Most people who travel in a Rolls-Royce for the first time spend the opening minute slightly unsure what to do with themselves. The doors are hinged the wrong way round, there is no obvious handle where you expect one, and the whole thing is quieter than seems reasonable. None of it is difficult, but a little advance knowledge turns a self-conscious start into a relaxed one.
The Ghost is the more restrained of the Rolls-Royce saloons, which for many clients is precisely why they choose it. It carries all of the substance and rather less of the ceremony. This guide covers the practical business of getting in and out, what the cabin does over a journey, and where the car is and is not the right choice.
Coach doors and how to use them
The rear doors are hinged at the back rather than the front, which is why Rolls-Royce calls them coach doors. The effect at the kerb is that the opening faces forwards, so you turn and step out facing the direction you are walking rather than swinging your legs around a door frame. In formal dress it is a considerable improvement.
Your chauffeur will open and close them. Do not reach for the door yourself, and never try to swing one shut by hand: they are heavy, they close under power at the touch of a button, and pulling on one is both unnecessary and unwise. Simply sit, let it close, and let the chauffeur handle the same routine on arrival.
The cabin at a glance
Inside, the Ghost is deliberately restrained by Rolls-Royce standards. Surfaces are plain and beautifully finished rather than heavily decorated, with the emphasis on the quality of the leather, the veneers and the way everything meets. The result is a cabin that feels serious rather than showy, which is not what people expect.
The exception is overhead. A starlight headliner sets hundreds of tiny fibre-optic points into the roof lining, and at dusk it changes the character of the whole interior. Most passengers spend a good part of their first journey looking upwards, and on an evening wedding run it is the detail that ends up in the photographs.
What the ride is like
Rolls-Royce has spent a century on ride quality and it shows. The suspension deals with a poor road surface by seeming to reduce its amplitude rather than by absorbing individual bumps, so the car moves in long, slow, gentle motions rather than short sharp ones. The sensation is unlike anything in a conventional luxury saloon.
It is also fast in a way that is almost entirely hidden. The engine is enormous and largely inaudible, and acceleration arrives without noise or drama. Passengers usually notice the speed on the speedometer rather than through any sensation, which is exactly the effect the engineers were after.
Details worth knowing beforehand
There are several small features that clients enjoy far more when they know they exist. Not every one appears on every car, since specification varies enormously between individual motor cars, but these are common enough to expect.
- Umbrellas housed within the doors, which your chauffeur will produce
- Rear picnic tables that fold from the seat backs for working or dining
- Powered rear blinds and heavily tinted glass for privacy at a venue
- An illuminated fascia panel on the passenger side of the dashboard
- Lambswool floor mats, which are deep and best not walked on in wet shoes
- Extended-wheelbase examples, which add a further stretch of rear legroom
The occasions it suits
The Ghost is the Rolls-Royce for people who want the substance without being looked at. That makes it the natural choice for a wedding where the couple would rather the day was about them than the car, for a landmark birthday or anniversary, and for guests arriving somewhere they would prefer not to be photographed arriving.
It also works far better than a Phantom as a genuine travelling car. A two-hour journey in a Ghost is a pleasure rather than an event, and it is discreet enough to arrive at an office without turning the reception desk into an audience. Where the Phantom announces, the Ghost simply turns up.
Booking, availability and expectations
Every Rolls-Royce is essentially individual, since the marque builds to order and no two are specified identically. Colour, interior trim, headliner and wheelbase all vary. We will tell you what is available for your date rather than promising a particular finish, and preferences are noted rather than guaranteed.
Motor cars are arranged from our own vehicles and from a vetted network of professional chauffeur operators, and supply is genuinely limited, especially for summer Saturdays. Model, colour and specification remain subject to availability and booking confirmation. Enquire as early as you can on WhatsApp or by email for a fixed date.
