Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has officially debuted the latest Ghost Series II, a powerful, driver-orientated and elegant rendition of the most popular Rolls-Royce nameplate in history. The Ghost Series II now offers client to access to interior finishes and features never previously available on Ghost, as well as advanced software technologies that see Bespoke enter the digital world.
GHOST SERIES II: EXTERIOR
Ghost Series II still retains Rolls-Royce’s sheer, monolithic design approach than ever. The front end has been distilled into a clean and contemporary showcase for the illuminated Rolls-Royce Pantheon grille. It also now receives a updated headlight and daytime running light graphics, which flow from the lower section of the grille to the edge of the front wings, to highlight the car’s width. The lower portion of the front end provides a foundation for the grille, augmented by new chrome embellishments that form a ‘floating’ visual plinth for the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.
Over to the rear, Ghost Series II gets a new tail lamp configuration, harmonising the side and rear surfaces. This treatment was inspired by Spectre, each featuring two expressive, vertical light panels flanked by a curved chrome element, discreetly inscribed with the double ‘R’ monogram.
Clients can choose from two new 22-inch, 9-spoke wheel designs, one fully- and one part-polished. Both treatments are an elegant and modern complement to Ghost Series II’s contemporary yet timeless design, and subtly reflect its underlying potency.
GHOST SERIES II: A NEW MOOD CREATED THROUGH COLOUR
The designers of Ghost Series II has created a new exterior colour, joining the marque’s existing palette of more than 44,000 prêt-à -porter hues and Bespoke colour service, where clients can craft their own shade and reserve it for their exclusive use. Named Mustique Blue, this metallic finish captures the hues and glamour of the Caribbean island it is named after, using glass and mica flakes to create a shimmer that evokes sunlight reflecting from a tropical sea.
The colour is also a reference to one of the earliest driver-focused Rolls-Royces – a lightweight 1929 Phantom II Continental prototype, which was finished in a similar blue hue. This motor car was created for Henry Royce’s personal use and was one of the first motor cars in history to use pearlescent paint, which at the time was created using ground fish scales. It went on to win the ‘Prix d’Honneur’, at the prestigious Biarritz Concours d’Elegance in 1930.
GHOST SERIES II: INTERIOR
It’s a mix affair of analogue and digital for the interior of Ghost Series II. The Central Information Display now gets housed in the new pillar-to-pillar glass panel and running with marque’s advanced operating system. This enables clients to extend their Bespoke commission from hardware to software as the colour of the digital instrument dials can now be tailored to complement the motor car’s interior palette or exterior finish, aligning with Ghost clients’ fascination with new and contemporary ways to make Bespoke statements. SPIRIT also integrates Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private members application, allowing owners to send destinations directly to their motor car, view its location and manage vehicle locking remotely, highlighting that clients increasingly view their Rolls-Royce as central to a wider lifestyle experience.
The Ghost Series II entertainment and connectivity have been significantly upgraded. Rear seat passengers can now connect up to two streaming devices to the rear screens, stream independently on each screen, and select their preferred entertainment from a newly developed interface, which also manages seating functions such as massaging, heating and cooling. Bluetooth headphones of any type can be paired with the rear seat infotainment system, and all occupants benefit from an upgraded Wi-Fi hotspot and USB-C charging ports hidden discreetly in the centre console.
GHOST SERIES II: AN UNRIVALED SOUNDSTAGE
The amazing space of the Ghost cabin is the ultimate auditorium for sound reproduction. Ghost Series II now packs with an upgraded 1400-watt amplifier, along with its 18-speaker audio system. The car’s aluminium sill sections are used as resonance chambers for low-frequency speakers, essentially transforming the lower section of the motor car into a generous floor-standing speaker placed on its side.
For Bespoke Audio, this is further enhanced by two ‘speakerless’ exciters that, instead of using a cone, are bonded directly to the inside of the Headliner, transforming it into an expansive overhead sound stage. When a Starlight Headliner is selected in combination with the Bespoke Audio System, the fibreoptic cables used to create the celestial effect are compressed with a special acoustic membrane. This prevents the cabling from reverberating, and also channels sound down into the cabin. Two active microphones in the cabin constantly monitor the balance of frequencies and automatically adjust the amplifier to optimise the sound.
GHOST SERIES II: NEW EXPRESSIONS OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
The Ghost Series II are now equipped with the new Illuminated Fascia design looks to the stars for inspiration, capturing the movement of the night sky in a design reminiscent of time-lapse celestial photography.  Clients are also able to create their own Illuminated Fascia motif in collaboration with the marque’s Bespoke designers.
