Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge: Power in the Dark

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We prepare for a driving session (at an airfield and on public roads) of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge.

, aimed at clients who forget their suits at work meetings, replace banks with

and change the analog world with their digital initiatives.

The rebirth of the brand in 2003 under the BMW umbrella materialized with the

, but soon

for whom luxury and quality matter, but with less glitz and more customization. . Thus was born the Ghost in 2009, which quickly rose to the position of best-selling Rolls-Royce in history even with the subsequent launch of the

coupe

and

, which have failed to dethrone it.

The driving will be at night, so that no one detects the darkened expression of the car, in line with the Black Badge lineage: "

, a kind of canvas for our special customers to express their individuality", explains

, the CEO of the British brand in the hands of BMW.

Despite its transgressive approach, this Ghost does not lose one iota of luxury ...

Almost a third of Rolls-Royce orders are Black Badge, whose really special ingredient is a subversive spirit according to the history of the brand's own founders.

and became one of the most renowned mechanical engineers of his time.

And Charles Rolls came into the world as an aristocrat, but became known as

, for participating in important events at his Cambridge University in his white tie ... decorated with huge

.

It all started with a 'tuneo'

JO

Black Badge is a permanent range of custom models. It all started with a fortuitous meeting between the CEO of Rolls and a client who sent his Wraith to spend a season in the garage of a 'tuning' company, from which he returned with the

(the winged female figure that shines in the hood of each Rolls), the wheels and interior finishes stained black. And because it was not a singular wish of a single customer, Rolls did what many believed unthinkable, beginning to study 'dark' versions of each new model.

In 2016 the Black Badge range of models was born, which began to seduce less conservative customers both in the United States and in China, Russia and even in the rest of Europe, to the point that, with the launch of this Ghost Black Badge, maybe half of the brand's total production is 'blacked out' from the factory. Of course, with colorful accents in the interiors, marked by technical and monochromatic materials in a clear attempt by the designers of Rolls-Royce to subvert the meaning of luxury associated with the color black.

This Ghost

that Rolls-Royce offers in its color palette, but it is true that an overwhelming majority of customers will order it in black.

are atomized and applied to an electrostatically charged car body before drying in an oven.

Two more coats of paint are

and then it is

Rolls-Royce

for about four hours (totally unknown in mass production in this industry) to achieve that glossy black.

The Spirit of Ecstasy also wears black.

On the grating and on

the treatment is different and instead of being painted in the same way, a chromium electrolyte is introduced in the traditional galvanizing process for the desired darkening effect.

, the wheel hub is forged aluminum and is fixed to the wheel with titanium bolts.

The interior is all comfort and distinction.

A diamond pattern made of carbon and metallic fibers is embedded in the dash panel on multiple layers of compressed wood and cured at 100 degrees for more than an hour. If requested by the customer, the individual rear seats receive the mathematical symbol for infinity, which represents the potential known as lemniscate. And the vents on the front and back panel are darkened by physical vapor deposition, one of the few methods of staining metals that ensures parts don't deteriorate over time.

The smallest Black Badge watch in history is flanked by a

.

Its 850 stars join the more than 90,000 laser-etched dots on the entire surface of the ceiling.

Being at night, the starry sky effect of this ceiling is even more impressive, especially when a shooting star passes.

Latest R&R combustion engine?

Already sitting in the seat I realize that there are no gearshift paddles behind the wheel, but yes, the traditional '

' indicator

on the dashboard, with its analog-looking digital instruments.

Your naturally aspirated V12 engine ... could be the last with those features.

The 6.75 liter V12 biturbo engine is in itself a piece of excellence and an added historical value, as it is very likely that it will be the last internal combustion engine of the Ghost (Rolls has already announced that it will be an all-electric brand after 2030).

It is combined with the well-known 8-speed automatic transmission (with torque converter) that

.

The stars have also taken the dash trim.

In this case, the Black Badge has received 29 more hp (in total 600) and 50 Nm (reaches 900), which it celebrates with a more solemn exhaust sound thanks to a new exhaust resonator and specific hardware.

Contributing to

, we can select 'Low' mode from the steering wheel (calling it 'Sport' would not be acceptable on a Rolls), which causes a more immediate throttle response and allows

90% of the right pedal travel.

Almost a third of Ghosts are ordered with this Black Badge configuration.

Suspension with cameras

Although it is a night driving experience, these few kilometers behind the wheel of the Black Badge have been more enlightening than the route on public roads, since the fact that it was a closed and safe route allowed some abuses that, in turn, revealed the merits of the suspension with cameras to

. And the truth is that I could feel more variation in behavior in this Rolls (which does not have driver-selectable driving modes) than in most cars that pass my hands with half a dozen programs and different suspension settings, engine or address.

The suspension is stiffened (especially since in this version the air springs have gained volume), the front and rear steering axles become more incisive and the engine / change more instantaneous in response above 100 km / h, to match. with the purpose of making the Black Badge more sport ... sorry, dynamic,

of the Ghost with less dark soul.

Conclusions.

The philosophy of the Ghost is to try to be less ostentatious but, in the Black Badge decline, the best-selling of the models of the aristocratic English brand, it will continue to attract a lot of attention.

Normal, if we take into account that

for this piece of jewelry on wheels before loading it with extras.

For the rest, the 6.75-liter V12 received some 'magic dust' (

), the suspension has slightly harder settings and there is a Low mode that speeds up the time reaction of this colossus of 2.5 tons and 5.5 meters long at the slightest step on the accelerator.

Something very in tune with his image of a certain rebellion.

Data sheet

Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge

Longitudinal front V12

;

6,750 cc;

600 CV ;,

900 Nm;

8-speed automatic;

Independent, Planar w / bumper;

on both axes;

Ventilated discs;

Wheelbase 5,546 / 2,148 / 1,571 / 3,295 mm;

500 liters;

na;

2,490 kg;

255/40 R21 (front), 285/35 R21 (rear)

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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