BMW BLOG

Rolls Royce CEO, Tom Purves and member of BMW board, Ian Robertson, have unveiled the production version of their latest Rolls Royce model: Ghost.

Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in a concept form and carrying the name EX200, the Ghost is Rolls Royce’s latest bet. With record sales in 2007 and 2008, RR hopes to return to high sales sometimes in 2010 and the Ghost can be the model that will pull them through.

The new Rolls which is built atop the most recent BMW 7 series platform, will be manufactured at the Goodwood plant and it will share some interior and exterior materials with the Phantom and Drophead Coupe, but fit into a shorter wheelbase. At the same time, RR Ghost has a very modern and round design giving the impression of a smaller and sportier luxury vehicle.

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Rolls Royce has officially launched the beautiful, ultra luxurious and very powerful, Ghost. While the first official photos of the concept were released back in February, the Rolls fans had to wait a few more months for the unveiling of the production model.

The Ghost is scheduled to make its debut next week at the Frankfurt Auto Show and it is expected to be one of the show’s stars. Until the real time photos which will be featured on your number one BMW news website, let’s enjoy the official shots from the UK based company.

Press Release

Autumn 2006, Paris motor show: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that work had begun on a new model series. The new car would be in production and on sale by the turn of the decade. The only other facts confirmed at that stage were that it would be smaller than the Phantom saloon and priced somewhere between €200,000 and €300,000 before tax. Speculation about its style and specification began almost immediately…

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In a press release today, Rolls Royce revealed more information regarding their latest model: Ghost. Due to launch in September, with a World Premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the RR Ghost is powered by a new V12 6.6 liter turbocharged engine which produces 563 horsepower at 5,250 rmp and an impressive 575 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm.

The engine is matted to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, similar to what we will see in future BMW models. The Ghost accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.7 seconds and has a maximum electronically limited speed of 155 mph(250 km/h).

As we have previously mentioned, the new Rolls Royce Ghost was built on the long wheelbase platform from the new 7 Series and measures 5,399mm (212.6 inches) in length, 3,295mm (129.7 inches) in wheelbase, 1,948mm (76.7 inches) in width, and 1,550mm (61 inches) in height.

With this occasion, Rolls Royce also revealed the highly awaited pricing, which as you might have expected, it’s not on the low side. In the UK, the Baby Rolls will sell for £165,000, while in rest of Europe, the base price starts at €213,000.

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Rolls Royce has just launched a dedicated website for its latest model, Ghost, which will be available this fall. Those visual configurators have been always available for all the BMW vehicles, so it was expected to see it for the Ghost model as well.

The “visualizer” gives the options to learn more about the EX200/Ghost and also to select different color combinations, both interior and exterior. We have seen plenty of spy photos so far showcasing the exterior design, but there was a shortage of interior shots.

As expected, the interior design is in-pair to company’s luxury standards, controls are neatly sculptured surrounded by chrome, and as usual, plenty of wood trim and fine leather. Now, you have the ability to combine all these options and see how they blend together.

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Looking at these new photos of the upcoming Rolls Royce Ghost, we can’t decide if we like this white color better than the darker shades we have seen so far. While the black exterior paints seems to give the car a sleeker, less massive look, this white color gives the impression of a longer and larger Rolls.

Sure, it’s all about visuals, but in the end, the truth is that a color can make or break a vehicle. Now, let’s look at the “real” dimensions: Rolls Royce Ghost measures 5399mm (212.6 inches) in length, 3295mm (129.7 inches) in wheelbase, 1948mm (76.7 inches) in width, and 1550mm (61 inches) in height and shares the same platform as the new 7 Series.

Not very small when compared to the 7, right? Despite the technical numbers showing the Ghost as being a massive car, the truth is that the design lines are executed far better than the previous RR model, a very modern, round design and surprising, a sportier look.

