Did you know that the Rolls Royce Ghost was named to honour the legendary Silver Ghost from the early 20th century? The iconic model was launched back in 1906 and, even today, is considered one of the most successful models in the company's history.
The Rolls Royce Ghost seems like a worthy successor of the Silver Ghost, at least if we consider its commercial success. It was designed as a smaller and more affordable alternative to the Phantom. While still very much a super-luxurious vehicle, it shares some parts with the more common BMW 7 Series.
So far, we’ve seen two generations of the Rolls Royce Ghost. Learn more about its beginnings and specs.
The First Generation of Rolls Royce Ghost (2010-2020)
The first generation was in production for an entire decade. The first time we saw it was at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, while the first deliveries started in the second half of the following year.
At the time, the British manufacturer needed a more affordable model than the flagship Phantom, a slightly cheaper ticket to the Rolls Royce world. Of course, "cheaper" should be taken with reserve because you’ll still need something like $200,000 to afford the used Rolls Royce Ghost price today.
Rolls Royce Ghost Design
This super-luxury saloon was designed as a smaller and more affordable alternative to the Phantom. To cut the price down, the company engineers decided to borrow BMW's platform, the same one that underpins the 7 Series, which is the flagship model of the Bavarian carmaker.
Roughly 20% of the parts are shared with BMW's full-size sedan, including the engine and iDrive user interface, but the rest of the design was done entirely by the British manufacturer.
You’ll quickly notice that the styling includes pretty much everything you would expect from this brand, including the iconic suicide doors. More importantly, it features genuine Rolls Royce design solutions under the skin, including the self-levelling air suspension, designed similarly to the Phantom.
Of course, the Rolls Royce Ghost interior came with a super-luxurious design, sharing the paint, wood, and leather workshops with the Phantom. All these parts came directly from the Goodwood plant.
Rolls Royce Ghost Dimensions
Although it’s the smaller saloon in the brand’s lineup, the first-generation Ghost still features gigantic dimensions. The standard version has a wheelbase of 3,295 millimetres, with 5.4 meters overall length, 1948mm width, and 1550mm height.
The company also offered the extended-wheelbase version (EWB), measuring 3465 millimetres between the axles. For comparison, that’s 87mm shorter than the Phantom’s wheelbase. The Ghost EWB is 5569mm long, 1948mm wide and 1550mm high.
The standard version weighs 2490kg, while the extended version is 30kg heavier.
Rolls Royce Ghost Dimensions
- Wheelbase: 3295mm
- Length: 5399mm
- Height: 1550mm
- Width: 1948mm
- Ground clearance: 140mm
- Kerb weight: 2490kg
- Turning circle: 13.4m
- Rear track: 1660mm
- Front track: 1622mm
Rolls Royce Ghost EWB Dimensions
- Wheelbase: 3465mm
- Length: 5569mm
- Height: 1550mm
- Width: 1948mm
- Ground clearance: 140mm
- Kerb weight: 2520kg
- Turning circle: 13.4m
- Rear track: 1660mm
- Front track: 1622mm
Engine
While the original Rolls Royce Silver Ghost featured an inline-six engine, the Ghost doubled the number of cylinders. It borrowed the familiar N74 engine from BMW, the first turbocharged V12 engine from the Bavarian company.
The V12 features a max output of 420 kW, while the max torque goes up to 780 Nm. With all that power, the standard Ghost needs only five seconds to hit 100 km/h, while the top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. The engine is coupled with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, which sends power to the rear wheels.
Rolls Royce Ghost Engine Specs
- Engine Capacity: 6592cc
- Number of cylinders: V12
- Forced Induction: Turbocharger
- Fuel type: Premium Unleaded Petrol
- Max Torque: 780Nm
- Max Power: 420kW
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Acceleration (0-100km/h): 5s
- Top Speed: 250 km/h
- Fuel tank capacity: 82L
- Fuel consumption: 13.6L/100km (combined)
2014 Update
After four years of production, it was time for a mid-cycle refresh, with the British carmaker introducing several subtle but effective novelties. At the front, the updated Ghost can be recognized by upgraded headlights, reshaped bumper, and larger air intakes.
This update also brought new wheels.
Inside, you'll find new front seats, reangled rear seats, upgraded leather surfaces, and a few tweaks to the dashboard.
Finally, the V12 engine was upgraded and came with more torque – 820 Nm. However, the upgraded engine was installed in the extended-wheelbase model only, while the standard version carried on with the 780-Nm engine.
Rolls Royce Ghost Black Badge
Although Ghost is all about comfort, the company also offered a high-performance version in 2016. This model came as the Rolls Royce Ghost Black Badge, with several upgrades.
Visually, this version is characterized by black exterior trim, black wheels, upgraded exhaust, and the engine gained more power. The max output was increased to 450 kW, while the max torque went up to 841 Nm. As a result, 0-100 km/h time was improved to 4.8 seconds.
The Second Generation of Rolls Royce Ghost (2020-2022)
After an entire decade in production, the first-generation model was finally replaced in 2020. The new Ghost was fully revealed in September 2020, bringing a whole load of novelties.
Of course, the most notable is the new styling, which features the brand's latest illuminated grille and a full load of other aesthetic solutions characterizing other models in the lineup, like the Cullinan and the Phantom.
Styling wasn’t the only important novelty that came with this redesign. The second generation dropped BMW’s F01 platform and now shares most of its parts with its biggest and most prestigious siblings.
It rides on the company’s new platform called "Architecture of Luxury", which brings significant improvements regarding suspension setup and the overall ride quality.
The cabin design is also new, and just like its contemporary siblings, it also features the "Starlight headliner". This technology combines LEDs and fibre optics to give an impression of a night sky with stars.
The dimensions remained the same, while the BMW’s N74 V12 engine was upgraded. The engine capacity was increased to 6.75 litres, which resulted in increased max torque of 850Nm, which became available already at 1600RPMs. Interestingly, the max power remained the same (420kW).
The Extended Wheelbase model was introduced with the Rolls Royce Ghost 2021 model year, while we are still waiting for the high-performance Black Badge model is yet to come.
How much is a Rolls Royce Ghost?
The base Rolls Royce Ghost price goes around $650,000, while the long-wheelbase version would cost you an extra $100,000.
With the limited number of produced models, finding a used Rolls Royce Ghost for sale is not easy. Even if you find one, you will have to pay way over $200,000 for models produced back in 2010.
Is a Rolls Royce Ghost fast?
Although primarily designed for superior comfort, this saloon is also a pretty fast car. It needs less than five seconds to hit 100km/h, while the top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.
Why is it called Ghost?
The Rolls Royce Ghost nameplate was chosen to honour the legendary Silver Ghost, which is one of the oldest models this company has ever made. It was in production between 1906 and 1926.
By Nebojsa Grmusa