Rolls-Royce will be going fully electric around the end of the decade. However, in the meantime, the ultra-posh British brand is doing what it knows best: V12 luxobarges. The current-generation Ghost has been on the market for about four years, so it’s time for a mid-cycle update. As before, the hotter Black Badge derivative uses an upgraded iteration of the venerable twelve-cylinder engine. Yes, it’s the same “N74” unit that used to power the BMW M760i.
In the Black Badge, it produces an extra 29 hp and 37 lb-ft over the standard Ghost. That takes the output of the twin-turbo, 6.75-liter unit to a massive 591 hp and 663 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque. These healthy figures haven’t changed compared to the pre-facelifted model. Even so, in the age of downsizing, it’s still one of the last production cars sold with a V12 engine.
Compared to a normal Ghost, the Black Badge has a slightly angrier exhaust note while the gear shifts are up to 50% quicker under harder acceleration. There’s also less pedal travel and a higher braking bite point to enable a more engaging drive, not that you’ll see many Rolls-Royces being pushed hard.
While the mechanicals are essentially the same, there are some subtle visual tweaks. Unlike the Cullinan’s striking facelift, the stately sedan plays it safe with an evolutionary update. The U-shaped lower grille is new and comes with two darkened chrome strips flanking functional air ducts. Look closer and you’ll notice RR also discreetly revised the shape of the headlights. The LED daytime running lights have been reworked as well by adopting an “L” theme.
The rear has been largely carried over from the previous Ghost Black Badge but the taillights have different graphics. If the two vertical bars seem familiar, that’s because Rolls-Royce took inspiration from the Spectre electric coupe’s rear lights. The mildly revised taillights incorporate a curved chrome element with a double R motif.
To set the Black Badge apart from the “regular” Ghost, Rolls-Royce designed these opulent 22-inch forged wheels with a two-tone appearance. The new shoes have a seven-spoke layout and are partially polished. In keeping with the car’s name, there are an assortment of dark accents throughout the exterior. It’s actually the first time this car is offered with black door handles. As you can imagine, the imposing grille, Spirit of Ecstasy statuette, and the side badge are all finished in black.
Rolls-Royce was never going to overhaul the interior for the facelift since bigger changes usually happen with next-gen cars. The 2025 Ghost Black Badge is more of the same but there are some new materials customers can choose from. For example, Duality Twill is a rayon fabric made from bamboo. A full interior in this specification takes 20 hours to complete because it features 11 miles of thread and a whopping 2.2 million stitches. As if that wasn’t enough, the ultra-rich can pick from 51 colors of thread.
Another option is to go for Placed Perforation with tiny perforations in the leather to create special designs. The sky’s the limit when it comes to personalizing the Ghost Black Badge’s interior since there are numerous graphics available, composed of as many as 107,000 perforations. The perforations vary in size from just 0.031 to 0.047 inches.
Since this is the sportier variant, it makes generous use of carbon fiber. In addition, the darker look of the interior metals such as the air vent surrounds and the speaker grilles was obtained through a process called physical vapor deposition. RR says this ensures long-term quality, even if the car’s interior will be exposed to extreme temperatures.
Rolls-Royce is already accepting dealers in the United States where the Ghost Black Badge Series II kicks off at an eye-watering $420,000.
Source: Rolls-Royce
