Rolls Royce Ghost 2010 revealed

First shown as the 200EX concept at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the ‘baby’ Rolls Royce Ghost has finally been unveiled in production trim, and at least externally, it isn’t too different from the concept.

The rear-wheel-drive 2010 Ghost is 43.5 cm shorter, 8.2 cm lower and 4.2 cm narrower than the Phantom and has almost as much interior space, while still being larger than the competing Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

The Ghost is powered by a 563 hp 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 featuring direct injection and and 779 Nm of torque at 1500 rpm. It lets the Ghost do the 0-100 kph run in 4.9 seconds, on to an electronically-limited top speed of 250 kph. The standard gearbox is an 8-speed automatic. Also standard is a double-wishbone front and multilink rear computer-controlled air suspension setup.

Features include powered rear-hinged back doors, 600W stereo with a 10-channel amplifier and 16 speakers, 2 subwoofers, a 12.5GB hard drive, wood and metal trim, navigation, Bluetooth phone, and a rotary controller on the centre console to control the electronics. Options include intelligent keyless entry and start, voice control, and cameras for blind junctions and parking. Also available is a night-vision camera, a heads-up display, lane departure warning, adaptive directional HID headlights, active cruise control with Stop & Go, active brake intervention with hill descent, stability control and a multitude of airbags.

The 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost is expected to be priced north of Dhs 1 million, although we fail to see any fresh technology that couldn’t be had at half the price in a BMW 750Li, on which the Ghost is based. Expect the “more drive-focussed” new model to debut in the UAE sometime in early 2010.