The next-generation Rolls-Royce Ghost has been spotted out on test again, this time on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. A racetrack is a rather unusual environment for cars such as this which will predominantly serve limousine duty, though likely just as important for evaluating chassis and other components under duress.
As for the car itself, the next Ghost will continue to be recognisable as a Rolls-Royce as seen here, thanks to a roofline that is very much alike that of the current model’s. There is still some bodywork cladding and camouflage foil throughout as at the Ghost’s last sighting, where the front end shows the use of headlights that have more than a passing resemblance to BMW’s items – the latter is the parent company, after all.
It should be business as usual for the grille, while the lower sections of the front bumper still conceal details that will end up on the production car. Viewed in profile, coach doors (otherwise known as suicide doors) continue to make up the Rolls-Royce signature, and the development car’s exterior, as before, appears to be mostly production ready save for the foil. It’s the same story around the back, where just the tail lamps appear to be works in progress.
The previous sighting of the Ghost development vehicle revealed its interior to include digital instrumentation as well as revised air-conditioning switchgear, though staying firm with the upright design that should be already familiar to Rolls-Royce owners. Underpinnings come courtesy of the firm’s ‘Architecture of Luxury’, an all-aluminium spaceframe which also forms the basis of the eighth-generation Phantom and the Cullinan, as well as future models such as the next Wraith and Dawn, as well as future coachbuild projects.
Its application in the Cullinan means that all-wheel-drive for the next Ghost is possible, which will almost certainly use a development of the 6.75 litre biturbo V12 engine paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is also likely to carry over the current Ghost’s satellite aided gear selection logic, which draws from GPS data to predict the best possible gear ratio selection.
Sources have also suggested that the internal-combustion V12 could be joined by an all-electric powertrain for the Ghost, and a plug-in hybrid variant is also a possibility. As it stands, the Goodwood-based luxury carmaker is expected to roll out the next-generation Ghost in 2021.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
