Rolls Royce Ghost: High-Res Photos of Thinly Disguised Production Model

We've obtained a new set of high-resolution photos of the production-ready Rolls Royce Ghost that was scooped last week at the Calais - Dover ferry crossing. Sans the black grille and the hidden logos, Rolls Royce didn't bother to use any camouflage on the mini-me Phantom that was snapped undisguised. The reason is that the car is virtually identical to the 200EX concept study seen at this year's Geneva motorshow, so there's nothing really important to hide. Nevertheless, if you're the type that pays attention to details, you may notice the slightly different headlight assembly and the absence of visible exhaust pipes at the back.

There's also a photo of the interior, but because it was shot with the window closed, we don't have a clear picture of the dashboard. However, aside from the matte trim on the steering wheel (instead of the 200EX's glossy chrome trim) and the dark background of the instrument panel, the cockpit is no different than the one seen on the 200EX concept car.

Stretching well over 5 meters in length (5.4 meter or 212.6-inches to be precise) and featuring the same coach doors as the larger Phantom, which has clearly inspired the car's design, Rolls Royce's new entry-level sedan will make its world debut this fall at the Frankfurt motorshow. Rolls has confirmed that the Ghost will be powered by a new 6.6-liter V12 engine delivering an output in excess of 507 horsepower. The V12 will be hooked up to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Rolls Royce to Increase Workforce by 50% Mainly Due to the new Ghost

In spite of the financial crisis that has cost thousands of jobs in the auto sector, British luxury carmaker Rolls Royce is planning to increase its manufacturing workforce by 50 per cent. More than 150 new jobs are being created by the BMW Group owned company to support the production of the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost that will be revealed in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The company said that by the end of 2009, it will have created nearly 400 new jobs in under two years, bringing the total workforce at Goodwood to 900.

Most of the newly created positions have been created in the wood, leather and paint shops as well as the assembly areas while Rolls Royce said that there will also be a number of new positions available in the firm's headquarter offices also at Goodwood.

"This is good news for the British car industry at a time when it is struggling. Britain has an exceptional talent for automotive production and we are keen to maximize this at Rolls-Royce," said Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves. "Our new model, the Ghost, has enjoyed an extremely positive international response and we now need to put people in place to bring the car to market."

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2010 Rolls Royce Ghost: Production Model Spied on the Road

The most talked about Rolls Royce model of the past couple of years, the freshly baptized Ghost, was spotted by an online user at the Calais - Dover crossing waiting for the ferry. The production ready Rolls Royce Ghost was virtually camouflage free as only the hidden / tapped parts were the grille and the RR badge on the boot. On the outside, with the exception of the production-like headlight assembly, the absence of visible tail pipes at the rear and the different alloy wheels, we didn't find any other changes over the 200EX concept car shown at the Geneva Show in March.

The amateur spy photographer also snapped a quick shot of the Ghost's interior. From what we are able to make out from the picture, there are only a couple of notable differences between the two cars such as the matte plastic trim on the steering wheel (instead of the 200EX's glossy chrome trim) and the dark surrounding of the instrument panel.

Often called the 'baby' Rolls Royce, the 5.4 meter (212.6") long Ghost will make its world premiere in production form at this fall's Frankfurt Motor Show and hit showrooms by the end of the year. Under the elongated bonnet there's a new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 engine that produces an output in excess of 507 horsepower.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Rolls-Royce Planning to Expand Ghost Lineup with New Derivative

Rolls-Royce is planning a derivative of its Ghost uber-luxury sedan. The Ghost, which starts at US$245,000, is the 'baby' brother of the US$380,000 Phantom.

"I'm quite confident that we're going to see a Ghost derivative to come," said the British automaker's CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes in an interview reported by Bloomberg. "There's still a lot of potential in the market."

Mueller-Oetvoes would not elaborate on what the derivative would be, but hinted there may be more than one. The company is awaiting more feedback from its customers before committing to a bodystyle and timeframe for launch.

Rolls-Royce also announced that it is expanding its operations in China (the brand's biggest market after the United States), India and the Middle East. In spite of this, Mueller-Oetvoes has assured buyers that the brand will remain exclusive:

"We will definitely not end off in the tens of thousands of units. That's not the right strategy for us. Rolls-Royce always needs to stay very exclusive. We only build a car when there is a customer behind it."

Rolls-Royce suffered a 17% drop in sales in 2009 due to the global financial crisis. With the market now in recovery, Rolls aims to sell at least 2,000 cars in 2010. To date, the automaker has sold 1,467 cars worldwide, trailing Volkswagen-owned Bentley which had 2,489. Much of the growth has been attributed to the Ghost, which went on sale late last year.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Bloomberg

Fenice Milano Previews Ghost-based Diva, Rolls-Royce Fans Cringe In Horror

In an apparent homage to Mansory, creator of such elegant eyesores as a gold-and-blue Rolls-Royce Ghost and a pink Continental GT, Italian firm Fenice Milano has created a handful of garish photoshops as a warning to car fans everywhere. Guys, if you need some fresh ideas, just ask (I'm here all week).

The car seen here is Fenice Milano's "Diva" and, for all intents and purposes, it's the kind of Ghost the "Opulence" commercial guy would drive with his 'wimmens' and giraffe in the back.

This is not the kind of "Italian elegance and style" I have come to expect from the boot-shaped Mediterranean country known for beautiful women, beautiful suits, beautiful cars, and beautiful food.

For those brave enough to consider the Diva, the car will be available in three colors: navy, bronze, and white (with 24k gold flakes); all three colors and a variety of color schemes can be seen below.

Inside, the car gets biscuit leather and 24k gold throughout, optional Alcantara inserts for the more ergonomically-designed seats, and wood trim that is supposedly limited to teak or grey oak.

Performance boosts of some sort are also mentioned, though with something called the Diva there's no telling what the ECU/intake/exhaust mods will do for it. On a more positive note, at least their website has some nice music to listen to.

By Phil Alex

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