By: IOL Motoring Staff
Geneva Motor Show - When you redesign a car that is the market leader in the €200,000+ class - we’re talking about cars that sell for the equivalent of more than R3 million ex factory here - you tread very lightly indeed.
When that car is also the embodiment of 110 years of tradition, you keep the changes subtle, even timeless. After all, three out of every four Roll-Royce cars ever built are still running.
This, then, is the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II.
Not so much a nip-and-tuck as a gentle tweak-and-massage, it starts with re-sculpted LED headlights encircled by daytime running lights, bolder bumpers for a stronger stance and a sense of extra width, and chromed inserts in the front air intakes, which now feed more air cooling to the front brakes.
A 'wake channel' on the bonnet, tapering out from the base of the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, evokes the sight of a jet's vapour trail or the wake of a yacht.
The 'under the skin' updates, however, are less subtle.
Onboard Wi-Fi is now standard, as is Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS to reconnoitre the road ahead and fine-tune the Ghost's gear-shift points and damper settings for the next corner before you can even seen it.
An updated centre-console controller makes navigating the navigation system, sound and climate controls more intuitive, while the optional Bespoke Audio, which Rolls-Royce claims is the most exhaustively engineered and finest audio system in automotive history, brings new levels of aural satisfaction to passengers.