2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost: How we’d spec it

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Rolls-Royce

It’s always a glorious day when a new Rolls-Royce gets revealed, as the storied British luxury brand usually takes at least a decade between introducing new generations of its few models. But the best part of a new Rolls unveiling isn’t seeing the photos or reading the long-winded press release, or even imagining which riviera you’d like to drive it along. No, the best part of a new Rolls reveal is the moment it goes live on the online configurator.

Earlier this week Rolls-Royce debuted the new Ghost sedan, with the configurator becoming available the same day, sending my productivity into a massive nosedive. Then I had the thought, “Why not distract all my co-workers, too?” And thus sent them the task of designing their dream Rolls-Royce Ghosts.

Each Roadshow staffer will present to you, dear reader, the case as to why their specific Ghost is the best one, and then you can be the judge. The specs will be presented in alphabetical order, except I’m going first because this story was my idea, and Craig Cole is last, because, well, just keep reading. Not everyone participated, as you’ll see, but that’s because they were either (1) out of the office, or (2) too intimidated by my perfect spec to even bother competing.

I’ve added a gallery at the end showcasing more images of each person’s spec. Feel free to tweet at us all and tell us why you love, hate or are confused by our Ghost specs. Or check out the Ghost configurator to create your own and tweet it to me personally, as I am the true arbiter of taste here at Roadshow.

Daniel Golson’s Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended

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Rolls-Royce

A lot of my co-workers went for understated specs, which I wholeheartedly reject. Rolls-Royce offers such an absurd amount of colors ranging from blush pink to bright yellow and dark green to deep violet, so why would you go for a boring gray or blue? To that end, I picked a lovely two-tone combo of Twilight Purple and English White, which I think really highlights the redesigned Ghost’s styling. I obviously went for the gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, because how could you not, and I set that off with gold pinstriping along the body side and around the center caps. Bling is a must on a car like this, so I’ve gone for the fully polished 21-inch wheels and the visible exhaust tips. Oh, and I picked the long-wheelbase Extended model. Duh.

I took the purple, white and gold theme through to the interior, as well. My main leather colors are Tailored Purple and Grace White, with Forge Yellow piping and stitching (that’s the closest the configurator would let me get to gold, sadly). Now before you @ me talking about how dirty that white leather will get, let me remind you that in my Rolls-Royce ownership fantasy, I am both rich enough to hire people to clean my car and rich enough to wear designer clothes that don’t leave residue. The super-fancy Serenity rear seat arrangement is a must-have, and I of course selected every single available interior option, ranging from rear picnic tables to embossed Spirit of Ecstasy logos in a whole bunch of places.

I chose to cover most interior surfaces with the lovely purple, using the white on the main seat area and in accents throughout the car, like on the armrests and upper parts of the doors. I also went for the white headliner, which I think will look incredible at night when the shooting stars light up. I eschewed traditional wood trim in favor of Piano White, which covers the dashboard, center console and steering wheel. Sadly, there was no way to make the carpets, dash top or main steering wheel hub match the Tailored Purple or Grace White exactly, so they had to be black in this configuration.

My spec is absolutely the best, and I think Rolls-Royce really should just build this Ghost and let me have it for free, chauffeur included. But if you’d like to see the specs chosen by my colleagues you can read on. Some of them are good, I guess…

Steven Ewing’s Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended

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Rolls-Royce

I love blues, and Rolls-Royce offers a number that really speak to me. That’s why my Ghost Extended (the standard-wheelbase version is for the daft, obviously) is painted in Iguazu Blue, with a Premiere Silver contrast to break up the huge expanses of color. The darker-finish 21-inch wheels look great with this combo, and naturally, I’m having the wheel centers color-matched to the contrast shade. I’m not tacky, after all.

I’m gonna pat myself on the shoulder for what I’ve ordered inside; I think this car looks great, and better than everyone else’s. The blue theme continues with Navy on the main panels and cushions, with Grace White inserts and super-subtle Scivaro Grey contrast piping. The steering wheel is done up in Navy, too, and I decided to bring out the Scivaro Grey by adding it to the lambswool floormats. Open-pore wood sets a nice contrast to the whole thing and I’d be a moron not to spec the Starlight Headliner or Illuminated Fascia. Stars, you guys!

Option-wise, I’m a bit heavy-handed, but I’m also a gazillionaire, so who cares? Full captain’s chairs in the back with a console in between, which of course houses a small cooler to keep my champagne cold. I’ll take all the tech options, too. The only thing I’m leaving on the table? Changes to the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood. She’s already the epitome of glamour, so why bling her up?

Antuan Goodwin’s Rolls-Royce Ghost

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Rolls-Royce

My original plan was to go for a monochromatic theme — all-black outside, all-white cabin — but I wasn’t loving the configurator’s results, mostly because there’s no dark chrome Black Badge option yet. Then I accidentally clicked on the Commissioned Collection Twilight Purple paint and just fell in love. So, that’s the hue I’m going with for the exterior with the 21-inch, 10-spoke polished wheels and chrome exhaust tips for maximum head-turnage.

