ESCAPE HIGH ROAD
Over to the DARK SIDE
Rolls-Royce gives its new Ghost the Black Badge treatment—and a whole lot of ATTITUDE
By Howard Walker
I
’m seeing stars—literally—sparkling down from the sea of roofmounted, fiber-optic LED lights that make up Rolls-Royce’s acclaimed Starlight Headliner. As I gaze up, I spot a shooting star coursing its way across the roof lining. Looking forward, I’m awed by the illuminated passenger-side dashboard replete with 850 twinkly LEDs. I crank up Don McLean singing “starry, starry night” on the 1,300-watt, 16-speaker stereo and the celestial mode is complete. All this ethereal illumination is offered on every exquisite new RollsRoyce Ghost sedan. The difference here is that we’re driving the very latest, most noir Ghost yet: the 2022 Black Badge Ghost. Black Badge models are in pretty high demand at the Flying Lady company these days. After kicking the series off back in 2016 with the Black Badge Wraith coupe, Rolls-Royce followed up with the previous-gen Ghost, the Dawn convertible, and the box-on-wheels Cullinan SUV. This new BB Ghost is the carmaker’s darkest, boldest, most “murdered out” offering to date, a car that firmly takes the company over to the dark side. Darth Vader would be proud. Design cues include stealthy-black finishes for that imposing grille and iconic Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. And if you go for black
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11/30/21 10:47 AM
