A new addition to the never-ending palette is Mustique Blue, a brand new colour developed for the launch of Ghost Series II. It bears a metallic sheen made from glass and mica flakes that shimmers under sunlight, evoking the glistening effect of the sun’s rays on the tropical sea surrounding the Caribbean island after which it is named.
It’s a decidedly safer option compared to my fancy fellow in yellow, but there’s just something about a Rolls-Royce in an outlandish shade of offbeat that titillates your inner rebel, giving you both street cred and rock star vibes in one fell swoop.
As I slid behind the wheel to begin our drive further south to Marseille, I discovered that you can now even choose the colour combos of the digital instrument dials when you’re speccing out your new Ghost, too.
Also new on this Ghost is the Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet, a mini sculptural installation of the iconic Rolls-Royce mascot spreading its wings beneath an analogue clock embedded in the dash, which debuted first on the Cullinan last year.
Beside her, the new illuminated fascia on the passenger side provides yet another customisable surface for owners to further express their individualism with unique motif designs, selected to match the precise cosmic patterns of their starlight headliner – the iconic Rolls-Royce signature twinkling above head – if they so wish.
The litany of bespoke options continues with the new Duality Twill upholstery, also first seen on the latest Cullinan. The base twill textile, made from a new rayon fabric developed from bamboo, is available in lilac, chocolate and black and features the ‘Duality’ graphic – an abstract interpretation of the interlinked initial ‘R’ of the marque’s founders’ names – embroidered in a choice of up to 51 thread colours. It’s a highly complex and impossibly intricate process that Rolls-Royce says involves up to 2.2 million stitches and 11 miles of thread, and can take 20 hours to complete.
MAGIC CARPET RIDE TO MARSEILLE
Such exacting attention to detail of course extends to engineering, and Ghost Series II has been masterfully tuned like a beast restrained. You would never hear this 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 coming, and that’s the beauty and joy of driving a Rolls-Royce.
It’s almost absurd how easy it is to pilot this very large vehicle that in reality feels like a feather on 22-inch wheels. It’s irrationally agile, and no other motor car on the planet gives you the kind of ‘waftability’ Rolls-Royces are known for, made possible by its renowned Planar Suspension System that’s been designed with the singular goal of ensuring that rear seat passengers never lose a single drop of champagne (true story). Now if only the road to being able to afford one was as smooth and effortless.
