Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces new Ghost Extended, offering the indulgence of enhanced rear seating space with no compromise to Ghost’s driving dynamics.
Ghost Extended is the product of an exhaustive process of consultation with a new generation of Rolls-Royce clients. This global, highly dynamic group of entrepreneurs expressed a desire for a chauffeur-driven business tool for the week that can transform into a serenely comfortable and dynamic self-driven saloon at the weekend. Ghost Extended is the response. First customer deliveries will be made in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Ghost Extended offers 170mm more space than Ghost, providing more rear legroom than any four-seat sedan with the exception of a Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended. Customer centricity has informed every step of the development process. A key learning was that Ghost Extended customers wanted no compromise to Ghost’s pure, minimalist design. The marque’s designers worked to cloak the extra length by only extending the rear door and body around the rear door apertures, preserving the lines of the car.
A suite of enhancements to the rear of the cabin reflects Ghost Extended’s flexibility. For the first time, a reclining Serenity Seat can be selected, offering a new dimension of rear seat comfort akin to a business jet cabin environment.
The rear cabin also provides the perfect environment to transition from business to leisure. To enhance this, a Champagne fridge is provided between the rear seats and has been developed with exacting attention to the needs of the Rolls-Royce client. To achieve this, the marque’s engineers consulted with a Master Sommelier. They learned that the optimum serving temperatures of non-vintage Champagne is around six degrees centigrade and vintage Champagnes is around 11 degrees centigrade. To that end, the refrigerator operates two cooling modes, chilling to six degrees and 11 degrees.
Ghost Extended is built on the Architecture of Luxury, Rolls-Royce’s proprietary all-aluminium spaceframe that underpins every new Rolls-Royce model. The marque’s hallmark Magic Carpet Ride is delivered by a new Planar Suspension System, the result of more than 10 years’ exhaustive testing and refinement by specialist engineers. Featuring continuously variable, electronically controlled shock absorbers, self-levelling high-volume air strut assemblies and a world-first upper wishbone damper; this technology has never been previously applied to a production motor car. Ghost Extended also benefits from all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering for the first time.
Power is provided by a 6.75-litre twin turbocharged engine developed exclusively for Ghost. It produces 571PS and 850Nm of torque. The requirement for silence when travelling is answered through 100kg of acoustic damping materials incorporated into the chassis, bodywork and tyres, delivering exhilarating performance without disturbing the serenity within.
The pursuit of design simplicity requires highly complex engineering and craft techniques. For example, sophisticated bodywork forms are only achievable through advanced generative design and 3D printing. This is the first time this technology has been incorporated within a component production facility and combined with Rolls-Royce’s craft and engineering competencies.
For Ghost Extended, beam-melted metal components are welded to the body-in-white, while parts made by multi-jet fusion and selective laser sintering are individually fitted at the Home of Rolls-Royce.
More traditional craft is given a contemporary expression through the introduction of two new wood finishes, developed especially for Ghost. Obsidian Ayous is inspired by the rich palette of colours found in igneous rocks, while Dark Amber has veins of fine aluminium particles running through the wood. Both are available in open-pore finish, allowing the tactility of the material to fully express itself.
