The Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Is Payoff From A High-Stakes Luxury Gamble

Back when Rolls-Royce unveiled the Ghost last year, it described the luxury sedan as "Post Opulent" design. Now, it's giving the V12 car a sinister twist. The Black Badge Ghost joins the ranks of Rolls-Royce's wildly successful Black Badge series, getting distinctive styling, an uptick in power, and a very particular appeal.

You could make a solid argument that Black Badge and Ghost really were made for each other. Both have proved to be wildly popular: Ghost may have launched in the midst of a global pandemic, but it was still Rolls-Royce's most successful debut so far in terms of demand.

Similarly, though the automaker expected perhaps 10-15 percent of orders to be Black Badge models when it launched the sub-brand five years ago – and, indeed, faced some consternation that the customizations might dilute Rolls-Royce's cachet – sales have significantly outpaced those conservative estimates. A full 40-percent of Cullinan SUVs are now ordered as Black Badge models, for example. Expectations for the Black Badge Ghost, then, are even higher.

The 6.75-liter V12 engine is kept, of course, but tuned for 591 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. A "regular" Ghost offers 563 hp and 627 lb-ft. 0-60 mph arrives in 4.5 seconds, while top speed is an electronically-limited 155 mph. Not bad at all for a four-door which still tips the scales at almost 5,500 pounds.

Rolls-Royce has paired the extra power with retuning of the eight-speed transmission. Peak torque arrives at just 1,700 rpm; switch to Low Mode and the gearshifts are completed in half the time. There's custom mapping for the front and rear axle steering, too, and bigger air springs to ensure the "magic carpet" ride keeps up with more enthusiastic drivers.

What first grabs you, of course, is the styling. The Ghost was off to a good start there, taking elements of Phantom and reimagining them for a smaller, more lithe sedan. The rear-hinged back doors, upright grille, and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament remain, only now they've been paired with a darker, moodier palette of colors and finishes.

Though Rolls-Royce will happily complete your Black Badge Ghost in any of its paints, or indeed mix you up a custom hue, there's also the "signature black" of the Black Badge label. Dubbed the auto industry's darkest black, it's a high-gloss finish that requires four craftspeople's handiwork – a 3-5 hour job – after the final two layers of clear coat are applied. A pinstripe line – again, hand-applied – picks out the Ghost's sharp creases along the hood and shoulder.

Dark chrome on the Spirit of Ecstasy, grille, and other brightwork tones down the glitter, and there are custom 21-inch wheels that are themselves something of an engineering marvel. Exclusive to the Black Badge Ghost, they start with a carbon fiber barrel – made up of 22 layers that are then doubled up for a 44 layer form – to which a 3D forged aluminum hub is attached with titanium fasteners.

Inside, popular features like the Shooting Star Starlight Headliner are kept, together with the glowing star-like motif that glitters in the dashboard. It's paired here with custom timepieces for the Black Badge Ghost, and metal trim pieces given the same smoky finish as the exterior trim.

Time remains one of the Ghost's big luxuries. The carbon fiber veneer, for example, first requires multiple wood layers be combined, with a top layer of black Bolivar; onto that, resin-coated carbon and contrasting metal-coated thread are applied, by hand, in a diamond pattern. Each part is cured for an hour, and then the whole thing is sand-blasted before six layers of lacquer are applied, hand-sanded, and polished.

Lashings of leather cover the rest of the surfaces, and while Black Badge cars typically feature a darker exterior color scheme, Rolls-Royce says its clients often go for something brighter and more striking inside. The technology remains surreptitious, with physical controls alongside twin displays for the infotainment system and driver instrumentation.

A standard Ghost begins at $393,500. The Black Badge Ghost package adds $43,850 to that, but then figure on spending more for the custom paint and other options. That might be plenty, but the order books are already open and Rolls-Royce says demand is already strong.