Rolls-Royce pitches the Ghost as the one you buy if you prefer to drive yourself about the place, rather than having someone else do it. (We’d say chauffeur but that’s hard to spell.) However, the ink isn’t even dry on the press release for the latest version and here we are, writing about a long wheelbase model that’s designed specifically for cha… chea… cho… people employed specifically to drive other, richer people around.
The Ghost Extended Wheelbase has been lengthened by 170mm, all of it given to rear leg space. It now has a 3465mm wheelbase and its entire length is 5549mm, if you’re into the finer details. For reference, that wheelbase is still some way short of the Phantom’s (that’s RR’s biggest car), which measures in at 3570mm. A Phantom Extended Wheelbase has 3820mm. A bendy bus has…just kidding.
Rolls-Royce was concerned that the extra length would ruin the neat proportions and minimalistic styling of the new, second generation Ghost, and so it’s buried the extra length visually by adding it to the rear door.
It’s not just additional rear space that Extended Wheelbase buyers get. They also get a pair of ‘serenity seats’ that recline to a near vertical position like the first class seats in a plane. They’re optional, sadly. But whatever seats your big Ghost has, between them will be a champagne chiller with two modes. Get this: mode one is for vintage bottles and mode two us for non-vintage bottles. Because apparently vintage champagne pours best at exactly 11 degrees centigrade and the newer stuff 6 degrees. Nope, we didn’t know that either.
Torsten Müller-Otvös, the main in charge of Rolls-Royce, said the Ghost EW “provides the indulgence of enhanced rear space within the rear suite with no compromise to driving dynamics”. It’s powered by the same 6.75-litre twin turbo V12 petrol engine as the shorter one, developing 563bhp.
It’s not going on sale until the start of next year, but when it does you can expect to pay probably £300,000 give or take a few grand. Pff.
Keyword: Rolls-Royce launches longer Ghost with lounge class rear space