Rolls-Royce is ready for this weekend’s solar eclipse.
The British marque is celebrating the annual astronomical event that will be visible in parts of the western hemisphere on Saturday with a new model called the Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis. The stately saloon has several unique design flourishes—including an animated headliner—and will be limited to just 25 examples.
Each Ékleipsis comes painted in a special color called Lyrical Copper. The finish appears dark until it catches the light, at which point it produces a rich iridescence, according to the automaker. It’s accented by flashes of Mandarin on the inserts below the darkened chrome grille and the brake calipers. The same hue is used for the hand-painted coachline along the side of the vehicle.
Inside the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis
Benedict Campbell
The four-door’s interior is covered in black and Mandarin leather and its illuminated dashboard is adorned with an intricate artwork depicting the different stages of an eclipse. It features 1,846 laser-etched “stars” and took over 100 hours to complete. The most impressive detail is the animated headliner, though. When the vehicle’s doors are closed and its engine started, a circle of 940 “stars” illuminates to represent the corona of light visible around the moon during an eclipse, with another 192 LEDs standing in for the stars visible in the darkened sky. The full animated sequence runs for 7 minutes and 31 seconds, which is the longest possible duration of a total solar eclipse.
The exterior and interior may have been treated to a special makeover, but the Black Badge Ghost’s engine and other hardware have been left untouched. With good reason, the twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V-12 is fearsome enough. The mill is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and produces 591 hp and 664 ft lbs of torque, allowing it to sprint from zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and to hit a top speed of 155 mph.
Benedict Campbell
Unfortunately, all examples of the Ékleipsis have already been spoken for. Rolls-Royce didn’t reveal how much the exclusive sedan costs, but we’d guess it was well north of the standard Black Badge Ghost’s $399,895 starting price.
Click here for more photos of the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Ékleipsis.
