Rolls readies £165,000 entry-level model

(Rolls ROyce)

Rolls-Royce has announced further details of the Ghost saloon prior to its full unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The new car has a 6.6 litre 563 horsepower V12 engine and an eight-speed ZF gearbox. It will get to 60 mph from rest in 4.7 seconds but its top speed, in line with industry practice, will be limited to 155 mph. Air suspension will be standard.

Perhaps the most interesting fact that is so far known about the Ghost is its price - £165,000 before taxes. This makes it substantially cheaper than the least expensive model in the current Rolls range, the Phantom four-door saloon which costs £264,000 on the road in the UK, but more expensive than the car with which it will inevitably be compared, the Bentley Continental range, which starts at about £120,000 including taxes in the UK.

Bentley was making about 10,000 cars per year at the peak of the market a couple of years ago, although it has slipped a bit since then. In comparison, Rolls Royce sold 1212 cars in 2008 but unlike Bentley, it sold more, rather than fewer cars that year in the face of the gathering recession. The bottom line? Even if the Ghost is a roaring success, expect a Rolls to remain a more exclusive product than a Bentley.