The new Rolls-Royce Ghost made its debut in Dubai and A&E was there to experience this masterpiece of engineering and craftsmanship first hand.
For a car manufacturer that is always looking for inventive ways to bring its expression to life, Rolls-Royce is constantly moving forward with its designs and innovation. This year, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost was introduced as the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet. While the design is elegant and minimalist, the product has a highly complex creation and is a welcome addition to the Rolls-Royce offering. Over a ten-year period, the Ghost has become the brand’s most successful car in its 116-year history and this new edition is expected to continue the momentum.
Today, with the new Ghost, Rolls-Royce introduces a car that will set the standard of its manufactory designs for the next years. This car was inspired by the Rolls-Royce customers and their needs. “These business leaders and entrepreneurs demand of their Ghost more than ever. They require a new type of super-luxury saloon that is dynamic, serenely comfortable and perfect in its minimalism. Ghost is this product.” Said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. He continued; “the only components that we carried over from the first Goodwood Ghost were the Spirit of Ecstasy and umbrellas. Everything else was designed, crafted and engineered from the ground up. The result is the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet. It distils the pillars of our brand into a beautiful, minimalist, yet highly complex product that is perfectly in harmony with our Ghost clients’ needs and perfectly in tune with the times.”
The first Goodwood Ghost in 2009 had a laser focus on meeting the demands of its clients and throughout its ten-year lifecycle, this transformative motor car became the most successful product in the company’s 116-year history. Ghost’s decade-long market presence enabled the brand’s Luxury Intelligence Specialists to gather vital information about developing behaviours in how Ghost clients use their motor car, how they commission it and how they perceive Rolls-Royce. As Ghost clients required even more of their motor car, Rolls-Royce used its knowledge to respond, incorporating technology such as all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering in Ghost and unlocking an entirely new, purposeful personality.
Reserved exclusively for Rolls-Royce the new Ghost features the proprietary aluminium spaceframe architecture which allows for fewer constraints than high-volume vehicles. It creates an acoustically superior, highly rigid and dynamic proposition for Ghost within the Rolls-Royce product portfolio. The Rolls-Royce architecture is based around four fixed points, one at each corner of the motor car. The moveable aluminium bulkhead, floor, cross-members and sill panels were positioned specifically to ensure the new Ghost meets client expectations as a motor car that is equally enjoyable to drive as it is to be driven in. Two of the cast suspension mounting assemblies were pushed to the very front of the car, placing its 6.75-litre V12 behind the front axle to achieve an optimum 50/50 weight distribution.
To accommodate this without intruding on new Ghost’s interior suite, its overall length has grown by 89mm, compared to the first Goodwood Ghost, to 5546mm, and its overall width has grown by 30mm to 1978mm. Significant changes were also made to the double-skinned bulkhead and floor structure packaging. These were undertaken to incorporate an all-wheel drivetrain, all-wheel steering and completely redesigned Planar Suspension System, which further enhances the marque’s hallmark Magic Carpet Ride. This was achieved without compromising the motor car’s low centre of gravity, which aids cornering dynamics. The car’s outer body is rendered as one clean, expansive piece, flowing seamlessly from the A-pillar, over the roof and backwards to the rear of the car. To achieve this, four craftsmen hand-weld the body together simultaneously to ensure a perfectly continuous seam. In addition, 100% aluminium, laser-welded doors have been used. This not only offers weight benefits and remarkable 40,000Nm/deg stiffness, but the material has a lower acoustic impedance than steel, improving cabin ambience.
Engineering specialists redesigned the motor car’s suspension completely to deliver what is called the Planar Suspension System. Named after a geometric plane, which is completely flat and level, the system is the result of ten collective years of testing and development to create a sense of flight on land never before achieved by a motor car. Created through physical engineering developments as well as sophisticated scanning and software technology, it incorporates a world-first Upper Wishbone Damper unit above the front suspension assembly, creating an even more stable and effortless ride. This works alongside the Flagbearer system, which uses cameras to read the road ahead and prepare the suspension system for any changes in the road surface, as well as the marque’s Satellite Aided Transmission. These technologies are managed as one through a bespoke Planar software system. The new Ghost can now anticipate and react to the most demanding road surfaces.
Rolls-Royce’s self-closing doors for years have been a favourite element of customers for years. The new Ghost allowed the innovation to go even further and for the first time, clients can now also open the doors with power assistance. The car also benefits from a new Micro Environment Purification System. This unique system develops the existing air filtration technology to incorporate a full suite of hardware and software improvements.
The new Ghost is the most technologically advanced motor car Rolls-Royce has ever produced. Further equipment includes: LED and laser headlights with more than 600m of illuminated range, vision assist, including day- and night-time wildlife and pedestrian warning; alertness assistant; a four-camera system with panoramic view, all-round visibility and helicopter view; active cruise control; collision warning; cross-traffic warning; lane departure and lane change warning; an industry-leading 7×3 high-resolution head-up display; Wi-Fi hotspot; self-park; and the very latest navigation and entertainment systems. The bespoke audio system also allows drivers to experience the best of sound and make the most of the highest quality uncompressed music, providing an exceptional listening experience.
When it came to the design, opulence and minimalist luxury were at the front of mind of the craftsman. Rolls-Royce’s proprietary architecture allowed the design team to increase the width by 30mm, subtly communicating presence. This is framed by sharp bowlines that intersect with an angular light signature, creating an assertive yet beautiful front end. In addition, the new Ghost was given its own ethereal front-end character. This was achieved not by way of overt design, but with light. 20 LEDs underneath the top of the radiator grille subtly illuminate the veins. In the spirit of Post Opulent aesthetics, the marque’s engineering team brushed the back of the metal grille bars, making them less reflective, subduing the effect and perfecting the restrained glow desired. The front of the new Ghost is an exemplar of the design team’s obsession with reduction. Owing to the hand-welded aluminium body structures, the main structure of the car appears as one fluid canvas, uninterrupted by shut lines, recalling the coachbuilt Silver Dawn and Silver Cloud. For the first time, the Spirit of Ecstasy is not surrounded by panel lines but rather stands sits within her own ‘lake’ of bonnet.
Inside, you’ll find the same minimalist design aesthetic. The finest materials were sourced to ensure the approval of even the most seasoned clients. Wood, leather and metal have all been crafted by hand to ensure the very best in quality and perfection. And finally, for those looking for something truly unique, Ghost’s Illuminated Fascia offers the ultimate in luxury. A world-first innovation that was developed over two years and more than 10,000 collective hours, this remarkable piece brings an ethereal glowing Ghost nameplate, surrounded by more than 850 stars, into the interior suite of the motor car.
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost is now available to order in The Middle East.
