So, what's it like to drive a car that stands 17.6 feet long and costs a cool Rs 3 crore? Sunday Mid Day got behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce Ghost recently hit the Indian streets

Just as Mary Shelly's novel Frankenstein was written when she was confined indoors (on a holiday), the Rolls Royce Ghost was conceived inside a secluded country house (due to bad weather).



But that's where the similarity ends. There's nothing deformed, morbid or macabre about Rolls Royce's monster-sized Ghost. Au contraire, when this machine appeared in the market, hundreds flocked to take a look.

The body
Before getting into the driver's seat, I stood outside for a while, running my gaze over its contours, taking in the classic proportions of the magnificent car. The grille was smaller than the Phantom's and the chrome-tipped exhausts were beautifully integrated into either side of the rear bumper. But it was the hood ornament, the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy, named after Eleanor Velasco Thornton (Lord Montagu's secretary with whom he had a clandestine affair) that caught my fancy. This car boasted a highly personalised, jewel-encrusted, Spirit of Ecstasy with a dazzling solitaire; brilliant sapphires sparkle around it.

While the Brits, among other things, have a colour shade appropriately called 'English White' on this part-British-part-German car, the Germans, have got their pound of tech by slapping on parts from the BMW 7 series onto the Ghost.

The car readied for me was 'English White' and came with a special matte silver paint finish on the bonnet that ran all the way to the windscreen surround; a signature touch to distinguish it from its big brother, the Phantom.

The insides
Inside, the Ghost's cabin boasted more treasures than Tutankhamun's tomb. For starters, there were polished stainless steel treadplates which I was told, could also be customised with your name. Next, came chrome-tipped visors; a splendid touch, God forbid, your hands should soil the cashmere lining on the roofline and the visors, with frequent use.

Then came the well-rounded, chrome-finished, Start/Stop button followed by the cruise control button, neatly integrated within the rim of the leather-wrapped steering along with the other steering mounted controls, also in chrome, that surrounded the rim. The exquisite display, encased in black coloured wood that ran across the dash, told you which gear your car was in. It was designed to sit behind the wooden panel and was indeed a pleasure to glance at as it displayed all readings in sedate silver.

As I fiddled with the air con knobs, I noticed that instead of regular bars as seen on standard cars, the Ghost's settings came labelled Soft, Low, Medium and High. Also, in true old-world style, you pulled and pushed the chrome knobs to operate the air con vents. Charming.

The generously proportioned seats resembled those in a first class air cabin, and came in a beautiful shade of blue. The seats made from full grain ox leather had contrast stitching and were treated to ensure that they didn't squeak or crack while sitting. The extensive option list also allows you to choose and configure the rear seats with a choice from individual lounge seats, massage seats or ventilated seats to having your initials or your company name or logo monogrammed onto the headrests of your car.

Doors and boot
As I slid into the backseat I was besotted with the button that swung the rear doors closed for me. Ditto for the boot. Once ensconced in the lap of luxury, the armrest that housed the controls for the navigation, entertainment and communication functions kept me busy for a while. The 9.2" tilt adjustable monitors with AUX IN for plug and play audio-visual devices and a TV tuner to know what was happening around the world, were remarkable, to say the least.

The boot came with a dark black trim; the thickness could put carpets in some well-furnished offices to shame. The luggage compartment sill contrasted against this beautifully. The sun roof came with glass that banned UV rays from entering the cabin.

The drive
For a car this size, it was surprisingly agile and a breeze to manoeuvre. The light steering of this 8-speed automatic and smooth power delivery from the 6.6-litre, V12, stonker of an engine did make the fabled magic carpet ride a reality for me. Only the wing mirrors, I felt, looked rather incongruous but while the whisper-quiet cabin filtered out tyre, wind and engine noise, the electrically retractable Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood never let me lose sight of the fact that I was among the privileged few to be driving a Rolls Royce.

I could barely tell when the gears changed, and the power reserve meter (that replaces the tacho on the Ghost) kept oscillating between 80 per cent and 100 per cent as the drive was down city streets, not a highway. Rolls Royce has cleverly integrated a horn that acts difficult, (slightly hard to the touch,) on purpose, to dissuade honking. I won't lie about not honking, but each time I did, I winced, knowing only too well that I was breaking Rolls Royce's unwritten rule of conduct and being a discourteous driver. However, I got my kicks seeing scores of cabbies cutting lanes on seeing this Ghost in their rearview mirrors, a sign of driving reverence in this part of the world.

Confession time. This has perhaps been the only car that I have driven yet that didn't make me reach for the music system immediately after cranking the engine. But when I did, I was treated to some jazz blues.

The Rolls Royce Ghost is a true blue luxury car where even the RR logo on the wheel centre stays upright as you drive. The car has to be experienced to fully understand what a composed driving experience is. Hopefully, just as Mary Shelly's short story was expanded into a novel, the Ghost line will get a family.

The writer is a reviewer with an automobile website.

Did you knowu00a0
>The Ghost is 17 inches shorter than the Phantom.
>The leather comes from bulls raised in barbed wire-free pastures to ensure that the hide is flawless.
>It takes 20 days to complete the deep-shine exterior paint in one of the 12 standard colours.

2 keys
The Rolls Royce Ghost comes with two keys (one for the driver; it's lightweight and finished in black plastic. The other is for the owner, finished in chrome).

Rolls Royce claims
Urban: 20.5 ltr/ 100 kms
Extra Urban: 9.6 ltr/ 100 kms
Combined: 13.6 ltr/100 kms

LxWxH: 5399 mm x 1948 mm x 1550 mm
Engine/Cylinders /Valves: V/12/48, 6591 cc
Gearbox: 8-speed automatic
Power: 563 bhp@5250 rpm
Torque: 780 Nm@1500 rpm
Kerb Weight: 2,360 kg
Showroom price:u00a0Rs 2.7 crore (basic cost of the car on arrival)