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2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost makes its debut with fresh styling and a real Rolls platform

After just over 10 years, the Rolls-Royce Ghost is getting its second generation. This is an important moment, since the Ghost has been the luxury brand's bestseller. The result is a car that has changed significantly underneath to refine the things owners will see and experience. The exterior styling doesn't look drastically different at first, but looking closer reveals many significant changes. The trademark Rolls-Royce grille is wider and taller, and doesn't have a thick arcing border around it. The headlights are larger with sharper corners and angled slightly to sweep up towards the corners of the fascia. Moving along the sides show a similar profile to the old car, but the tail's trunk lid leans forward, as do the taillights. There's not a distinct ledge to the rear bumper, either, giving this new Ghost a sportier appearance. An extra bit of flair Rolls-Royce added is the illuminated grille. There are 20 LED lights in the top part that shine down onto the grille slats, which in turn reflect light outward. Under this new skin is a chassis that's exclusive to Rolls-Royce, unlike the old Ghost's BMW 7 Series-derived chassis. This new frame uses the flexible all-aluminum platform that underpins the new Phantom and the Cullinan. The car is also larger than its predecessor with 3.5 more inches of length and 1.2 inches of width. It all sits on independent air suspension at all four corners featuring some upper wishbone dampers at the front that Rolls-Royce says helps improve ride quality, though hasn't revealed detailed information on how it does so. It's supported by software that coordinates the reactions dictated by the suspension sensors, drive settings, all-wheel drive, four-wheel-steering (both new features for the Ghost), and even the navigation-controlled transmission to optimize driving performance and comfort. Powering the Ghost is Rolls-Royce's twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12. It makes 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Obviously only an automatic transmission is available, and power goes to all four wheels as previously mentioned. The Ghost's interior takes cues from the Phantom, with a full-width section encompassing the instruments, infotainment and an artistic dash panel, which we'll talk more about in a moment. Below that is a wood-finished panel incorporating some air vents and controls. Open-pore woods are available, including one that features aluminum in the wood grain.

Rolls-Royce to auction one-off 115th birthday Phantom

Rolls-Royce and RM Sotheby's has announced a partnership amidst an expected luxurious environment, with a five-course dinner at Sotheby's redesigned 90,000-plus-square-foot New York City headquarters. As part of Rolls-Royce's 115th birthday celebration (the official date was May 4), the two announced a one-off, bespoke 2020 Rolls-Royce Phantom will be auctioned off this fall exclusively on Sotheby's online auction service. The lead image shows an early-stage sketch of what the special-edition Phantom could look like. There are extremely limited details about the car, but Rolls-Royce confirmed it will be red. It will also include "an original hand-crafted leather work of art" as part of the interior. We expect this to be in the same vein as the dashboard inlays and hand-stitching we've seen in past bespoke Rolls-Royces. Because the one-off car will be honoring a birthday, we wouldn't be surprised if it featured several indicators that mark the occasion. Think numbered door sills, treadplates, dashboard or console plaques, and possibly special-edition badges. This, of course, is speculation, but these are often features on these types of vehicles. The base price of a Rolls-Royce Phantom is approximately $450,000, and when we first tested the uber-luxe personal limo, it reached as high as about $650,000. And that was just a "regular" Phantom. As a guaranteed collector's item, a set price for this vehicle would likely cost significantly more. But its price is not set, as it will be sold through RM Sotheby's online auction. It seems likely that this thing could easily tick right past $1 million. Rolls-Royce said the car will be auctioned in the fall but gave no specific dates. We'll provide updates as soon as we get 'em. Related Video:

Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail one-ups the floral theme with gemstones

Rolls-Royce debuted its first Droptail commission during Monterey Car Week, the floral-themed La Rose Noire. Not seven days later, the second Droptail took to the alpine stage in Gstaad, Switzerland, commissioned by a client wishing to celebrate his gem business, his home region, and his son. This one's called the Amethyst Droptail, the quartz crystal chosen for being the son's birthstone. The International Gem Society says February's gem ranges "from pale lilac to deep reddish purple," a symbol of royalty as well as "spirituality, mental clarity, and healing." We're also told the vivid stones are generally more valuable and desirable than the pale stones, hence the intense colors on the Amethyst Droptail.  There's another lilac connection in the Globe Amaranth flower native to Guatemala, Panama and Brazil, but grown all over the world. Rolls-Royce said this amaranth "blooms in the desert near one of the client's homes." The roadster starts with the soft purple body color dubbed Globe Amaranth and flecked with aluminum, contrasted with deep purple Amethyst paint swirled with a blend of red, blue, and violet mica flakes. Carbon fiber sections around the hem of the car display book-matched chevron patterns and are finished with Amethyst-tinted lacquer. More contrast shows in mauve accents painted inside the 22-inch wheel spokes. The brightwork's seen a great deal of attention. There are two finishes on the vanes of the Pantheon grill, each thin leading edge polished to a shine, the broadsides being brushed. The 3D-printed composite lower grille is affixed with 202 stainless steel ingots hand-painted in Globe Amaranth. Above that, a ring of rounded (as opposed to faceted) and polished amethyst surrounds the Spirit of Ecstasy when she appears. The stone's been finished into a shape referred to as a cabochon, generally featuring a convex upper surface and flat underside, and engraved with the word "Droptail." The interior is designed around the commissioning client's choice of Calamander Light wood, which features long bands of varying tones. Lighter bands decided the hue of the Sand Dunes leather on the seat bolsters framing the Amethyst leather centers. There are more amethyst cabochons laid around the gauges in the instrument cluster.