Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge 2021 secret review

We slip into London under cover of darkness, the lights of the Westway strobing gently past the double-glazed glass. Reclined in one of the rear armchairs under a canopy of LED stars, I sip champagne from the in-car cooler, quietly savouring the moment. 

The car glides near-silently through Soho, pausing only when a road closure demands a last-minute detour. My chauffeur performs a swift U-turn and circles the block, anxious not to become stuck in traffic. “We need to keep moving and avoid any photographs,” he mutters. 

I feel like a celebrity evading the paparazzi, but tonight the car is very much the star. Two weeks before the Ghost Black Badge is revealed to the world, this still-secret Rolls-Royce is a prime target for London’s supercar spotters. Thankfully, we make it to the hotel without making it onto Instagram.

Back to Black

Rewind several hours and I’m inside an aircraft hangar in deepest Northamptonshire. Black-clad waiters serve intricate snacks, milling around neon sculptures, a stealth-look helicopter and a phalanx of Rolls-Royces.

It feels like a Bond baddie’s lair, as our host tacitly acknowledges. “People don’t want to be 007 any more,” he says. “They want to be the villain. That’s where Black Badge comes in.”

Black Badge models have been “subverting” the traditional image of Rolls-Royce since 2016 and now make up 27 percent of sales. Cosmetically, they swap bright chrome for a subtler, more contemporary look – including modern materials such as carbon fibre.

They’re also faster and more driver-focused, as I’m about to discover on the runway outside…

Paint it, Black

Rolls-Royce never used to specify a power output, describing it simply as ‘adequate’. However, even allowing for British understatement, the 600hp from this 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 seems very adequate indeed.

The 2.5-tonne saloon launches with a seamless shove, then gathers speed with the unstoppable intensity of an avalanche. I nudge 150mph before my passenger (later to be chauffeur) calmly – but firmly – suggests I apply the brakes.

Equally, Rolls-Royce has never offered anything so uncouth as a Sport mode; only the 2015 Phantom Coupe had an ‘S’ button on the steering wheel, which reportedly stood for ‘Spirited’. The Black Badge, though, has a new ‘Low’ mode that quickens throttle response and gearshift times.

Listen closely and it also makes the V12 burble and crackle like a well-mannered muscle car. Yes please. 

Black Parade

I then attempt a high-speed slalom (don’t try this at home, kids) to test the Ghost’s active anti-roll bars and rear-wheel steering system.

Scything side-to-side at 100mph-plus, it stoically keeps calm and carries on, yet despite more technology than GCHQ, it’s also analogue enough to keep you interested. There’s delicate feedback through the large, thin-rimmed wheel and a progressive sense of poise. As we leave the airfield for London, I’m not ready to swap seats just yet. 

On the road, the more cosseting side of the Black Badge’s character comes to the fore. This is still a Rolls-Royce, after all, and its sumptuous cabin, serene refinement and pillowy ride make any journey – even a stop-start schlep down the M40 –  feel like a long, luxurious bath. Climbing into a ‘normal’ car is a cold shower by comparison. 

Fade to Black

There’s also something unique about the view along that imperious prow, seeing the Spirit of Ecstasy (finished here in mirror-black chrome) guide you home. So it was with real reluctance that I agreed to play passenger for the final leg of our drive. At least, until I discovered the champagne. 

Now the secret is out and the Ghost Black Badge is probably trending on Twitter. For one night, though, I had it almost to myself. It was an experience I won’t forget.

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