[265T]

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26096012-2682,00.html

SA buyers for luxury Roller
September 20, 2009 12:01am

IT'S an indulgence few of us can afford - Rolls-Royce's latest addition, the $695,000 Ghost limousine.

Yet three Adelaide businessmen will soon be cruising the streets after placing orders for the state-of-the-art luxury car.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany during the week, it is the latest in automotive opulence.

Rolls-Royce's Australian general manager Bevin Clayton, of Sydney-based Trivett Classic, confirmed yesterday he already had 24 orders for the car. "We've had strong response from both existing clients and people considering a Rolls-Royce," he said.

"While most of the interest is from Sydney and Melbourne buyers, I have orders from three well-established businessmen in Adelaide who already own Rolls.

"Obviously, I'm not going to say who they are out of respect for their privacy, but the common theme running through most of those who've approached us is that they're involved in property in some way or another."

The Ghost is choc-a-block full of luxury features. It boasts 600 watts of sound through a 10-channel amplifier and 16 speakers, including two floor-mounted subwoofers. For the plebs out there, that's a head-thumping lot of Rachmaninov or Frank Ifield.

On top of that, there are two 23cm LCD screens in the back of the front seats so passengers can watch the footy or, perhaps, a movie on DVD.

Of course, there's hand-stitched leather massaging seats; front, side and rear safety cameras; voice control for just about everything, including temperature; and lashings of wood panelling.

And how's this: The state-of-the-art suspension system is so sensitive it can detect even the smallest of changes.

For example, the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other can be detected and the system modified to compensate. Other hi-tech goodies include night vision with pedestrian recognition and a warning system that vibrates the steering wheel if you leave a lane without signalling.

The Ghost is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V12 engine which means it goes quick - 250km/h in fact - with fuel economy of a reasonable 13.6 litres /100km.

An increase in the luxury car tax late last year pushed the cheapest of the current Rolls-Royce model line-up - the Phantom sedan - above the $1 million mark for the first time.

The Ghost will be the only car in the four-model family to sit below $1 million. Mr Clayton said this made the Ghost "very affordable" at the top of the luxury market.

"It also shows our economy's in pretty good shape, with so many people indicating they want to get their hands on the Ghost," he said. First deliveries of the Ghost are expected to arrive in Australia by late November/early December.

[mhh]

Not really an enthusiast's car but I love it all the same.