For the 2016 Festival of Speed, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will be bringing their black badge cars to the Goodwood Estate for the famous hill climb
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Goodwood have a symbiotic relationship, the headquarters of the legendary motoring brand is located adjacent to the famous estate and works extremely closely with the festival organisers to ensure that the visiting public has the best experience possible. Each year, Rolls-Royce sets to exceed their previous presence and for this year they’ll be bringing the brooding looking Black Badge Wraith and Ghost.
When you think of a Rolls-Royce motor car, the picture you’ll conjure up in your mind will undoubtedly contain lashings of chrome, so the black badge editions are a bit of an enigma. They’re Rolls-Royce cars in spirit and soul but swap the visual refined regality for more of a menacing look, and to be honest, they look great.
Both the Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge will be taking the short journey from the HQ of Rolls-Royce to the gates of the renowned West-Sussex estate to have their go at the supercar run up the hill. Luxurious Magazine will also be attempting the famous hill climb as guests of Alfa Romeo in their new 190mph+ Quadifoglio, the Alfa will likely be the faster due to its weight, but it’s hard to beat going up the hill in a special edition Rolls-Royce.
It will be very interesting to see how the Black Badge Wraith performs in the hill climb as it is the most powerful car in the current Rolls-Royce range with 624 hp on tap. The Wraith also has within its well-stocked arsenal 70Nm more torque than before, tweaked air suspension and an upgraded gearbox.
It’s difficult to avoid using the word brooding when talking about the Black Badge cars, the colour scheme keeps dragging me back to this particular word, so I apologise for any perceived overuse. On the outside, the Wraith is finished in Black Badge Black, with an interior in contrasting Black and Mugello Red leather resulting in a darker re-interpretation of pure luxury. The edgy theme continues with a facia in aerospace-grade aluminium-threaded carbon fibre composite surfacing. Justin Law will be the lucky driver behind the wheel of the Black Badge Wraith at the festival.
Joining the Wraith will be the Ghost Black Badge which will also take the role of the Rolls-Royce Course Car. As with its sibling, this car is finished in Black Badge Black, with a different colour scheme for interior – Black and Cobalto Blue contrast leather. The facia is finished in aerospace-grade aluminium-threaded carbon fibre composite surfacing.
The Ghost Black Badge benefits from a power increase of 40hp (30kw) to 603hp (450kw) and torque increase of 60Nm compared to current Ghost, whilst upgrades to the 8-speed automatic transmission give Ghost Black Badge an added sense of urgency in how it delivers its power. The Rolls-Royce Course Car will be driven by a team from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and can be seen on the course between each Hillclimb Run throughout the weekend.
Both the Black Badge Wraith and Ghost cars were built specifically for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and to reconfirm the edgy look sport a Spirit of Ecstasy in high-gloss black vamp, Double R badges inverted to become silver on black and black starlight headliner. The surfaces usually found in chrome have turned dark, such as the front grille surround, boot lid finisher, lower air inlet finisher and exhaust pipes. The Black Badge ‘Unlimited’ infinity logo is embroidered on the upholstery and both cars are shod with 21” Carbon Alloy Composite Wheels.
In the words of Rolls-Royce – Black Badge speaks to the darker, more assertive, confident and demanding aesthetic of a new breed of Rolls-Royce customer. At this point, I should raise my hand and admit that I too am a fan of this type of styling as before the Rolls-Royce Black Badge cars come on the scene, my Jaguar XJ was given the brooding treatment with a matte black finish, big black alloys and all the chrome accents customised to match, perhaps this too make me more assertive and confident! I think so, or do I?
Joining the Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge at Goodwood will be an exclusive fleet of Rolls-Royce motor cars specially laid on to chauffeur invited VIP guests to and from the Company’s manufacturing plant and head office on the South-Eastern corner of the Goodwood Estate to the heart of the event.
Rolls-Royce Black Badge – Where and how
For more information on the Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge, visit their official website at www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com