Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost is now on the prowl

The luxury car carmaker is going especially dark with its latest model

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  The new Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost has arrived. All photos: Rolls-Royce

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  The Black Badge Ghost has all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering

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  The Ghost's night-time signature from the back

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  You won't have to worry about rain ruining the paintwork

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  It's not all dark inside

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  It's coming your way

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  The signature Spirit of Ecstasy figurine

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  Some of the new Ghost's speakers

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  Very moody indeed

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  The Black Badge Ghost's 21-inch carbon-fibre wheels

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  The view when you open the garage doors.

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  A rear-light detail, recognisable to all fans of the Rolls-Royce brand

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  The design of the Black Badge Ghost adheres to Rolls-Royce's minimalist philosophy

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  On the move

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  The grille and figurine on the new Ghost have been given their own dark hue

Rolls-Royce continues its journey to the dark side with the new Black Badge Ghost, a vehicle it describes as the purest of the model’s breed yet.

The manufacturer, not one to hold back in its descriptions of its products, says the new car follows the Phantom sedan and Cullinan SUV in being all about post-opulence.

As its name might suggest, the new Black Badge Ghost has darkness at its very core.

It might seem unusual to talk about the colour of a vehicle right from the off, but the signature hue of this new arrival uses 45 kilograms of black paint in its production, laid on in a process that takes five hours. That’s before the hand polishing begins.

The traditional Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet figurine and grille are finished in a dark chrome electrolyte, in tune with the rest of the dusky look.

Don’t worry if that sounds a little gothic for your tastes though – you can opt for one of the 44,000 ready-to-wear colours that Rolls-Royce offers if you fancy something brighter.

If you find talk of that external stuff a little superficial, we can get a little grittier: the car is powered by a 6.75-litre V12 engine, creating a total output of just under 600 horsepower and 900Nm of torque. The drivetrain and chassis have also been re-engineered for what Rolls-Royce calls more urgent performance.

The car has been created following advice from the brand’s Luxury Intelligence Unit, which, frankly, is not a department every carmaker has. The idea was to make a vehicle that was “discreet, highly connected and free of any superfluous design”.

Two of these have certainly been achieved, but a Rolls-Royce of any kind is always going to have a tough job being discreet.

The new Black Badge Ghost is available now, and, as is the way with Rolls-Royce, you commission a vehicle rather than order one. There is no specific word on pricing yet, but a base model is expected to be in the region of $480,000.