15 minute read
Post-Opulence
G H O S T
Back in 2009, Rolls-Royce introduced a new addition to its portfolio borne from the demands of their exclusive client base. Now, using the same customer focussed desire for perfection, the Ghost name is reinvented once again. Its decade-long market presence enabled the marque’s Luxury Intelligence Specialists to gather vital information about developing behaviours in how Ghost clients use their car, how they commission it and how they perceive Rolls-Royce. The results from this research have led to the creation of the most advanced Rolls-Royce ever produced.
During this time, the team at Goodwood were working hard in developing the marque's proprietary aluminium spaceframe architecture - first used on Phantom, then Cullinan - unique to Rolls-Royce. As the demands on Ghost from clients grew, the designers and engineers were able to respond and adapt by incorporating new technologies such as all-wheel drive and allwheel steering into New Ghost
However, it wasn't just in the driving where existing clients wanted to see change. Style and aesthetics experienced a dramatic shift, not only on a general basis, but more specifically in the ultra luxury market where shouting about wealth was becoming much less favourable.
Named ‘Post Opulence’ internally, this aesthetic shift is characterised by reduction and substance, celebrating exceptional materials. Taking a limited, intelligent and unobtrusive approach to design, reducing and removing the use of superficial treatments, New Ghost is purposefully crafted to ensure that every aspect is designed as a necessity leaving clean lines and sleek, uninterrupted surfaces.
Tailored specifically for its clients, this is a car that takes simplicity to the extreme on the surface leaving a blank canvas for customers to paint their own picture, while hiding remarkable substance underneath.
Advanced to its very core, the aluminium spaceframe offers an acoustically superior, highly rigid and dynamic architecture based around four fixed points, one at each corner. The moveable aluminium bulkhead, floor, crossmembers and sill panels are positioned specifically to ensure it meets client expectations as a car that is equally enjoyable to drive as it is to be driven in - one of the key factors highlighted through the feedback.
Two of the cast suspension mounting assembles have been pushed to the very front, placing its 6.75-litre V12 behind the front axle to achieve an optimum 50/50 weight distribution - an impressive feat for a car of this scale - while its overall length has been increased to ensure the alterations don't impact on interior space. Now 89mm longer and 30mm wider than the first Goodwood Ghost. Other structural changes were made to incorporate the all-wheel drivetrain, all-wheel steering and completely redesigned Planar Suspension System, which further enhances the marque’s hallmark Magic Carpet Ride - despite not being a concern for existing clients.
Delivery of the sleek exterior aesthetic is achieved by rendering the car’s outer body as one clean, expansive piece, flowing seamlessly from the A-pillar, over the roof and backwards to the rear of the car, recalling the seemingly one-piece coachbuilt Silver Dawn and Silver Cloud models. The complete absence of shut lines allows clients to run their eye from the front to the rear of the car uninterrupted by ungainly body seams. Of course this is no easy thing. In order to achieve it, four craftsmen have to hand weld the body together simultaneously to ensure a perfectly continuous seam. 100% aluminium doors have also been used offering weight benefits, remarkable stiffness and improved cabin ambience.
"The only components that we carried over from the first Goodwood Ghost were the Spirit of Ecstasy and umbrellas. Everything else was designed, crafted and engineered from the ground up. The result is the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet." Torsten Müller- tv s, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The engineers and acoustic specialists were so relentless in their search for acoustic serenity that on creating a completely silent interior suite, they found the experience to be disorientating. To overcome this, they elected to create a ‘whisper’, a soft undertone that is experienced as a single, subtle note, achieved by tuning each component of the car to a shared, common resonant frequency.
Needless to say, you will struggle to find another car on the road capable of providing such a blissful soundtrack despite packing such a monster under that vast bonnet.
Rolls-Royce's whopping 6.75-litre Twin-Turbocharged V12 unit has been further developed to deliver near-instant torque and near-silent running. With a bespoke engine map delivering 563bhp and 850Nm of torque - available at just 1,600rpm - to the allwheel drivetrain, this dynamic car will accelerate from standing to 62mph in under five seconds.
