Ghost

Segment
Sedan

Just in time for Halloween, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost is about to get a sinister new look. On October 28, Rolls-Royce will unveil a new special-edition Black Badge variant of the new Ghost. Rolls-Royce hasn't confirmed the new model's identity, but the teaser image released by the luxury manufacturer shows the new Black Badge will be based on the current-generation Ghost that launched last year.

The teaser image is taken from a non-fungible token (NFT) animation created by artist and illustrator Mason London that celebrates the legacy of the extravagant Rolls-Royce Black Badge series. Seeing Rolls-Royce join the NFT craze is not surprising considering these one-of-a-kind digital tokens tied to assets are often worth millions of dollars.

Rolls Royce's Black Badge series cars are distinguished by their imposing dark accents, more extensive customization options, and uprated power, brakes, and suspension. As standard, the Rolls-Royce Ghost is powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 producing 563 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Going by past Black Badge models, the new Ghost Black Badge could have around 30 more hp like the Cullinan Black Badge. It will also be considerably more expensive than the standard Ghost, which starts at $311,900.

Launched in 2016, Rolls-Royce created the Black Badge series in response to younger clients commissioning darker, more outlandish designs to stand out from the crowd. Now, Rolls-Royce Black Badge cars represent 27 percent of the brand's commissions. Initial commissions were inspired by fashion designers John Varvatos, Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto and Ann Demeulemeester.

"Rolls-Royce has always attracted a unique breed of outliers, visionaries and iconoclasts. We are proud to provide these men and women with a perfectly engineered canvas upon which they can express a subversive and confident projection of their success," said Torsten Muller-Otvos, Chief Executive Officer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

"Black Badge represents a natural evolution for a brand that is defined by a culture of collaboration with its clients. Black Badge is not a sub-brand. It is an attitude that represents an authentic and confident response to the desires of a new group of clients who proudly practice bold self-expression."