Ghost is the name that Rolls-Royce has chosen for the new luxury saloon going into production at Goodwood later this year.
Previously known by its codename RR4 - and shown at Geneva as the 200EX - the official name has just been announced by Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves at the Shanghai motor show.
New car shown as 200EX at Geneva
Rolls describes Ghost as ‘one of the most revered names in the automotive industry, evoking images of adventure and technical innovation’. Speaking at Shanghai, Purves said the RR4 would be the first in a new generation of models to carry the evocative name, giving Rolls ‘two pinnacle product lines’ in the Phantom and Ghost.
The new Ghost will have its own dedicated production line at Goodwood, but will share paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series cars. Bodies in white for both models are shipped in from Germany.
The Ghost is already in trial production at Goodwood, and full details are expected soon of the ‘volume’ model that will sit beneath the Phantom range in R-R’s line-up. Despite being commonly referred to as the ‘baby’ Rolls, the Ghost remains an imposing beast at 5399mm long and 1948mm wide.
It’s got a pretty grown-up powertrain too, with an all-new BMW derived 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 making upwards of 500bhp and an 8-speed ZF gearbox.
The Ghost name was first used by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars between 1906 and 1925 although these cars were initially introduced as the 40/50hp model.
A total of 7,876 were built, including 6173 at the firm’s Derby works, and 1703 in Springfield, Massachusetts.