To coincide with this dynamism, the hallmark Magic Carpet Ride has evolved. A completely redesigned suspension system - named Planar Suspension System after a geometric plane which is completely flat and level - is the result of ten collective years of testing and development to create a sense of flight on land never before achieved by a car. Created through physical engineering developments as well as sophisticated scanning and software technology, it incorporates a world-first Upper Wishbone Damper unit above the front suspension assembly, creating an even more stable and effortless ride. This works alongside the Flagbearer system, which uses cameras to read the road ahead and prepare the suspension system for any changes in road surface, as well as the marque’s Satellite Aided Transmission. These technologies are managed as one through a bespoke Planar software system. New Ghost can now anticipate and react to the most demanding road surfaces. The Upper Wishbone Damper alone was the result of five collective years of road and bench testing and is reserved exclusively for Rolls-Royce.
The five-link rear axle benefits from the same self-levelling high-volume air suspension technology as the front, as well as rearwheel steering. Both axles are managed via the marque’s Planar software. This also governs new Ghost’s other chassis technologies, including the all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, stability control and self-drying braking systems, to ensure the motor car is reacting as one to changes in surfaces or grip levels while also maintaining a spirited, dynamic personality.
New Ghost benefits from a new Micro-Environment Purification System (MEPS). Existing air filtration technology was further developed to incorporate a full suite of hardware and software improvements. Highly sensitive Impurity Detection Sensors were introduced to detect ambient air quality, automatically switching fresh air intakes to Recirculation Mode if unacceptable levels of airborne contaminants are present. This channels all cabin air
through a nanofleece filter, which is capable of removing nearly all ultra-fine particles from the Rolls-Royce’s micro- environment in less than two minutes.
Indeed, this is the most technologically advanced car Rolls-Royce has ever produced with a list of equipment which includes: LED and laser headlights with more than 600m of illuminated range, vision assist, including day and night-time wildlife and pedestrian warning; alertness assistant; a four-camera system with panoramic view, all-round visibility and helicopter view; active cruise control; collision warning; cross-traffic warning; lane departure and lane change warning; an industry-leading 7x3 high-resolution head-up display; Wi-Fi hotspot; self-park; and the very latest navigation and entertainment systems.
This is not just a car, this is a marvel of engineering and possibly one of the last we will see with an ICE. The time and development that has gone into this car is evident from the moment you lay eyes on it, but even more so once you get behind the wheel - or into one of the passenger seats. The ride experience over its predecessor is undeniable and despite still not what you would pick as a drivers car, the experience behind the wheel is again, vastly improved to a point where you will enjoy going for a drive.
Very few other manufacturers have the capacity and capability of achieving such feats, but then, that's what you're paying for.
ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST
Engine 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 Power (bhp) 563 Torque (Nm) 850 0-62mph (secs) 4.8 Max Speed (mph) (governed)155 Transmission 6-Speed Manual Fuel Consumption (mpg) 18.6 CO2 Emissions (g/km) 347 Price (from) £249,600
1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage £POA
DBS VANTAGE
From a time when the Aston Martin brand was owned by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited, a true British marque of excellence, the DBS Vantage was one of the last to feature those stunning wire wheels.
Built from 1967 until 1972, it was designed to be the successor to the DB6, but ended up running alongside each other in production for three years. Offering a larger coupé design than the DB6, the DBS delivered a desirable grand tourer aesthetic complete with four full-sized seats.
The DBS was intended to have a more "modern" look than the previous series of Aston models. Incorporating a fastback style rear end and squared off front grille, atypical of Aston's at the time but very much then in vogue in automotive design circles of the late sixties.
Using the same 4.0-litre engine as the DB6, the standard DBS boasted 280hp, however, as with this example, the Vantage engine option added Italian made triple Weber carburettors which increased output to an advertised 325hp. Just 803 of these were ever produced. This example also features the 5-speed manual transmission along with Heritage Certificate. Presented in Celeste Silver coachwork with dark blue leather interior, this example is showing just 70,000 miles with the previous owner purchasing the car for circa £130,000 and spending over £20,000 with marque specialist Rikki Cann mechanically recommissioning the car. The DBS was the last Aston Martin to be developed under David Brown's control, so you know you're getting your hands on a real piece of automotive history.
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