Rolls Royce has launched a new limited edition of its Black Badge Ghost model. Taking inspiration from the moon aligning with the sun, the Ghost Ekleipsis with numerous motifs of the celestial phenomenon. Just 25 examples are being crafted, and they are all already spoken for.
The Ékleipsis is painted in Lyrical Copper, lending the Ghost a moody aura in dark settings but sparkling under brighter lighting. A bright orange hue called Mandarin appears on the front bumper and brake calipers, “recalling the intense pulses of sunlight witnessed as the eclipse progresses,” Rolls-Royce says. The finish appears dark until it catches the light, at which point it produces a rich iridescence, according to the automaker. It’s accented by flashes of Mandarin on the inserts below the darkened chrome grille and the brake calipers. The same hue is used for the hand-painted coachline along the side of the vehicle.
Inside, the Mandarin orange pokes through the over 200,000 individual perforations in the bi-colored seats. Rolls-Royce tinted the Mandarin leather a black shade, with the tiny holes exposing the orange contrasting color underneath. Rolls-Royce is well-known for its Starlight headliner, with hundreds of tiny lights embedded into the car’s ceiling to emulate the night sky.
The Ékleipsis has a unique setup, when the vehicle’s doors are closed and its engine started, a circle of 940 “stars” illuminates to represent the corona of light visible around the moon during an eclipse, surrounded by 192 other LEDs that act as the stars that suddenly become visible during daytime when a total eclipse occurs. The full animated sequence runs for 7 minutes and 31 seconds, which is the longest possible duration of a total solar eclipse.
On the dashboard sits an intricate artwork consisting of 1846 laser-etched “stars,” with the dazzling display taking a singular technician 100 hours to create. But of course. The thing is a part of the cabin drama, incorporating a 0.5-carat brilliant cut diamond which has been positioned to reflect light at specific time in the animation of the dash. It represents a single point of light that appears on the Moon’s outline just as it covers and uncovers the sun. It’s the first time the company has integrated a gemstone into a clock’s bezel.
The 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, producing 563bhp, remains. Rolls-Royce has already allocated the entire Ghost Black Badge Ékleipsis Private Collection run, which comes with an indoor car cover with the Private Collection word mark.