It is worth mentioning that the Rolls Royce Ghost is not a replacement for the Phantom model, but rather a competitor for the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Ghost is equipped with a 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine with more than 500 horsepower, a powerplant not seen before on any BMW Group product and up to 80% of its components will be unique.

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Teasing seems to be the favorite word in the BMW Group these days – or is it great marketing? – and Rolls Royce makes no exception. The UK based automaker released more information regarding their upcoming Rolls Royce Ghost, a vehicle introduced in a concept form at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

Today, Rolls Royce announced that the new Ghost will feature an advanced air suspension system which will increase the ride comfort. The state-of-the-art chassis uses an intelligent four corner air suspension system and multi link aluminium front and rear axles.

The Active Roll Stabilization and Variable Damping Control systems also increase the overall ride experience making the Ghost “as refined and as cosseting as anything that this marque has ever produced.”, says Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO, Tom Purves.

Rolls-Royce Engineering Director, Helmut Riedl builds on this by saying that “The individual technologies determining handling and safety work together controlled by dual Integrated Chassis Management systems meaning that even under vigorous testing the Ghost remains perfectly poised. We are very proud of our engineering team’s achievements with Ghost. The balance of refinement and dynamic ability is astonishing.”

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The new Baby Rolls or the Ghost as BMW decided to call it, is going through the final testing stages. Scheduled to be released in the Fall, the Rolls Royce Ghost was spotted again by the photographers wearing an interesting camouflage.

For those of you that might have missed our multiple articles on the new Rolls Royce, it is worth repeating some of the things we have learned so far: the new Rolls which is built atop the most recent BMW 7 series platform and it will be manufactured at the Goodwood plant where Rolls Royce has already added more shifts and extended the working hours and workforce increase will help overcoming any shortage in production.

The Ghost will be built on its own dedicated line, but it will share some interior and exterior materials with the Phantom and Drophead Coupe.

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The German tuner Hamann is on a roll and shortly after “pimping out” most of the recent BMW models, the X6, 7 Series or the new Z4, they moved onto the other BMW-owned super luxury brand: Rolls Royce.

Both the Phantom and the Drophead Coupe received the Hamann special treatment which most of the time stands out due to the upgraded wheels.

Same as the 7 Series, the Rolls Royce model get an upgraded wheel size, from 21 inch to a whooping 23 inch. But the most impressive upgrade lies under the hood, where the 6.75-liter V12 engine receive an impressive power boost from 460 horsepower to 535 horsepower.

The peak torque has also increased, from 534 lb-ft(720Nm) to 616 lb-ft(835Nm). Top speed level was raised all the way up to 186 mph(300 km/h).

While no other details were released at this time – we expect a full press release shortly- there is one more item worth mentioning: the Hamann branded steering wheel was specifically designed for the Phantom models.

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Rolls Royce Ghost, the latest high-end luxury vehicle designed by the UK based automaker, has been during  a testing session. Despite the fact that we have seen the fully unveiled model just a week ago, the car in these photos is still sporting a …..quite interesting camouflage.

While we have been used to seeing the funky black and white BMW camouflage, this time the Ghost gives us a “Panda-like” look, pretty cute if we might add.

Probably well known by now, but still worth mentioning again,  the new Rolls-Royce EX200 shares the same platform with the new 7 Series and it imports some design elements from Phantom and Drophead Coupe, but fit into a shorter wheelbase.

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At least one of the BMW owned brands are doing well and this could be only encouraging for the entire BMW Group. Rolls Royce has just announced that despite the severe economic downturn, they will double the workforce at their factory in Goodwood, UK as a preparation for the upcoming new model Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Rolls-Royce has already added more shifts and extended the working hours and workforce increase will help overcoming any shortage in production. By the end of this year, the total number of employees on the payroll at the Goodwin plant will increase to 900.

Majority of the new positions will be in the wood, leather and paint shops since they are shared with the Phantom models. Also, the Ghost will be built on its own dedicated line.

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