Here’s a helpful TL;DR. The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is not just a luxury car; view it solely through that lens, and you’ll miss its true intentions. Developed alongside the expansion of the marque’s customization arm, the aptly named “Bespoke,” the Ghost Series II has evolved from an ultra-lux sedan into a $500,000 platform for personalization and self-expression.
Contrary to how it sounds, that last line isn’t the work of RR’s marketing department. Ask Phil Fabre de la Grange, Head of Bespoke, and he’ll tell you that every vehicle that rolls out of Goodwood incorporates work by his team of specialized craftspeople and designers. On average, 10 percent of the total purchase price goes to these unique touches. For a car that often stickers well beyond $500,000, that’s no small feat. As demonstrated by the Phantom Syntopia, a more elaborate commission can easily exceed seven figures.
This shift in not just how ultra-luxury machines are made but what they represent informs the Series II’s driving spirit. It is, after all, mechanically unchanged. It all carries over, ranging from its 6.75-liter V12 engine to its world-class suspension and geo-tracked gear shifts. More on that last one later. Instead, like the Cullinan Series II, the new Ghost and its Black Badge twin incorporate an updated tech suite, à la Spectre, styling that strays from RR’s old-timey aesthetic and, crucially, truly limitless customization options. This isn’t a refresh; it’s a philosophical shift.
The roads surrounding Aix-en-Provence in the South of France aren’t particularly Rolls-Royce-friendly. Winding, narrow countryside lanes snake through small towns with ancient brick buildings just millimeters off your mirrors. Occasionally, you’ll roll past a historic winery previously occupied by the Romans, only to duck out of a local’s way as they barrel towards you, their arm hanging out the window with a lit cigarette in hand. Still, the scenery is stunning, with vast rock formations puncturing through a dense sea of luscious trees. The Mediterranean sits a stone’s throw to the south, with Monaco closely to the east.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, this pre-set drive route’s focus on gorgeous views rather than serving up more technical roads aligns with what the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is ultimately going for. Short of a Phantom, it’s as refined and isolated as current technologies allow, and as the Spectre demonstrates, the next step up requires batteries. As such, Goodwood’s decision to leave its oily bits alone makes sense. Its 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 develops the same 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet it has since the 2020 introduction of the Ghost’s second generation.
Its Black Badge twin pushes those figures up to 591 hp and 664 lb-ft, although given that they’re propelling a 5,628-pound body, the resulting 4.6-second sprint to 60 mph is identical to the “standard” model’s. Still, the BB’s added sport mode, labeled on the column-mounted shifter simply as “Low,” sharpens its eight-speed auto’s shifts and moderately quickens its throttle response. As such, it feels slightly more responsive than you’d traditionally expect from a Rolls, generating a stronger sensation of speed, even if the stats demonstrate that you’re no quicker off the line.
Given that the Ghost rides on the Architecture of a Luxury platform like the Cullinan and the Phantom, it benefits from the same world-class suspension components. Its Flagbearer system uses cameras that scan the road ahead. It then feeds that data to its Planar air suspension, which actively adjusts and self-levels to ensure no imperfections spoil the ride. Rolls even employs satellites to geo-locate its cars, supplying their eight-speed autos with information about any upcoming bends to prepare the perfect shift. The only change introduced for the Series II is a suspension software update to account for larger 22-inch wheels.
Short of a Phantom, the Ghost is the most comfortable and refined internal combustion car money can buy, but you already knew that. Here’s where its evolution begins to take shape, and it all revolves around Bespoke.
Since introducing the Phantom Series II in 2022, Goodwood’s customization arm has undertaken progressively more elaborate commissions, ranging from the Phantom Scintilla to hand-built limited editions like the $28 million Boat Tail. Like the Cullinan Series II, the new Ghost benefits from an expanded list of available finishes and textures. Materials like Duality Twill introduce a cloth interior option comprising over 2.2 million stitches and over 11 miles of Bamboo fabric. Placed Perforation allows buyers to commission intricate designs consisting of over 100,000 tiny perforations for leather-wrapped cabins.
Those extras, however, only scratch the surface of what Bespoke can now do. I stopped at Château La Coste for a car swap and a chat with de la Grange, in which he explained just how customizable the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II aims to be. Barring the car’s safety elements, which can’t be modified for regulatory reasons, there’s practically no commission Bespoke won’t seriously consider. As we chatted, he pointed to a hand-painted dashboard showcasing the ocean transitioning into a full-on beach. This single piece took around six months to develop and execute. Its cost is somewhere in the high five-figure range.
Across the room, Audrey Fasquelle, a woodworking specialist in the Interior Surface Centre, slowly carved a flower into a wooden dash. She explained that, like most intricate commissions, this piece will take her months to complete. This includes an extensive revision process in which all visible flaws must be corrected. This level of personalization and attention to detail can be applied to practically every component, resulting in near-limitless options. According to de la Grange, that’s precisely what RR wants its customers to do: to utilize these capabilities to commission truly unique cars.
However, the Series II’s extras go beyond the physical, as it now incorporates the digital cluster, a high-res central display, and a glass-paneled dashboard that debuted in the Spectre. As such, its digitized instruments can now adopt a variable color scheme that complements the rest of the vehicle, while a small Spirit of Ecstacy statue sits enclosed below an analog clock. Its broadened tech suite now offers Bespoke Audio, which incorporates exciters placed directly in the headliner and is available alongside the Starlight option.
Back on the road in the Black Badge, it’s clear that with the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, the marque went to great lengths to differentiate its sportier offering. In the pre-facelift models, the BB had to distinguish itself with its darkened trim and exposed-carbon wheelset.
While this updated version improves those elements with new wheel designs, it incorporates, for the first time, black door handles. This plays alongside more angular lower front fascia trim, which, by lacking any bright chromework, also provides a nice contrast against the body color. These updates work in tandem with the updates introduced for the Series II, like its new headlights, grille, and tail lights. The result is a car that is slightly modernized, deviating from RR’s old-timey aesthetic. This move coincides with a customer base that gets younger every year.
Pricing for the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is challenging to pin down. While it starts at $355,000, with the Black Badge jumping to $420,000, I’ve yet to drive one that costs less than $500,000 once all options are factored in.
This disparity is less surprising when considering the Series II’s philosophical shift. Working from the strong base of the second-gen Ghost, Rolls-Royce has left the mechanicals untouched and focused on offering a nearly endless list of options boxes, as it sees a growing number of customers willing to tick them.
Beyond Goodwood, the world of ultra-lux sedans has made considerable leaps in the last decade, with multiple excellent options as this niche segment continues to expand. However, it’s quickly becoming apparent that batteries must come into play to reach the next level of refinement and isolation.
As such, the Ghost Series II evolves beyond a luxurious sedan into a platform for personalization and self-expression because it has to. Whether its customers are traversing narrow roads in the south of France or cruising anywhere else in the world, Rolls-Royce sees the future of the ultra-lux space characterized by experiences that are truly bespoke.