It’s not as if Rolls-Royce needs to impress anyone to sell cars. Still, that doesn’t mean they don’t like to have their own dramatic moments at NYIAS 2014.
Following close on the heels of last year’s successful introduction of the Wraith, Rolls-Royce used the media-only days at the New York International Auto Show to peel away the veil of the Ghost Series II. While not an entirely new design, the II instead serves up a list of haunting improvements. From new daytime running lights to LED headlamps that tilt and rotate with both the steering and pitch of the road, the large in-dash monitor and bright HUD include an infrared camera that scans the road ahead in dark of night on command.
As in the Wraith, the $200,000 Ghost Series II includes Rolls-Royce’s now signature “Satellite Aided Transmission.” The gearbox pre-shifts the power plant using GPS to monitor the car’s position, the current location, the road ahead and the interrelated speed to predict what gear the car will need next. The transmission then has the proper gear ready before the shift point arrives on the road — ensuring that there’s no speed lost as the engine downshifts reaching for a gear.
You can design and pre-order your Series II now, if you think you have a ghost of a chance of affording one.
