Rolls-Royce Ghost engines & performance

Ghost owners are unlikely to dwell on quantifiable performance, but were you to assess this car’s potential in coldly objective terms, as we have, you’d discover an extraordinarily quick limousine given the physics at play – this is a 2490kg vehicle.

Liberating power and torque from this 6.75-litre V12 is not difficult, but to get the most out of the powertrain, you need to press the small button marked ‘Low’ on the slim gear selector stalk. Do this and the Ghost shrugs off some of its cultivated nonchalance, not least by stepping away in first gear, rather than second, and thereafter executing an ‘aggressive’ shift strategy, holding onto to ratios longer, shifting without hesitation and kicking down further than normal.

Spend time with the Ghost and it becomes a haven – a more pleasurable place to be than anywhere else you frequent. You miss it intrinsically, and that’s true both for enthusiasts and people who couldn’t give a fig about cars

Richard Lane

Deputy road test editor

That those shifts remain glass smooth is testament to the dexterity of ZF’s transmission hardware and the truly expert tuning of the control electronics. And duly, against the clock, our Ghost squatted heavily but then dusted off 0-60mph in an impressive 4.7sec, its four-wheel drive not for one moment left wanting in terms of traction, even in slightly damp test conditions.

For Ghost owners who are short of time, there is one other very encouraging figure. In kickdown, the Ghost dispatched 30-70mph in 3.8sec. For reference, the new Bentley Flying Spur – a veritable rocket ship in this class – could go only 0.6sec quicker.