ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

£249,600 / stuff.tv/ghost

Many car manufacturers consider themselves ‘prestige’, but only one totally understands what the 0.0001% consider true luxury, and that’s Rolls-royce. The previous Ghost is the most successful car in the company’s history; with the new one, RR brought in ‘luxury intelligence specialists’ and spent 10,000 hours determining a vision for its next decade.

This new philosophy is (honestly) called Post-opulence. They’ve set about rejecting superficial expressions of wealth. Errr, wait, what? Surely a car like this is a superficial expression of wealth? Maybe, but what it really means is a more minimalist design where all the technology is hidden away; where the lines are clean and the bling restrained, but far from absent.

WHITE ALIGNS

There’s exquisite engineering involved – and this can be seen (the vast one-piece bonnet is aligned precisely with the hood ornament without the need for unsightly shut lines), heard (the interior components are tuned to a specific resonant frequency to create a sense of serenity) and felt (with world-first suspension tech).

This suspension system comprises three elements: an upper wishbone damper

unit creating a more stable ride, electronic road-reading tech to prepare for any changes in surface, and satellite-aided transmission using GPS to pre-select the optimum gear for upcoming corners.

COMFORTABLY THRUM

The 6.7-litre V12 hurls you towards the horizon with nonchalance. It’s big and heavy but fast and unflappable, defying the laws of physics. The result is supreme comfort, and we haven’t even talked about the regal interior yet.

Most owners will personalise theirs with custom marquetry (maybe using open-pore veneer from a tree on your own estate?) and perhaps a monogrammed safe in the footwell. You could easily spec this car to well over half a million quid.

And that’s who it’s really for: ultra-high-net-worth types. Is the Ghost worth three times more than a Mercedes S500? No, because the S-class has a much better interface, Level 4 autonomous driving systems and broader dynamic abilities. But the Ghost is three times as special.

Key specs

Engine 6.7L twin-turbo V12 Power 563bhp

0-62mph 4.8 secs

Top speed 155mph (electronically limited)