GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Rolls-Royce goes Black and powers up
Luxo limo and coupe given more power and torque, chassis tweaks and a more menacing style to attract a younger class of millionairesRolls-Royce chose the Geneva motor show to unveil new ‘Black Badge’ versions of its Ghost limousine and luxurious Wraith coupe.
Claimed to have been created for younger, wealthy entrepreneurs drawn to the brand, both vehicles come with black painted grilles, black badging and a darkened Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet figurine.
Inside, instead of acres of wood, the show cars revealed came with a black “aerospace-grade” aluminium-threaded carbon-fibre dash and dark two-tone leather interiors.
Under the skin, Rolls-Royce engineers have given the Ghost sedan an extra 30kW/60Nm boosting power to 450kW/840Nm. The Wraith’s power carries over unchanged at 465kW but the coupe gets 70Nm more torque.
The British car-maker says performance figures will be released later but, to help deal with the extra power, the new eight-speed automatic transmission shifts 200-500rpm later and is more responsive to the throttle.
To deal with the extra torque both cars get new drive shafts, uprated suspension and revised steering. Nonetheless, Rolls-Royce claims there has been no compromise to ride comfort.
The new Black Badge Ghost and Wraith are expected to cost around $75,000 more than the standard version in the UK. Local pricing is yet to be confirmed.
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