Rolls-Royce makes a special edition of the Phantom or the Ghost every other week. But the special edition Ghost they are bringing to this year’s Shanghai Auto Show does actually mean something. The Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Collection celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Alpine Trial Rally.
That rally was the event that established Rolls-Royce as maker of the ‘Best Car in the World’. The Rolls-Royce Works Team and privateer entrant James Radley entered a silver Ghost in the 1820 miles Austrian rally and set new standards in terms of reliability and engineering excellence; qualities that Rolls-Royce is known for even today.
The Ghost Alpine Trial Centenary Collection is the first Roller to pay homage a heritage car, featuring distinct black grille and wheels like those of Radley car’s. Inside the cabin it gets a special clock that displays the stages of the rally and timings, whilst inlays to rear picnic tables and the front fascia express the topography and distances of the Alpine route.
The highlights of the Alpine Trial edition include hand-painted coachline referencing the four Rolls-Royces that took part in the rally and headlining, colour-matched to the hood of Radley’s car.
The Special Edition car will join Radley 1913 Silver Ghost to take part in a faithful re-enactment of the classic rally, starting in Vienna on 14 June 2013.
