The Rolls Royce Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has presented the Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, marking 120 years since Charles Rolls’ victory in the 1906 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

The commission takes its inspiration from the Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce driven by Rolls and his riding mechanic, Eric Platford. Held over four laps of the Isle of Man course, the Tourist Trophy tested touring motor cars in the most exacting terms: speed had to be balanced with endurance, mechanical sympathy and carefully judged fuel use.

The event took place on the Highroads Course, which was shortened to 40.38-miles. Rolls started fourth and was leading by the end of the opening lap. By the final lap, he had built a 10-minute advantage – a remarkable margin in a race governed by restraint as much as pace. 

He and Platford completed four laps of the course in 4 hours, 6 minutes, and 0.06 seconds, at an average speed of 39.4 mph. There was just one pint and one ounce of fuel remaining in the 20 H.P. at the end of the race; it is this level of precision, aptitude and attention to detail shown by Rolls and Platford that continues to define Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today.

Charles Rolls was independent in thought, technically fluent and restless in pursuit of what machines could make possible. It was his restless quest for the new and the extraordinary which drew him to the exhilaration of early motor racing, ballooning and aviation. In Black Badge Ghost, that restlessness finds a contemporary form – assertive in character, exacting in detail and disciplined in execution.

The Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy carries the memory of the race through quiet, precise Bespoke details – each one connected to the Island, the course, the winning motor car or the man behind the achievement.

THE COLOUR OF VICTORY

The exterior of the commission is finished in Dark Emerald, selected to recall the green hue of the Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce driven by Rolls in the 1906 Tourist Trophy. A single Tan Coachline provides a restrained contrast, accompanied by a hand-painted Coachline motif featuring the number 4 in Arctic White. The number references Rolls’ starting position for the race, and the four laps of the course he completed in just over four hours.

A PRIVATE ARCHIVE

Inside, the Black and Tan palette creates an atmosphere of controlled intensity. Black leather and Black Badge Technical Fibre give the cabin a darker, contemporary edge, softened by Tan leather, stitching and seat piping, and the warmth of Mocassin lambswool.

The rear Waterfall carries an embroidered outline of the Isle of Man Short Highroads Course, placing the landscape of the victory within the intimacy of the cabin. Further references are concealed within the central ‘eyeball’ air vents, where engravings record details from the race-winning motor car and the event itself, including the registration number AX157, chassis number 26350B, race date 27.09.1906, and start and finish line coordinates, 54˚09’27.1” N 4°29’ 54.7” W.

Bespoke Illuminated Treadplates fitted to all four door sills also reference chassis number 26350B. Together, these elements form a discreet private archive within the Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy.

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