Rolls-Royce Goes Ghost
Launched in 2009 by the now 116-year-old Rolls-Royce, the Ghost has quietly become the marque’s most sublime design, its brash insouciance a younger sibling to the reserved refinement of the long-standing Phantom—and the newest version only reinforces this notion more. The august British automaker has completely retooled the interior while not budging an inch from its pedigree.
The interior design pursues the same minimalist luxury aesthetic as the exterior resulting in a relaxing refuge reduced to three simple essentials: wood, leather, and metal. The cockpit is in turn illuminated by the ethereal glow of a constellation of 850 stars, the result of 152 individual LEDs developed over 10,000 hours during two years.
The exterior itself is based on a design brief of “post opulence,” which Rolls-Royce defines as an authenticity of materials with roots in architecture, fashion, jewelry, and boat design. Proprietary architecture allowed the design team to increase the model’s width by over an inch, bolstering a presence framed by sharp bow lines that intersect with angular LED headlamps for an indelible fascia subtlety offset by a metal grille that’s been brushed for lessened reflectivity, creating a subdued effect that’s synonymous with the brand’s Spirit of Ecstasy iconography.