Inside, I somewhat stuck to my monochrome goal with mostly Grace White leather. I also went with Blackwood trim with the open-pore finish; I’m just not a fan of glossy bits. Tailored purple touches and details — piping and stitching, floor mats, door pockets and a dash of dashboard trim — brings some of the exterior flash inside but doesn’t overwhelm the black-and-white aesthetic.

Tech hasn’t historically been Rolls-Royce’s strong suit, so I’m not expecting much from the dashboard infotainment, but that didn’t stop me from optioning the massive Rear Theatre displays and Bespoke Audio system. Obviously, check the boxes for the illuminated dashboard fascia and shooting star ceiling. Would this even be a Rolls without them?

Kyle Hyatt’s Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended

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Rolls-Royce

My theme when configuring the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost was to avoid most of the new-money cliches. I live in a town where I see late-model Rolls-Royces all the time, and friend, most of them are not aging well.

My Ghost, with its subtle shade of blue, tan-and-blue interior and minimal flashy extras, is meant to not only convey a sense of style, sophistication and class but also to maximize resale value. I’m not going to want to be the guy with the old new Rolls-Royce. That line of thinking also led me to spitefully include the Starlight Headliner, which I’d never turn on.

Being a large gentleman of around 6-feet, 4-inches tall, the extended-wheelbase version was mandatory, as were the Serenity seats. Everything in the car is meant to be relaxing to me as a passenger while my driver — Roadshow’s Managing Editor, Steven Ewing, obvs — deals with the concerns of the outside world.

Andrew Krok’s Rolls-Royce Ghost

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Rolls-Royce

As an alumnus of the University of Illinois, orange and blue has long been a favorite color combination of mine. For this Ghost, my interior went in that direction, with a monochromatic Navy blue getup interspersed with orange accents for piping and, of course, the lambswool floor mats. I couldn’t find a suitably gray shade of open-pore wood, so I went with something closer to black.

I wanted to keep orange alive on the outside, and since I am not in the business of searing retinas, I opted to have a double coachline done in Mandarin, with that color extending to pin stripes around the wheel’s center caps. Since Navy blue is a bit much both inside and out, I opted for a nice shade of Anthracite that still provides the contrast to let the orange pop.

Tim Stevens’ Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended

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Rolls-Royce

First off, ignore the missing steering wheel, as the configurator glitched out. The most important choice here is of course the color. I know green is ultratrendy right now but I’m still a sucker for a good vermillion, and Rolls has two options before you dip into its custom catalog. I went with Imperial Jade, with an off-white coachline to help give this slab-sided beauty a bit more profile presence.

I continued that color through to the primary interior color, augmenting that with open-pore Mimosa Negra wood and all the RR monograms you can buy. Beyond that, I naturally added all the driver-assistance tech on offer, took the most comfortable Serenity Seats to offer my passengers the most luxury possible in my extended-wheelbase car, and capped it off with a set of color-matched umbrellas. Very necessary.

Sean Szymkowski’s Rolls-Royce Ghost

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Rolls-Royce

Basically, Iguazu Blue spoke to me. After totally digging this shade the most, I built everything else around it. I kept things pretty tame outside and chose to go with brighter accents, rather than smoked options.

Inside, I went the opposite way and chose to take the cockpit into a darker palette with open-pore Blackwood as the highlight. And of course I chose the rear center console. This is freaking Rolls, man. Everyone should be comfy as can be and not squished on the hump seat. With lots of dark tones going on, I let the interior brightwork speak for itself with a white-faced bespoke clock and some airy vibes with the Illuminated Fascia.

Craig Cole’s Rolls-Royce Ghost

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Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce Ghosts my esteemed colleagues have built range from merely garish to downright ghastly. None of their chosen color combinations or interior appointments do this ultraluxury sedan justice. Indeed, it takes someone with a jaundiced eye, a truly discriminating palate to properly customize one of these automobiles, to ensure it remains worthy of wearing that Spirit of Ecstasy. Really, I feel for the poor souls; if they weren’t low class, they’d have no class at all.

Kicking things off, two-tone paint is a must, with the lighter hue above the waterline and something darker below. The main color I opted for is called Lyrical Copper, a rich, foreboding red. It’s offset by a tannish hue called Petra Gold, which looks like it was splashed onto the roof and then flowed down the pillars to coat the trunk lid and hood. Naturally, the wheel centers are painted to match the accent color for a touch of flair. Adding a bit more sparkle are chromed exhaust outlets and a gold-plated hood ornament.

Inside, I chose leather colors that match the paint: red and tan. Glossy burl walnut furnishings on the dashboard, doors and even steering wheel add richness and depth to what is otherwise an exceedingly understated cabin. The light-up Starlight Headliner is mandatory. With extended piping, a smattering of monograms and the Technical Bespoke Clock, my preferred dashboard-mounted timepiece, this is the perfect Rolls-Royce Ghost.


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