It will be on September 1st that a new Rolls-Royce Ghost will be revealed. The new luxury saloon has been anticipated by a series of short animated films that focus on different aspects of its development, revealing some of the characteristics of the future model.
It all started, however, with an open letter from the brand's executive director, Torsten Müller-Otvös, to its customers. Letter that revealed the concept behind the new generation of Ghost which, in its first generation, became the most successful Rolls-Royce of all time.
The new Ghost is governed by a concept of “post-opulence”, which meets trends that celebrate reduction and containment, even in luxury objects.
That's what justifies the more minimalist expression of its design, but being a Rolls-Royce, it was the CEO himself to say that Ghost will continue to inspire and present “a sense of theater and magic”.
The short films that followed focused on its design, comfort and even the type of use, quite diversified, that its owners make of Ghost, depending on the region of the globe where they are located.
"Formula for Serenity"
The silence on board could not be forgotten. It has been one of the hallmarks of Rolls-Royce since its inception, where we can recall the case of the 40/50 hp, known in 1906. A model that would eventually be known as Silver Ghost (silver ghost), fruit of its silence of functioning and its silver color.No wonder, therefore, that the new Rolls-Royce Ghost (ghost) takes silence, serenity and the ability to keep its users calm and relaxed very seriously.
Rolls-Royce even has a team of experts in acoustics, who did everything to make the Ghost as quiet as possible. A work that started right away at the level of its structure.
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The new Rolls-Royce Ghost uses the same Architecture of Luxury as the Phantom and Cullinan — an aluminum spaceframe — but adapted to these acoustic requirements. Among them, he saw the addition of a double bulkhead separating the cabin from the engine compartment — where the well-known 6.75 l V12 will reside — which further reduces the noise in the cabin of the already silent engine.
The more than 100 kg of sound insulating material that will have and that serve as the title of this piece, will be placed in cavities created specifically for this purpose, in the ceiling, trunk and floor of the structure — it doesn't stop there...
Between the double glazing, there will be a transparent layer in composite material that increases the levels of sound insulation; and not even the tires were forgotten, as they were internally coated with an acoustic insulator in the form of lightened foam.
The obsession with reducing noise on board has led Rolls-Royce's expert engineers to even redesign the most unsuspecting components that produce unwanted noise. For example, not even the air conditioning ducts escaped, having been softened to reduce the noise caused by the passage of air.
Most uncomfortable silence
Ironically, they were so effective at creating silence that, early on, they discovered that removing all noise caused disorientation to their occupants. That's right, the specialist team was “forced” to create a soft and discreet “whisper”, in the words of Rolls-Royce, which is perceived as a unique, but subtle tone unique to Ghost.
To achieve this, exhaustive work was carried out to optimize the resonant frequency of multiple components. As examples, the structure of the seats was refined in its acoustic damping, as well as opening holes between the cabin and the generous 500 l trunk, so that the low frequency generated by this was consistent with the “tone” of the Ghost.
The removal and addition of sound is all part of Rolls-Royce's exhaustive and complex Formula for Serenity.
Tom Davis-Reason, director of acoustic engineering for the new GhostThe extraordinary acoustic quality of the new Ghost is the result of significant engineering developments and meticulous attention to detail, but is really underpinned by the brand's proprietary aluminum architecture. There would simply be no way to create such an acoustically refined environment with a steel platform."