More power, more aggressive chassis
In the five years since Rolls-Royce launched the Black Badge series, it has become a huge hit: More than a quarter of buyers now demand that Rolls-Royce's factory be murdered. While the brand may be exclusive, Rolls-Royce knows it needs to give the public what they want, so the new Ghost for 2021 is the latest model to receive Black Badge treatment in 2022.
While this does cause minimal cynicism in our minds – every time we read a Rolls-Royce press release, the upper-class brands are touting a reluctant but ecstatic embrace of its "dark side", Lord Evelyn Oakley, who thinks of anything, sings "The Gypsy in My Heart" ("Miss Sweeney, I've never said this to anyone before – it's the secret of the Oakleigh family – there's something dark and savage in our blood...") – But the Ghost Black Badge does have a dark chrome drill bit more than something. Note that there are a lot of them, but ghost's performance will also be improved, which should make it more meaningful to drive.
First and foremost is the twin-turbo 6.6-litre V-12's power boost. Horsepower increased from 563 to 592, torque increased from 627 lb-ft to 664, and throttle and transmission response was remapped. Ghost's eight-speed ZF transmission doesn't offer manual gear options – after all, we're not barbarians! But on the Black Badge Ghost, pressing the low button on the shifter amplifies the exhaust and accelerates the shift to 9/10 of its stroke when the throttle is pressed. Speaking of pedal travel, the brakes have been readjusted to reduce pedal travel and higher bite points.
Rolls-Royce is fairly economical in terms of details of the suspension changes (presumably we'll learn more when we drive next month), but the company did say its engineers have readjusted the chassis and increased the volume of air springs to calm body rolling. We've noticed in the past that ghost is slightly less sporty than lower-priced rival Bentley Flying Spur, so it will be interesting to see if Ghost can close that gap while maintaining the brand's legendary serenity.
What changes have occurred to the style? As the name suggests — as the picture suggests — ghost's prominent grille and ecstatic spirit hood trims get a special dark chrome finish. Black Badge cars' exclusive wheels are a lightweight composite construction with 44 layers of carbon fiber (technically 22 folds backwards) and forged aluminum wheels, protected by a tinted paint that shows carbon fiber weaving.
Interestingly, one thing not included in the black badge packaging is black paint; instead, buyers can choose any of the 44,000 (!) colors in the Rolls palette, or create their own custom shades. If they did opt for black paint, they would get a lot: Rolls-Royce developed a process that included applying a hundred pounds of paint on a body with static electricity, followed by two layers of clear coat and a hand– a polished finish to create what the brand calls "the deepest black in the automotive industry."
Rolls-Royce trims the interior of the car according to the wishes of the customer, so the interior does not have an appearance or color. Of course, there are also some unique black badge styles, including unique decorative paneling based on black Bolivarian wood, with diamond-shaped patterns made of carbon fiber and metallic coated threads. Forget our descriptions and look at the pictures – that's really important. The chrome trim inside is dimmed, as is the analog clock. The starscape on the passenger-side dashboard and canopy – a feature we still marvel at – remains, with a meteor effect on the ceiling.
We're looking forward to driving the Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge and seeing the impact of mechanical changes on the driving experience (if we could take our eyes off the canopy, that would be). If you can't wait, Rolls-Royce is ready for buyers to start the commissioning process immediately. price? It's hard to say because each car is custom-made and has its own price tag.