Disappearing Act in the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost

After taking a drive in the incredible Black Badge Wraith, RR decided to let us get in the Black Badge Ghost. Here is what happened when we got the keys.

Driving a Rolls-Royce is generally a fantastic experience. The quality, the comfort, the prestige and the attention to detail all shine through on every drive. From the moment the 6.6 Litre V12 engine sparks to life and the gear selector is in “D” you are set. You simply turn out of your drive and henceforward, all motion and movement is comparable to a magic carpet ride. There is no drive softer, smoother or as refined as a Rolls-Royce.

The Ghost Black Badge has some astonishing stats, so lets start with those. The engine produces 603bhp @ 5250rpm and torque is up 44lb ft from the normal Ghost to 620lb ft. (840nm). The car has redesigned air suspension and performance upgrades to the eight-speed auto ZF gearbox. As I mentioned earlier, the heart of the car is a Twin Turbocharged 6.6 litre V12 Engine. The 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds still seems like a joke until you actually do it yourself.

Driving Pleasure

What I love about the Black Badge series, is that when driving these cars you maintain the special ride comfort and feeling of driving a Rolls-Royce but these BB cars come with an added punch! When you put your foot down, you feel that difference in performance from the usual car. This is not a gimmick. This is a perfectly plausible lifestyle choice for the buyer. The re-jigged gearbox means more power is accessible from lower down in the rev range, also the new ratios let you rev higher, which gives the car a more sportier character. Even cornering is slightly different now. You would be surprised in a normal ghost when taking it into a twisty, but in this it’s a new sensation. Its firmer on the road and you are able to really get some power down when you exit. Should you feel like turning the traction control off, you have access to power in abundance, so be careful with your RR, but you can get some really incredible, agile body movement that you just wouldn’t normally have in a Rolls-Royce Motor Car if it weren’t for this naughty performance upgrade.

Look At Me

The Black Badge Ghost demands attention. The looks of the car are nothing short of flattering, astonishing and dominant. This would be the easiest needle to find in a haystack. Ever. The deep black paint and alloy wheels alone are enough to draw the eye, but the magic is in the details. Take a look where chrome elements used to be, like the grille, the badges or the Spirit Of Ecstasy. That is now history, as RR has blacked these elements out to create a more stylish, darker and mysterious character around the car, which begs the question, “Who is the driver”. The subtle design lines of the ghost flow beautifully around (for myself) the most distinct visual element, the alloy wheels. Formed from 22 layers of carbon-fiber cloth, folded to create 44 strong layers. They are nothing short of spectacular.

Stepping inside

Whether you enter from the front doors or the suicides at the rear, you basically step inside to the pinnacle of luxury car interiors. Right here ladies and gentlemen. You will read the same in every Rolls-Royce piece here and everywhere else. Opulence, Fashion, Style and Technology all combine to bring you one of the best cabins in the industry. Add the Starlit Headliner as an option to top it all off. However, just incase you didn’t already know, the car features beautiful leather seats with pillow headrests in the back and plenty of legroom. Also new in the Black Badge series, hand-woven threads of carbon fiber and aluminium make what RR call the “technical fiber”, which is you guessed it, your very own dash; They use the stuff on stealth aircrafts for goodness sake, its fancy!

Conclusion

The Rolls Royce Black Badge Ghost is nothing short of a dream on wheels, and just like every vehicle in the range, it’s a special piece of automotive engineering. It will give you all the thrills, yet keep you surrounded in pure elegance at all times. I will briefly say, however that the Black Badge package suits the Wraith much more, but this car is perfection nevertheless. The motion is an experience only Rolls-Royce can provide. I take my hat off to the minds and hands at Goodwood. More information at Rolls-Royce

For a further visual insight into Rolls-Royce lifestyle take a look right here @spiritofrollsroyce

All photos taken on Sony Alpha Cameras