In case you hadn't guessed yet, the smaller, more affordableRolls-Royce is, in fact, neither. It measures 540cm from grille to rearbumper, 40cm less than a Phantom but more than two metres longer thanyour average family hatch. Kerbweight is around the 2.5-tonne mark.
And the cost? Ah, yes. The cost. Ghost prices will start at around ￡200,000... before extras. Small and affordable, you say?
You get a lot of fastness for your cash, mind. The Ghost is powered bya 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12, based on the unit in the BMW 760Li butbored out and revised for extra power and torque. 563bhp of power and575lb ft of torque, to be precise, of which 450lb ft is available fromidle. It'll see the Ghost to 60mph in just 4.7 seconds. That's quick.
The Ghost's styling is clearly heavily influenced by its big brother,the Phantom, but the overall vibe is softer and more accessible, withsofter lines and a dose more modernity. It's a design that's all aboutunderstated subtlety - but if you want more glitz from your big Britsaloon, there's always the Bentley Mulsanne...
Rolls' trademark ‘suicide' rear doors remain, opening to reveal apredictably massive and opulent interior. Don't imagine that this is inany way a more budget cabin than the Phantom: plush carpets and adazzling array of mod cons are here and force... and don't forget thoseumbrellas hidden in each front door panel.
The Ghost shares around 20 per cent of its underpinnings - mainlyelectronic - with the 7-Series, but the touchpoints are all pure Rolls.They're lovely. That sat nav screen is a massive 10.2-inch affair,disappearing behind a flush screen if you'd prefer to rely on thenavigational abilities of your trusted man.
There's more clever stuff on board: a night vision camera is tuckedunder the top-right corner of the big grille, along with a pair ofparking cameras on the underside of each mirror. The air suspension isseriously trick, too, recognising the movement of a rear passenger fromone side of the Ghost to the other, and calibrating the set-up to keepthe car absolutely flat.
It's a vital car for the luxury brand: Rolls hopes to sell around 3000cars by 2011, of which two-thirds are expected to be Ghosts. That's awhole lot more than the 1200 Phantoms shifted in 2008 - and that was arecord year for Rolls...
Will the Ghost do the business for Rolls? Time - and, no doubt, globalfinancial conditions - will tell. Here's hoping. It may not be smallor affordable, but it's a magnificent, massively fast, defiantlyluxurious thing and we love it. Oh, and Rolls has hinted that a coupeand convertible version could follow, too...
