THE MILLIONAIRE’S CHAIR
Once, it hardly mattered how a Rolls-royce handled as long as it was soft-riding and quiet, but those days are long gone. It was something Ghost engineering boss Jon Simms was keen to demonstrate at the end of my viewing of the new car, by taking to the road in an extravagantly disguised prototype. Collecting the car from Goodwood’s super-secret prototype department, I stepped through the rearhinged coach door (which had been silently opened by an electric motor) and settled into the sumptuous rear seat. Off we drove, up the Goodwood Hill and north towards Midhurst, before returning on small roads for a bit of high-speed stuff on the coastal M27. The car is amazingly quiet. You don’t hear separate impulses or vibes from the engine – just a faint humcum-whine to inform you that the 563bhp and 627lb ft up front are actually at work. Simms was keen to show how well the car’s four-wheel steering helps change lanes — a kind of eerie stability that seems entirely at odds with the car’s very relaxed ride rates — and how, despite the absorption on offer, there’s very little squat under power or nosedive under brakes. I’d call this car a true paragon of stability. Better still, you could watch (rather than feel) the precision of the steering as we moved briskly along narrow roads, effortlessly maintaining a gap a foot from the hedge, without the car seeming to need steering adjustment at all. The higher speeds were a joy and an anti-climax. There’s exhilaration in covering ground quickly with so little apparent noise or effort. But I soon found that if you’re looking for something extra to describe as the Ghost’s speeds rise — engine noise, vibrations, wind rustle, anything — you’re in for a disappointment. As Rolls customers may be relieved to hear, there aren’t any.
There’s very little squat or nosedive. I’d call this car a true paragon of stability