‎ ‎Although available in any shade, the majority of Black Badge customers opt for signature Black, the motor car industry’s darkest black in fact. Around 100lbs (45kg) of paint is atomised and applied, followed by two layers of clear coat, which is then hand-polished by a team of four craftsmen over many hours to produce the marque’s signature high-gloss piano finish. All traditional chromework is replaced by an advanced dark chroming technique.
The exterior is complemented by Bespoke 21-inch composite wheels. Designed in the Black Badge house style and reserved for Black Badge Ghost, the barrel of each wheel is made up of 22 layers of carbon fibre laid on three axes, then folded back on themselves at the outer edges of the rim, forming a total of 44 layers of carbon fibre.
Ghost Black Badge’s subversive design carries through to the interior, with black Bolivar wood veneer for the uppermost base layer. This forms a dark foundation for the Technical Fibre layers that follow, comprised of leaves woven from resin-coated carbon and contrasting metal-coated thread laid in a diamond pattern. Air vent surrounds on the dashboard and in the rear cabin are darkened using physical vapour deposition, while the Black Badge Ghost timepiece is a showcase of striking understatement: only the tips of the hands and the twelve, three, six and nine o’clock markers are picked out in a subdued chrome finish.
More than purely a set of design updates, Black Badge Ghost is imbued with a personality all of its own. Engineering qualities have been comprehensively re-engineered, including the fitting of more voluminous air springs to alleviate body roll under more assertive cornering.
The 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 powerplant remains, but has been exploited to generate an extra 29PS, creating a total output of 600PS. The sense of a single infinite gear has also been dramatised with the addition of a further 50Nm of torque, for a total of 900Nm. The powertrain has also received Bespoke transmission and throttle treatments to further enhance the engine’s increased power reserves.
As with all products in the marque’s Black Badge portfolio, the ‘Low’ button situated on the gear selection stalk unlocks Black Badge Ghost’s full suite of technologies. This is asserted by the amplification of the engine through an entirely new exhaust system, subtly announcing its potency.
