A new one-off commission from Rolls-Royce has been built to celebrate the 120-year anniversary of Henry Rolls’ race win at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. That’s right, before 200mph bikes, the Isle of Man TT was fielded by cars, and 120 years ago it was one of the founders of Rolls-Royce that won in a car that inspired this Black Badge Ghost.
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The Ghost’s Emerald Green paintwork is a contemporary take on the original Light 20 H.P Rolls-Royce Racer, but more directly connected is the Ghost White pinstripe with a small number 4 incorporated into its length.
The cabin has a two-tone interior with black and tan leather, the latter used on contrasting piping and seat inserts, as well as stitching and deep-pile carpets. Look a little closer and you’ll find other, more direct connections to the TT, including an embroidered outline of the Isle of Man itself on the rear seats.
Other neat touches include etched markings on the underside of each circular air vent, featuring motifs that mention the original racer’s registration number, chassis number and the co-ordinates of the Isle of Man Short Highroads Course where the race was held.
All of these elements sit within the Ghost’s inherently luxurious cabin elements, from the finest leathers and wool carpets on the seats and floor, and the Black Badge-typical woven fibre in place of the more traditional wood.
As with most commissions, there are no technical changes to the existing Black Badge Ghost. This means it features the same 6.75-litre V12 engine producing a relaxed 592bhp and 899Nm of torque.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, and while there’s no real ‘Sport’ mode, the simple ‘L’ button on the small gear selector sharpens up the shifts, wakes up the throttle response and better controls the ride.
The cost of this commission has not been confirmed, in typical Rolls-Royce style, but we’d imagine it’d be somewhat higher than the standard car’s £325,000 starting price.
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