A new interior material named Grey Stained Ash has been crafted to complement Ghost Series II’s elegant design enhancements. This new material represents the coalescence of traditional master craftsmanship and innovation. The richly-grained, natural open-pore wood is stained by hand and enriched with microscopic metallic particles to create a unique and highly contemporary shimmering effect – a technique that took more than four years to develop.
Ghost Series II also continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration of textiles with Duality Twill, a new rayon fabric made from bamboo. During a research trip, members of the Rolls-Royce design team visited Le Jardin des Méditerranées on the Côte d’Azur, which neighbours Sir Henry Royce’s former winter home, Villa Mimosa. One of the botanical garden’s defining features is an extensive bamboo grove, which Sir Henry would have seen, that inspired this innovative fabric. The twill textile is embroidered with a ‘Duality’ graphic, an abstract interpretation of the interlinked initial R of the marque’s founders’ names. In another allusion to the French Riviera, the design hints at the interweaving rope lines found on sailing yachts.
Duality Twill spent more than a year in development, in collaboration with a master weaver now based full-time at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood. Creating a full Duality Twill interior is a highly complex process incorporating up to 2.2 million stitches, 11 miles of thread, and can take 20 hours to complete. Each panel is individually prepared before being cut using a specially developed laser that seals the edges to prevent individual threads from coming loose. Once all panels are carefully positioned and stitched together to create a seamless whole, they are used to upholster the seating. The base twill textile is available in three colours – Lilac, Chocolate and Black – and the thread is available in 51 different hues, allowing clients to tailor their design according to their character, creating a bold contrasting effect or a subtle monochrome.
Alternatively, clients may choose Placed Perforation – an innovative contemporary craft technique in which small perforations are made in the seat leather to create unique artworks. The perforations vary in size to create the perception of depth, allowing detailed and seemingly three-dimensional graphics to be created. The initial pattern is inspired by the shifting shapes and shadows of clouds over the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. It is composed of up to 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimetre perforations, each individually examined to ensure absolute uniformity.
GHOST SERIES II: ENGINEERING
Powering the Ghost Series II is a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine and hallmark eight-speed gearbox. This powers the all-wheel steering and all-wheel drivetrain. Maximum torque is available from just 1,600rpm – only 600rpm above tick-over, creating the perception of one, endless gear and the unique ‘waftability’ associated with the Rolls-Royce experience.
The Planar Suspension System of Ghost Series II now incorporates the unique Upper Wishbone Damper unit above the front suspension assembly. This acts in concert with the continuously variable, electronically controlled shock absorbers and self-levelling, high-volume air strut assemblies to create an even more stable and effortless expression of the marque’s effortless ‘magic carpet ride’. The five-link rear axle benefits from the same self-levelling high-volume air suspension technology.
The suspension and chassis systems are augmented with the marque’s Flagbearer System, which uses cameras to read the road ahead and prepare the suspension for any changes in the road surface. This is supplemented with the marque’s Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS data to select the optimum gear for exiting a corner depending on the extent of its curvature. These technologies work as one, allowing Ghost to anticipate and react to the most demanding roads effortlessly, marrying peerless serenity with remarkable dynamism and agility.
GHOST SERIES II: EXTENDED SERIES II: AN EVEN GREATER CANVAS FOR CREATIVITY
Clients are also invited to commission Ghost Extended Series II, which offers the indulgence of superlative rear seating space. Ghost Extended Series II has 170mm more space in the rear suite, enabled by extending the rear doors and apertures only, which preserves its elegant silhouette.
Clients can add the Serenity Seating, which recalls a private aircraft cabin experience fir the Ghost Extended Series II. Similar to Ghost Series II, a Champagne cooler can also be requested. Rolls-Royce specialists consulted with a Master Sommelier and learned that the optimum serving temperatures of non-vintage Champagne is, on average, six degrees Celsius and for vintage Champagne, is broadly 11 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, the cooler operates two cooling modes, chilling to six degrees and 11 degrees Celsius.
These enhancements come at no cost to the motor car’s exceptional dynamic capabilities. Indeed, Ghost Extended clients almost unanimously commission this motor car for self-driving with the benefit of enhanced rear seating space, rather than retain the services of a chauffeur.
GHOST SERIES II: POTENCY AND INFINITE BESPOKE POTENTIAL
As more clients are preferring the Bespoke commissions, Rolls-Royce is expanding its global network of Private Offices, offering clients around the world the experience of interacting with Designers and Bespoke specialists based in their region, to bring their visions to life. Furthermore, the marque has secured planning permission for a significant extension of its Home at Goodwood in West Sussex with the express aim of creating more space for Bespoke craft and technologies to grow.