Rolls-Royce has presented a specially commissioned Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. The car arrives 120 years after Charles Rolls won the 1906 Tourist Trophy and draws its references from the Light 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce he drove with riding mechanic Eric Platford.
The exterior is finished in Dark Emerald, selected to recall the green of the historic competition car. A single Tan Coachline provides the contrast, carrying a hand-painted white number 4. The number refers both to Rolls' starting position and to the four laps completed in the original race.
The cabin takes a more restrained approach than many anniversary-themed cars. Black surfaces are mixed with tan leather, stitching and lambswool. An outline of the shortened Highroads Course used for the 1906 event is embroidered into the rear Waterfall area.
Some of the most specific references are hidden around the central air vents. Engravings record details including registration AX157, chassis number 26350B, the race date of 27 September 1906 and the coordinates of the start and finish line. The chassis number also appears on illuminated treadplates.
The original Tourist Trophy was designed to test more than outright speed. Competitors had to balance pace with durability and strictly controlled fuel use. Rolls and Platford completed the four-lap event in a little over four hours, having built a ten-minute advantage by the final lap. Rolls-Royce has used that combination of speed and restraint as the narrative behind the modern commission.
Black Badge Ghost Tourist Trophy does not introduce a new mechanical derivative to the range. Its significance lies in the Bespoke treatment: a single contemporary car built around a tightly defined piece of company and motorsport history rather than a conventional run of anniversary editions.