellite data to shift to the correct gear for upcoming corners or terrain. The Planar software controls the all-wheel drive, the all-wheel steering, the stability control and a self-drying brake system to ensure that Ghost is adapting to all changes in surface and grip level.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Illuminated Fascia
An extension of the Starlight Headliner — which has become an iconic feature of recent Rolls-Royce models — the new Ghost features an Illuminated Fascia located on the passenger side of the dashboard. The fascia features a glowing Ghost nameplate surrounded by more than 850 “stars” to create a unique and special signature. The Illuminated Fascia is not simply a screen, but a complex system of 152 LEDs mounted above and beneath the fascia, employing a light guide with 90,000 laser-etched dots on the surface to disperse the LED light while also creating a twinkling effect. The Illuminated Fascia is invisible when not in use — the top layer is sealed with tinted lacquer and polished to match other elements of the interior.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Interior Luxury
Designers followed a minimalist approach for the Ghost interior as well, focusing on the finest materials: leather, wood and metal. Leather hides used for the interior undergo an extensive quality-control process to ensure they are of the highest quality. Rolls-Royce says the interior stitching avoids complex, busy patterns to focus on long, perfectly straight lines.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Wood and Metal Trim
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost offers open-pore wood that displays the material in its natural state. Two new finishes are offered: Obsidian Ayous and Dark Amber. Obsidian Ayous is inspired by colors found in lava rock, and Dark Amber integrates veins of fine aluminum into the dark wood. As with the leather, the wood is applied in long single-veneer sections.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Technologically Advanced
As the latest Rolls-Royce model, this new Ghost is the most technologically advanced car ever from the luxury marque. The combination LED and laser headlights have nearly 2000 feet of illuminated range. Other advanced features include vision assist with wildlife and pedestrian warning; alertness assistant; self park; as well as a four-camera system with panoramic view, all-around visibility and helicopter view. Mainstream features include active cruise control; collision warning; cross-traffic warning; lane departure and lane change warning; a Wi-Fi hotspot; and the latest navigation systems.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Electric Doors
Previous Rolls-Royces have offered self-closing doors, and the new Ghost now features power-assistance doors as well. The occupant must first pull the interior door handle, then release it to its original position. When the handle is pulled a second time, the door begins to open and continues moving until the handle is released or the door opens completely. Once the person has stepped out of the vehicle, the door can by closed automatically by the push of a button on the exterior handle. The door can also be closed manually, with power assist; sensors in the doors ensure they operate at the same rate of speed regardless of pavement slope.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Acoustics
Rolls-Royce acoustic engineers labored to create a serene interior environment for the new Ghost, based on the spaceframe architecture, aluminum construction and extensive use of acoustic sound dampening materials. The engineers focused on interior noise as well as the Ghost’s audio system.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Serenity Experts
Rolls-Royce claims its acoustic engineers are experts in serenity. That expertise was formalized for this Ghost; the marque’s specialists created a “Formula for Serenity” that will help inform future products. Analyzing every component of the new Ghost that could contribute to interior noise, engineers experimented with a completely silent interior, but found the experience disorienting. Their solution was to create a “whisper” — a single, subtle soft undertone both relaxing and comfortable for occupants.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke Audio
While designing the total serenity experience for occupants of the new Ghost, Rolls-Royce acoustic engineers also devised a sound stage for audio engineers, who were able to create a sound system built into the car itself. Acoustic and audio experts collaborated to incorporate a resonance chamber in the body’s sill sections, essentially transforming the Ghost body into a subwoofer. The 1300-watt sound system utilizes state-of-the-art technology and high-precision magnesium-ceramic compound speaker cones to allow minute changes in sound with excellent frequency response. Exciter speakers — as well as more conventional cone-type speakers — effectively change the Ghost’s Starlight Headliner into one large speaker.