Back in 2020, luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce launched the Ghost, which subsequently came to India as well. In November last year, the company unveiled the Ghost Black Badge, adding to the other Black Badge cars in Roll-Royce’s line-up. Rolls-Royce has now confirmed the new edition for India in the coming months which will command a premium over the standard Ghost’s price tag.
At a first glance, there are some obvious differences. But are the exteriors all that Rolls-Royce changes with the Black Badge Edition? Here are five key differences between the standard Ghost and the Black Badge.
Exterior
The Ghost Black Badge will be offered with Rolls-Royce’s full suite of 44,000 available paint options, just like the rest of their line-up. If a customer so chooses, they can opt for a bespoke hue as well. But the Black Badge is also available in a unique black paint option. The company says that about 45 kg of paint had to be used along with two layers of clear coat. This is then finished by up to four craftsmen over a three- to five-hour process. What the Black Badge will be exclusively known for, however, is the black chrome Spirit of Ecstasy ornament and pantheon grille along with the rest of the chrome bits darkened for effect. And finally, the 21-inch rims are model-specific and use 44 layers of carbon fibre.
Interior
Obviously, Rolls-Royce doesn’t skimp on the luxury quotient for the Black Badge. However, from the light, airy theme of the standard model, the Black Badge takes a step into the dark side. The body panels on the inside are finished in black Bolivar veneer. According to the company, each of those panels have been cured for one hour at 100 degrees Celsius under pressure. The metallic trim around the rest of the interior has also been given a darker finish to go with the darker theme. Additionally, Rolls-Royce also offers the Lemniscate infinity symbol to be lacquered onto the champagne cabinet between the two rear seats.
Engine
First, the engine is the same as the 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 that is available on the standard Ghost. This time around, Rolls-Royce has retuned the engine that now produces more power and torque. At 500 PS of maximum power and 900Nm of peak torque, the Black Badge’s numbers stand 29PS more and 50Nm more than the standard model. In addition to this, the company has also tweaked the tuning on the 8-speed ZF gearbox along with the throttle map for better response. And then you have the ‘low’ mode that sharpens up the Black Badge even more by increasing shift speeds by up to 50 percent when the throttle is depressed by 90 percent and, for your listening pleasure, a different exhaust note.
Chassis
Changes here are a little more subtle and there is less detail to go by. However, we do know that the company has reworked the aluminium architecture to be more rigid. Add to this larger air springs and unique front suspension design, along with the all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering system, and the Black Badge is supposed to reduce body roll and feel tighter around the corners. The brake pedal’s biting point has been raised as well while making the travel shorter, allowing for more aggression when attacking those hard corners.
Price
The standard Rolls-Royce Ghost debuted in India starting at a price of Rs 6.95 crore. Given that the Black Badge is a more premium variant of the Ghost, we can expect prices to start at over Rs 7 crore.
2021 Sales and the Spectre
Earlier this month, Rolls-Royce reported its largest ever sales figure. At 5,586 cars, the company has sold more cars globally in 2021 than any other year in its 117-year-long history. To put it into context, Rolls-Royce sold 461 more cars than its previous record in 2019. According to the company, sales of the latest-generation Ghost helped achieve these numbers with the Black Badge edition only bolstering sales even more.
The bigger cars, the Wraith and Phantom, of course, have also helped with sales and Rolls-Royce says the order book runs right up till the third quarter of 2022. “Our extremely strong product portfolio, an exceptional bespoke offering, together with the first full year of availability of Ghost, the launch of the Black Badge Ghost in October and the continuing record demand for bespoke personalisation has contributed meaningfully to our extremely strong performance,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Rolls-Royce also unveiled the Spectre back in 2021, the company’s first all-electric car. While the new EV isn’t scheduled to launch until the fourth quarter of 2023, the car will be undergoing a gruelling 2.5-million-kilometre testing protocol. A statement from Rolls-Royce said the test “which extends to all four corners of the world, will simulate more than 400 years of use for a Rolls‑Royce”.
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