Rolls-Royce Ghost Zenith Collection 2019 revealed

Rolls-Royce has commemorated the end of the first-generation Ghost limousine’s production run with the special-edition Zenith Collection, which the British brand says is in keeping with its nameplate as represents the very pinnacle of bespoke luxury.

And with just 50 Ghost Zeniths available, well-heeled buyers should get in quick. It is not, however, known yet if any examples will be heading to Australia, with a Rolls-Royce spokesperson confirming that none are yet to be purchased locally.

The Ghost Zenith draws inspiration from the 200EX concept that was shown at the Geneva motor show in March 2009. It preceded the production Ghost, with the two models almost carbon-copies of one another.

According to the British brand, the most significant reference to the 200EX in the Ghost Zenith is ingot taken from the former’s Spirit of Ecstasy and melted down and set into the latter’s centre console as part of a plaque that is engraved with the model’s three key design lines.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Zenith’s own Spirit of Ecstasy and clock are engraved with the name of the collection.

The connection to the 200EX goes a step further with what Rolls-Royce says is a “complex engraving” that is “immortalised” via “a blueprint-inspired artwork enlarged to the point of abstraction” also located on the Ghost Zenith’s centre console, albeit partly. This piece is actually divided into 50 distinct parts – one for each example in the collection.

The Ghost Zenith can also be identified by its illuminated door pockets, with ambient light emitted through perforated two-tone leather, “enhancing the architectural elegance” of the interior, according to the British brand.

Luxury is also heightened by a “complex piece of marquetry” that Rolls-Royce says is available in either wood, technical fibre or piano-finished veneer and transitions between the Ghost Zenith’s two rows of seating.

Inside is Rolls-Royce’s famous starlight headliner, which uses a unique ‘shooting star’ configuration this time around.

The embroidery featured on the rear pews references the original 1907 Silver Ghost, while the British brand has given extended-wheelbase examples of the Ghost Zenith a headliner that “thrusts purposefully forward into the poised silhouette of the Spirit of Ecstasy”.

The latter also makes uses of Rolls-Royce’s famous starlight headliner, which uses a unique ‘shooting star’ configuration this time around, with more than 1340 individually mapped and hand-woven fibre-optic lights firing at random.

Special two-tone paintwork with a gloss finish is standard, with buyers afforded the choice between Iguazu Blue with Andalusian White, Premiere Silver with Arctic White or Bohemian Red with Black Diamond. A Silver Satin bonnet – shared with the 200EX – is, however, mandatory.

While no upgrades have been made to the Ghost’s 6.6-litre V12, 420kW of power and 780Nm of torque are likely to do the job.

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“The Ghost Zenith Collection presents an entirely forward-looking study of the unique characteristics that have seen Ghost ascend to the status of the most progressive super-luxury saloon ever conceived,” said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive officer Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes.

“This unique collection provides patrons of the marque with a rare opportunity to own a motor car truly evocative of our time. Ghost is the most successful Rolls-Royce ever created and the Zenith Collection marks an important milestone in our modern history.”

Rolls-Royce describes the driver- and passenger-focused Ghost as its most successful model yet, with it attracting a younger customer base that helped to lower the average age of its owners to about 43.

This is not the first time that the British brand has offered a Zenith Collection, with the Phantom VII also commemorated at the end of its production run, in 2016, creating “a modern legend” in the process.