Rolls-Royce add Black Badge Ghost to line-up

The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost has an upgraded engine. Photos: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce’s Ghost has had the Black Badge treatment gaining more power and more individuality as the brand aims for younger buyers.

The Black Badge brand was launched in 2016, to be “darker in aesthetic, more urgent in personality and dramatic in material treatment”, said Rolls-Royce.

The Black Badge Ghost’s 6.75-litre V12 engine now delivers increased power (441kW) and torque (900Nm).

The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost has a new LED illuminated fascia.

The all-wheel-drive Black Badge Ghost adds a new ‘Low’ driving mode, which sharpens up numerous driving functions, including gearshifts from the eight-speed automatic gearbox that are made 50 percent quicker, and a tweaked exhaust note.

Other dynamic tweaks over the donor car include more voluminous air springs that are designed to reduce body roll under hard cornering, a bespoke throttle map, revised tuning for the all-wheel-drive and four-wheel steering systems, and the raising of the brake pedal’s biting point while reducing its travel, although the standard braking system has been retained from the Ghost despite the increase in power.

The Ghost Black Badge has new 21in alloy wheel design.

Styling-wise, the exterior of the Black Badge Ghost darker chrome shade for the exterior brightwork, grille and the Spirit of Ecstasy, and the 21in alloy wheel design.

Inside, there are black wood veneers and technical fabrics and a more ‘subdued’ tone for the interior brightwork, alongside a bespoke, minimalist interior clock that’s flanked by a new design for the Ghost’s LED-illuminated fascia.

Since being launched last year, the Rolls-Royce Ghost has become one of the fastest-selling products in the marque’s history, representing more than 3500 commissions worldwide.

The Ghost Black Badge is available in New Zealand from early next year.