Rolls-Royce Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a luxury saloon from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show.^[1][2] During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04." Designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Phantom^[3], aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models, the retail price is around £170,000 (US$255,000). ^[2] The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

200EX concept

The original concept car, named the 200EX, was officially unveiled at the March 2009 Geneva Motor Show, indicating the styling direction of the production model Ghost.

Unlike the aluminum-bodied Phantom, the 200EX was made from steel, which has a higher tensile strength and can therefore be made thinner.^[4] The chassis used an intelligent four corner air suspension system and multi-link aluminium front and rear axles. Systems such as Active Roll Stabilisation, four corner air springs and Variable Damping Control operate as one, imperceptibly to the driver and passengers to provide the best possible comfort for occupants. Connected to the main computer, the suspension is able to detect the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other, and compensates accordingly. ^[5]

Design

The Ghost was designed by Ian Cameron and engineered by Helmut Riedl, who led the development of the larger Rolls-Royce Phantom.^[6] The Ghost, codenamed RR04 during its design phase, was developed to compete with vehicles significantly less expensive than the Phantom, such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

The car is based on a heavily modified platform shared with BMW’s latest 7-Series^[7], F01 platform. The company concedes that 20% of parts are common to both cars. The Ghost has a 129.7 inches (3,290 mm) wheelbase, roof height, bonnet height and track widths all of its own, and the Ghost uses Phantom-style air springs. The car also shares the FlexRay electronic system.^[3] The car weighs 5,445 pounds (2,470 kg) at the curbside.^[3]

Like other current Rolls-Royce models, the Ghost uses parent company BMW's iDrive user interface; unlike the Phantom series, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament along with more functions, are controlled using the system.^[8]

Engine

The engine is a bored and stroked version of BMW's N74 6.0L twin-turbocharged (twin-scroll) V12, now displacing 6.6 litres, featuring BMW's VANOS variable valve timing, high-precision direct fuel injection, and valvetronic; and generates 563 bhp (420 kW) producing 780 newton metres (580 ft·lbf) torque,^[9] with ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.^[10] The engine allows the Ghost to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.7 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). ^[11]

Manufacturing

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is built on its own dedicated production line at the Goodwood plant, sharing paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series.^[12]

Mansory version

In mid-2010 Mansory introduced its own tuning version, named White Ghost Limited. Apart from exterior changes, its engine has 630 bhp (470 kW), resulting acceleration from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.5 seconds with top speed of 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph).^[13]

See also

• Rolls-Royce 100EX a one-off V16 convertible celebrating RR's 100th birthday
• Rolls-Royce 101EX, aka the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé (the production hardtop version of the 100EX)
• Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, also based heavily on the 100EX

References

External links

• Official web site