A Legacy of Excellence

 

To understand the Ghost, one must first understand the ethos of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Born in 1904 through the meeting of Charles Rolls, a young motoring enthusiast and aristocrat, and Henry Royce, a self-made engineer obsessed with mechanical perfection, the company set out from the very beginning to produce “the best car in the world.” By the time the original Silver Ghost was introduced in 1906, that goal had already begun to materialise. Named for its whisper-quiet operation and shimmering aluminium coachwork, the Silver Ghost set new standards for reliability, luxury, and refinement—qualities that would become the foundation of the Rolls-Royce legend.

The Ghost name disappeared from the company’s portfolio for nearly a century before being revived in 2009 with the first generation of the modern Ghost. It was a bold move: unlike the flagship Phantom, which was chauffeur-oriented and unabashedly grandiose, the Ghost aimed to attract a new generation of owners—entrepreneurs, creatives, technologists—who preferred to take the wheel themselves. It retained the DNA of Rolls-Royce, but presented it in a more contemporary, agile form. With a shorter wheelbase, a more dynamic stance, and a slightly more subdued presence, the Ghost quietly became a best-seller, helping to secure the company’s financial success throughout the 2010s.

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A New Era for the Ghost

 

By 2020, the world had changed—and so had the expectations of luxury. Environmental awareness, digital lifestyles, and global tastes began reshaping the idea of what a luxury car should be. Rolls-Royce responded not with flash or gimmicks, but with a profound reimagining of the Ghost. The second generation would not reuse any platform or architecture from BMW, its parent company. Instead, it would be based on the in-house “Architecture of Luxury”, the same scalable aluminium spaceframe used by the Phantom VIII and the Cullinan SUV.

This decision was more than technical. It was philosophical. Rolls-Royce understood that true luxury lies not in features but in feeling—in the sense of effortlessness, grace, and presence that only comes from total control over every component, every stitch, every sound wave. The result is a car that is incredibly rigid, yet whisper-quiet. A car that glides, rather than drives. A car that does not simply transport, but elevates.

The Extended Wheelbase version takes this philosophy even further. With an additional 170 mm of length—entirely dedicated to rear-seat comfort—it creates an environment worthy of a private jet cabin. It is designed not just to carry passengers, but to cocoon them in silence, light, and tactile serenity.

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The Art of Stillness in Motion

 

Beneath the sculpted bonnet lies the latest version of the iconic 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12, producing 571 hp and 850 Nm of torque. But power, in the Ghost, is never about aggression. It’s about sufficiency. About never needing to try. The engine, paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and intelligent all-wheel drive, offers uninterrupted torque from just 1,600 rpm—an experience more akin to a magnetic levitation train than an internal combustion vehicle.

The Planar Suspension System, a marvel of engineering, uses cameras to read the road ahead and adjusts the dampers pre-emptively, absorbing imperfections before they reach the cabin. Combined with rear-wheel steering, this makes the Ghost Extended Wheelbase unexpectedly agile for a vehicle measuring nearly six metres in length.

Inside, it’s as if the outside world has been paused. Rolls-Royce engineers famously added over 100 kg of acoustic insulation to the cabin—only to remove some of it, finding that absolute silence felt unnatural. The final result is an acoustic signature tuned not to eliminate all sound, but to create the perfect background hum of serenity.

Materials are chosen not for their trendiness but for their tactility. The leather is from bulls raised at high altitude (to avoid mosquito bites), the wood veneers are hand-finished and matched by grain, and the Starlight Headliner—composed of hundreds of individually placed fibre-optic strands—is now programmable to simulate shooting stars or constellations. Every element invites touch, contemplation, stillness.

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Beyond Luxury: A New Philosophy

 

What defines luxury today? In a world saturated with screens, noise, notifications, and status symbols, the answer is increasingly: peace. The modern Rolls-Royce is not about being seen—it’s about escaping. It’s a vehicle for those who no longer need to prove anything, for whom the greatest indulgence is privacy, silence, and effortlessness.

The second-generation Ghost Extended Wheelbase perfectly embodies this philosophy. It does not shout, it whispers. It does not flaunt, it flows. And unlike many modern luxury cars that overcompensate with technology and gimmickry, the Ghost remains grounded in craft.

This is the essence of what Rolls-Royce calls “Post-Opulence”—a concept that rejects flash in favour of depth, gimmicks in favour of grace. A concept for individuals who understand that real power resides in subtlety.

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This Example

 

The example offered here by Drive Vintage is a perfect manifestation of this discreet elegance. Delivered new in Switzerland in 2021, it features a deep metallic black exterior paired with a refined light leather interior, creating a contrast that is both timeless and contemporary. The satin-finish chrome elements add to the vehicle’s understated presence, while the bespoke wheels complete a silhouette of perfect proportions.

Meticulously maintained, with full service history and modest mileage, this Ghost EWB is presented in impeccable condition. It is now offered for sale on behalf of its current Swiss owner and is available for immediate viewing by appointment.

Whether as a private luxury sanctuary, a statement of success, or simply the most comfortable way to move through the world, this 2021 Ghost EWB remains unmatched in its category.

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A Statement Without Sound

 

There are fast cars, beautiful cars, rare cars. But there are few cars that genuinely transcend the automotive world—that become something else entirely. The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase is such a car. It’s not simply transport, but translation: of silence into serenity, of craftsmanship into experience, of tradition into the future.