2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost

The Ghost truncates one of the great names from Rolls-Royce’s past, the Silver Ghost, a moniker that attached itself to the full line of classically reliable and smooth 40/50s produced from 1906 to 1926. These were the cars that prompted The Autocar and Motor to call Rolls-Royce “The Best Car in the World.” The new Ghost will bring that legacy to bear on the luxury-sedan class, reordering the segment’s hierarchy dominated by the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Mercedes S-class, and BMW 7-series. This steel-monocoque car might weigh as much as the Bentley (nearly a staggering 5500 pounds) but also produces an intimidating 563 hp and charges from 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 4.8 seconds. Moreover, it will achieve total pricing supremacy when it gets here in early 2010, with a projected MSRP of about $245,000 to start. Some might argue that this makes it more of a competitor to the forthcoming Bentley Mulsanne than to lesser Bentleys. We prefer to think of the Mulsanne as an insufficiently expensive competitor to the Phantom.

Rolls-Royce two neqw models

Naza Motor Trading Sdn Bhd has launched two Rolls-Royce car models, the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupe.

General manager Richard Tan said both the luxury sedan and open top “cruiser” were targeted at the “chosen few”.

“These are serious motor cars and it is for the people who have arrived and achieved.

“Naza is no doubt the first company to bring in the Rolls-Royce Phantom (sedan) and the Drophead Coupe,” he said yesterday at the launch of the cars here.

Richard Tan with the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

“Buying the car has the same concept and value as why people want to buy a Van Gough painting, even though all you do is look at the painting,” Tan added.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan sells for RM2.984mil while the Drophead Coupe is going for RM2.889mil.

“Sales of the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Drophead Coupe will not be affected by the economic (climate in) 2010,” said marketing executive Jonathan Ong.

The company is targeting a yearly sale of five units, noting that while the new models currently have no one on the wait-list, the number of customer enquiries has been encouraging.