Rolls-Royce doesn’t do facelifts, so here’s a ‘subtle evolution’ of the Ghost

It would seem that Rolls-Royce is in the rather enviable position of having customers that would like to spend quite a lot more money on their cars. You see, Rolls asked its ‘clients’ what they would like to see from a facelifted Ghost, and apparently many of the responses centred around giving it more areas for customisation.

So, meet the ‘subtle evolution’ of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which now features a “monolithic and self-assured external appearance” that will serve “as a potent stage for Bespoke commissions”. Yep, many option boxes are about to be ticked.

Rolls is referring to this facelifted car as the Ghost Series II, which is slightly confusing given that it’s an update of the second-gen car that first arrived in 2020. Anyway, we’re told that previous Ghost customers spent an average of 10 per cent on top of the cost of the car through the Bespoke scheme, so expect that to rise even further with the Series II.

On the outside the changes are fairly minimal. There are new headlights with super slim daytime running light graphics, while the rest of the front end has been cleaned up with fewer vents so that the Pantheon grille is more prominent. At the rear there are new lights inspired by the Spectre, and buyers can choose between two new 22in wheel designs.

The exterior colour you see up above is new too and joins Rolls-Royce’s palette of more than - wait for it - 44,000 existing hues. Good grief. In case you’re wondering, this one is called Mustique Blue and is a metallic finish named after the Caribbean island but also designed to pay tribute to the lightweight 1929 Phantom II Continental prototype.

Underneath that looong bonnet lurks the familiar twin-turbo 6.75-litre V12. There’s no word of any changes either, so expect a remarkably refined 563bhp and 627lb ft of torque. The latter is available from just 1,600rpm for full waftability.

The second-gen Ghost’s fancy Planar Suspension System is also still on board, as is all-wheel steering, electronically controlled shock absorbers, self-levelling air struts and the Flagbearer System that scans the road ahead and prepares the suspension for upcoming bumps. Oh, and you get something called Satellite Aided Transmission that uses GPS data to select the correct gear for cornering from the eight-speed ZF auto.

Inside things largely follow the lead of the Cullinan facelift from earlier this year. That means there’s Rolls-Royce’s new Spirit operating system that debuted in the Spectre, plus the dials are now digital and a backlit Spirit of Ecstasy figurine sits underneath the clock. Because why not? The passenger side of the dash features the Illuminated Fascia that now apparently apes a celestial time-lapse photograph. Although of course, the Bespoke programme will allow you to create pretty much any motif you can think of… for a price.

Rear seat passengers can now connect two different streaming devices to the rear screens and can pair those with Bluetooth headphones. There’s also an upgraded wifi hotspot and developments to the 18-speaker audio system that include the addition of a 1,400-watt amplifier. New materials include Grey Stained Ash wood and Duality Twill, a new rayon fabric made from bamboo.

Not enough space for you in there? Rolls has also unveiled the Ghost Extended Series II. That adds 170mm more legroom in the rear seats by extending the wheelbase and the rear doors. If you’re in the market for a car such as this you’ll probably be interested to know that you can spec a Champagne cooler that comes with two settings, because apparently non-vintage Champagne should be served at six degrees, while vintage Champagne is best at 11 degrees. Probably not a fact you thought you’d learn on TopGear.com, but this is Rolls-Royce we’re talking about here.

And there’s one more new Ghost to discuss, because the Black Badge has also been given the facelift treatment. This is the more ‘driver-focused’ of the Ghosts and gets an extra 29bhp and 37lb ft of torque. It also gets a redesigned lower grille plus all of the usual black chrome on the Spirit of Ecstasy and Pantheon Grille. The door handles are now black too and there are 22in forged wheels. Inside you get darker material choices, actual carbon fibre and lots of that black chrome.

Rolls reckons this provides its “rebellious group of clients with a dramatic canvas for their bold Bespoke commissions.”

Sounds like it’s time for a play on the configurator…