Under that long hood lies a 6.6-litre, BMW- derived, twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Its colossal 563 horsepower is enough to fling this heavy car to 100kph in just 4.9 seconds, as fast as a serious sports car. But the refinement is somehow more impressive than the pace; at town speeds the Ghost is ghostly, sighing from light to light in the near-silence we’ve come to expect from electric cars. Under hard acceleration the sound doesn’t quite match the picture; the horizon comes rushing at you, but from the engine comes only a distant, cultured burble, the automatic gearbox changing up through its astonishing eight ratios utterly seamlessly.
And of course, the Ghost rides serenely, its air springs constantly analysing the road conditions and the driver’s intentions to produce either cloud-like insulation from Hong Kong’s occasionally cratered tarmac, or level, composed handling when the speeds rise and the bends sharpen. Few cars achieve this duality of character. Of course, the Ghost makes no pretence of being ‘sporting’, but instead leaves you to be surprised at how sporting it can be when required.
Criticisms? Very few. We’re not abandoning our journalistic objectivity here; some cars are just right first time. The Phantom was a perfect example, and having taken seven years over the next distinct model in the new Rolls-Royce range, BMW was always unlikely to produce a car to lesser standards. Rolls-Royce famously acquired the ‘best car in the world’ moniker in the 1920s. Social and environmental pressures and the very high standards of more affordable cars mean a Rolls is unlikely to win that tag again. But the Ghost comes as close as a super- luxury car can.
SCORECARD How much? HK$4.8 million
Engine: 6592cc twin-turbo V12, 563bhp@5250rpm, 575lb ft @1500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Performance: 4.9sec 0-100kph, 250kph (limited)
How heavy? 2435kgs
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