Nother CarGuy

After a prolonged teaser campaign, the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost has been unveiled with a sharper yet evolutionary design and a host of new features. Underpinning the new Ghost is the same flexible aluminum architecture as the Phantom and Cullinan. For the Ghost, the moveable bulkhead, floor, cross members and sill panels were re-positioned to meet the demands of the British marque’s exclusive clientele, ensuring the Ghost is both enjoyable to drive and comfortable to be driven in. Powering the luxury car is a 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine pushing out 563 hp and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. Rolls-Royce says this engine delivers maximum torque from just 1,600 rpm and that it features a distinctive porting in the air intake system to reduce unwanted engine sounds in the cabin. The engine is placed behind the Ghost’s front axle, providing the sedan with a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Power is sent through an all-wheel drive system via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission...

A Rolls-Royce, you might argue, is in and of itself already the rolling embodiment of elegance. But one customer commissioned the luxury automaker to go over and above, and has been kind enough to allow the manufacturer to bring the result to the Geneva Motor Show this year so we can all get a look. The Ghost Elegance is an extended-wheelbase limousine coated in a special paint that's created from actual diamonds. Called “Diamond Stardust,” the specially developed process uses a thousand crushed diamonds to give the Ghost a finish unsurpassed in its glamor and luster. The automaker says its specialists spent two months perfecting the finish, examining the stones under microscopes to study how they interact with light. They created a fine diamond powder that they mixed into the clear paint, over which was applied an extra layer of lacquer to ensure a smooth finish. Its application, we're told, took two days extra over and above the time Rolls-Royce usually spends painti...