The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at $337,850 when factoring in the destination fee and $2,600 gas-guzzler tax. The tester I pimped around for 48 hours cost $440,225. That’s $102,375 worth of options. Rather than options such as a hand-crafted analog clock ($6,200) and power-operated picnic tables ($5,325), buyers could choose an excellent sports car or luxury car. But that other car wouldn’t be a Rolls-Royce. 

My kids couldn’t understand why this rolling fantasy was worth more than our house and all its contents, and my dad couldn’t understand why I wasn’t protecting it under cover at home and sneaking whisper kisses along its flawless, nearly line-less body.

It’s a sedan, after all, with four wheels and a steering wheel, meant to be driven. Even though the new Ghost is about $20,000 more expensive than the outgoing model, which makes the new Cullinan SUV the least expensive Rolls, it doesn’t matter. No Rolls-Royce client, as they’re called by Rolls-Royce, will emerge from the dealership paying the base price. That would be common, and that’s the last thing wanted by the British brand that prides itself on exclusivity.

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

I tried explaining this to my generations. The folks out of Goodwood focus more on high-end customization than volume. Volume dilutes the very thing that drives clients to the brand. In 2019, Rolls-Royce increased sales 25% and broke a record by selling 5,152 vehicles, fueled by the Cullinan. Yet, Rolls-Royce is pleased with the pandemic-constrained downtick in 2020, when it sold only 3,756 vehicles. 

“2020 was a great year for us,” Gerry Spahn, spokesperson for Rolls-Royce said in an intimate press gathering in Chicagoland in March. 

Many of the vehicles commissioned in 2020 were custom made, as exemplified by the Koa Phantom Extended. The commission featured interior trim accents and a picnic “hamper” made of rare Koa wood grown only in Hawaii that could not be harvested by law until it died of natural causes. The Koa Phantom Extended extended the starting price from $535,000 into the multi-millions, though Rolls-Royce won’t tell us how much. 

It follows that the first new Ghost since 2009—launched during the last global economic downturn—must be special. Rolls-Royce says it only shares two parts with the outgoing model: its umbrellas ($1,600) and power-retractable Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament (illuminated, too, for $4,800 more). That theft-proof ornament is, in itself, a mechanical marvel. 

As is the V-12 that may be new to the Ghost but not to other Rolls-Royce models. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 generates the same 563 hp as the 6.6-liter in the outgoing Ghost, but the torque increases from 603 lb-ft to 627 lb-ft, and it comes on as low as 1,600 rpm. On its aluminum architecture and standard air suspension with a front upper wishbone sandwiching dampers between another upper wishbone, the Ghost floats. Or it can be opened up to tip 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, which is remarkable for a car that weighs 5,628 pounds. 

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

That’s all fine and good and you can read about it here or here, but the effortless performance is only a small part of what makes any Ghost special. It’s the customization, regardless of logic. 

For Rolls-Royce money you get what you want how you want it where you want it. Start in the rear seats, where the wood picnic tables finished with leather (and embossed with the Spirit of Ecstasy for $2,050) fold out from the front seat backs for rear seat sultans. Tablet-sized touchscreens then emerge from the seat backs as part of the Ghost Package ($31,125). From there you can control the 18-speaker, 1300-watt bespoke audio system ($10,575) and immersive seating experience with power recliners and massagers ($10,425). The tester came  with a third seat instead of a champagne bucket with crystal glasses and a refrigerator. Options beget options.

Yet, perfection remains an ideal more than a reality, no matter the options. The ventilated rear seats ($1,925) are roomy enough for napping, but not for working. I tried both. Napping under the Starlight Headliner that resembled a starry, starry night, replete with shooting stars, soothed weary eyes, especially because it’s standard fare on the Ghost. The nearly 42 inches of rear leg room matches the second-row leg room in the redesigned Chevrolet Suburban full-size SUV, so it’s exceedingly roomy. Putting a laptop on the table and working is cramped, however, but at least there’s lamb’s wool underfoot and gorgeous purple stitching and monogrammed headrests of “Arctic” leather. For rear productivity, clients would do well to commission the forthcoming Ghost Extended or the larger Phantom. 

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Getting out of the seats might be the only thing that requires effort. The doors will open if you pull the handle twice and hold the handle as it extends away from you. Gliding a finger over the door handle sensors unlocks the doors but doesn’t magically open them. Once seated in the driver’s position, you can close the doors from buttons on the beautiful center console. However, I was surprised to find I couldn’t adjust the passenger’s seating position, and felt entitled to be able to open the passenger door with a simple button push as well. That’s not the case. Front passengers have to let themselves in and out or wait until the chauffeur gets out and walks around the car to do it.

Goes to show that even when treated to the best, there’s always the desire for more.